Safari could not download the file because there is not enough free disk space

Problem

When attempting to download a file in Safari you get the following error message:

“Safari could not download the file because there is not enough free disk space. Try deleting documents or downloading to another disk in downloads.”

Solution

Make sure you have sufficient disk space available beforehand. You can check this by right clicking (or pressing Ctrl + click) on your hard drive, then selecting Get Info to see how much space is available.

If there is plenty of space free on the drive then follow these instructions:

1. Quit Safari.
2. Go to your home folder.
3. Right click or Ctrl + click on the Downloads folder and select Get Info.
4. Look under the Sharing & Permissions section:
• If the padlock is locked then click it, enter your password if you have one and click OK.
• You should see your name followed by (Me) e.g. “Carl (Me)”.
• If you don’t, then click the + button, click on your username and click Select.
5. Next to your name, it may say “Read only”. Change it to “Read & Write”.
6. Click the cog like icon, then click “Apply to enclosed items”.
7. You will be asked “Are you sure…”. Click OK to confirm.
8. Once done, click the padlock to lock the changes.