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When recording with the Tella Mac app, you may see a warning that your disk space is running low. Here’s why this happens and how to fix it.

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Why does Tella need disk space?

When you record a video, Tella temporarily saves the video file to your Mac’s local storage before uploading it to the cloud. Longer recordings and higher quality settings require more disk space.

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How much space do I need?

We recommend having at least 5-10 GB of free space before recording. The exact amount depends on:
  • Recording length
  • Video quality settings
  • Whether you’re recording screen, camera, or both

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How to free up disk space

  1. Empty your trash: Right-click the Trash icon in your Dock and select “Empty Trash”
  2. Delete old downloads: Check your Downloads folder for files you no longer need
  3. Use storage management: Go to Apple menu → About This Mac → Storage → Manage to see recommendations

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What happens when space runs out?

Current versions of the Tella Mac app protect the recording when storage is low:
  • When you press record, Tella checks free space first. If less than 512 MB is free, the recording doesn’t start and Tella shows a warning instead.
  • While you record, Tella keeps checking. If free space falls below 256 MB, it stops the recording safely instead of continuing until the file becomes corrupted.
  • The recording will be shorter than planned, but Tella keeps and uploads the part recorded before it stopped.
Those limits are the hard floor, not a target. Leave several GB free, especially for long or 4K recordings.
Free up space before starting again, especially before a long or high-resolution recording.

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Where does Tella store temporary files?

Tella stores in-progress recordings in its own folder inside your Mac’s Application Support directory (~/Library/Application Support). The quickest way to find it is the app’s menu bar: Help → Open Video Folder…. Each recording’s files are deleted automatically once they finish uploading.
Don’t delete anything in that folder while a video is still uploading. Those are the only copies of that recording.