run out of storage

Meaning

This phrase means to completely use up all the available memory space on a digital device, cloud service, or hard drive. When this happens, you can no longer download new apps, take photos, or save files until you delete something or buy more space. It is an incredibly common issue with modern smartphones and cloud accounts.

Examples

• I can't take any more photos because my phone is about to run out of storage.

  I can't take any more photos because my phone is about to run out of storage.

• If you run out of storage on your laptop, you can always use an external hard drive.

  If you run out of storage on your laptop, you can always use an external hard drive.

• My cloud backup failed because I ran out of storage on my basic plan.

  My cloud backup failed because I ran out of storage on my basic plan.

• I hate having to delete old videos every time I run out of storage.

  I hate having to delete old videos every time I run out of storage.

• She had to upgrade her account after she ran out of storage for her email.

  She had to upgrade her account after she ran out of storage for her email.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ My phone ran out of memory space.

  ✓ My phone ran out of storage.

  While 'memory space' is understandable, native speakers almost always say 'run out of storage' or 'run out of space' when referring to file capacity, reserving 'memory' (RAM) for processing power.

• ✗ I am running out of storages on my drive.

  ✓ I am running out of storage on my drive.

  The word 'storage' is an uncountable noun in this context and should never be pluralized.

Related Expressions

Practice

• I need to delete some large video files before I completely ___.

  💡 Have no space left on your device.

  Show answer

  run out of storage

• My email app warned me that I might ___ if I don't clean out my inbox.

  💡 Use up all the available digital space.

  Show answer

  run out of storage