How to fix failed to extract layer: write /: no space left on device in Docker

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This error occurs when Docker cannot extract image layers during a pull operation because the disk where Docker stores its data has run out of space. The solution involves cleaning up unused Docker resources and ensuring sufficient disk space.

What this error means

The "failed to extract layer: write /: no space left on device" error occurs when Docker is pulling an image from a registry and cannot extract one of the downloaded layers to disk. Docker images consist of multiple layers that are downloaded compressed and then extracted to the local filesystem. When Docker attempts to write the extracted layer data to /var/lib/docker (or Docker Desktop's virtual disk on Mac/Windows), the operation fails because no free space remains. This is distinct from general disk space errors because it specifically happens during the layer extraction phase of an image pull. Docker requires space for both the compressed download and the uncompressed extraction. A 500MB compressed layer might expand to 2GB when extracted, so even if you have enough space for the download, the extraction can still fail.

How to fix "failed to extract layer: write /: no space left on device"

1Check Docker disk usage

Start by understanding how Docker is using disk space:

bash

docker system df

This displays disk usage by category (Images, Containers, Local Volumes, Build Cache). For detailed breakdown:

bash

docker system df -v

Also check system-level disk space:

bash

df -h /var/lib/docker

On Docker Desktop, check Settings > Resources to see the disk image size and usage.

2Remove unused images

Clear images that are not being used by any container:

bash

# Remove dangling images (untagged, unreferenced)
docker image prune

# Remove ALL unused images (not just dangling)
docker image prune -a

To see what will be removed first:

bash

docker images -f "dangling=true"
docker images

Note: The -a flag removes all images not associated with a running container. You will need to re-pull them later.

3Clean up stopped containers

Stopped containers consume disk space. Remove them:

bash

# View stopped containers
docker ps -a --filter "status=exited"

# Remove all stopped containers
docker container prune

This frees the writable layer space used by each stopped container.

4Clear build cache

Docker's build cache can grow substantially, especially with frequent builds:

bash

# Remove dangling build cache
docker builder prune

# Remove ALL build cache
docker builder prune -a

In CI/CD environments, the build cache is often the largest consumer of disk space.

5Run comprehensive cleanup

For a complete cleanup of all unused Docker resources:

bash

# Remove containers, networks, images, and build cache
docker system prune -a

# Include volumes in cleanup (use with caution)
docker system prune -a --volumes

Warning: The --volumes flag permanently deletes data in unused volumes. Only use this if you are certain no important data exists in Docker volumes.

6Verify space and retry pull

Confirm disk space has been freed:

bash

docker system df
df -h /var/lib/docker

Then retry the image pull:

bash

docker pull <image-name>

For large images, ensure you have at least 2-3x the compressed image size available for extraction overhead.

How to fix failed to extract layer: write /: no space left on device in Docker

What this error means

Typical symptoms

Common causes

How to fix "failed to extract layer: write /: no space left on device"

Advanced notes

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Official resources & further reading