Insufficient Disk Space to Repair MFT Mirror Error? [Full Fix]

CHKDSK is a well-known disk checker used to check file system errors and bad sectors on hard disks. It is widely used by Windows users to check hard drive errors. However, a great many users encounter various errors when using the tool, such as “CHKDSK cannot run due to recently installed software package”, “CHKDSK write protected error”, “CHKDSK gets stuck”, and the one discussed in this post.

Here’s a true example from the superuser.com forum:

I borrowed an empty 500GB Toshiba HDD from a friend of mine. I have a 1 TB HDD installed in my laptop which I needed to clone to the new 500GB HDD. I quickly formatted the drive to 500GB HDD just to be sure. I tried cloning gave me a "Failed to write Sector" error. So, I tried "CHKDSK H: /r" on 500 GB HDD. All 5 states were completed but, in the end, it gave me this error: insufficient disk space to repair master file table (MFT) mirror.

https://superuser.com/questions/1251697/insufficient-disk-space-to-repair-master-file-table-mft-mirror

What Causes the Insufficient Disk Space to Repair MFT Mirror Error

Master file table, also short for MFT, is an important database that stores every file’s information including file name, creation date, access permissions, data content, and size on an NTFS volume. When the “insufficient disk space to repair master file table (MFT) mirror” error appears, it usually indicates the hard disk gets damaged or broken.

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How to Fix the Insufficient Disk Space to Repair MFT Mirror Error

How to fix the insufficient disk space to repair MFT mirror on Windows 10/11? After analyzing extensive user reports from different forums, we summarize several effective troubleshooting methods. Let’s start trying.

Before You Do

As discussed above, the “the master file table (MFT) contains a corrupted file record” error means that your hard drive gets corrupted. So, don’t write any new data to the hard drive until the problem gets solved. Otherwise, the previous data on the drive won’t be recovered any longer once overwritten.

To avoid this situation, we highly recommend you recover all important data on the hard disk as soon as possible.  How to quickly recover lost data from a hard drive? MiniTool Partition Wizard is a professional data recovery tool, which can restore data from hard drives, USBs, SD cards, and many other storage devices. Once recovered, you can fix the MFT Mirror issue with chkdsk /r without any concerns.

MiniTool Partition Wizard DemoClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Fix 1. Use an Alternative to CHKDSK

Suppose you encounter the “insufficient disk space to repair master file table MFT mirror” error when using CHKDSK. In that case, the most effective way is to use an alternative – MiniTool Partition Wizard to check the hard drive. This all-in-one partition software can not only check bad sectors but repair file system errors.

MiniTool Partition Wizard FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Step 1. Launch the MiniTool program to enter its main interface, and then select the hard disk that you want to check and click on Surface Test from the left panel.

Step 2. Click on Start Now and wait for the process to complete. If any blocks are marked with red color, it indicates that your hard drive is getting failing.

Step 3. To repair logical errors on the disk, select the partition that you want to check from the disk map and click on Check File System from the left action panel.

Step 4. In the pop-up window, select the Check & fix detected errors option and click on Start to begin the repair.

Fix 2. Run CHKDSK in WinRE

If you can’t run the CHKDSK command due to the “the master file table (MFT) contains a corrupted file record” error, running the command in WinRE may help fix the error.

Step 1. Restart your computer via the Windows logo and keep pressing the Shift key immediately to enter WinRE.

Step 2. Select Advanced Options > Troubleshoot > Command Prompt in order.

Step 3. You can run the CHKDSK /r command in the pop-up window to check if the MFT Mirror issue with chkdsk /r disappears.

Fix 3. Perform a Full Format of the Hard Drive

Some users have proven that fully formatting the hard drive can get rid of the “insufficient disk space to repair master file table MFT mirror” error. Here you may have a try.

Step 1. Press Win + X to call out the context menu and select Disk Management.

Step 2. Right-click the partition on the hard disk and select Format.

Step 3. Untick the checkbox next to Perform a quick format, click OK, and confirm this formatting. Then you can repeat the same procedure to format other partitions on the hard disk.

Once done, you can check if the “insufficient disk space to repair master file table (MFT) mirror” error gets solved.

Bonus Tip: Best Partition Software to Clone a Hard Drive to SSD/HDD

According to many user reports, they want to clone their hard drive to a new SSD/HDD due to the MFT Mirror issue with chkdsk /r. Are you also looking for a hard drive cloner? MiniTool Partition Wizard is a good choice. It can help you upgrade your hard drive without reinstalling OS via the Migrate OS to SSD/HD or Copy Disk Wizard feature. Let’s have a try.

MiniTool Partition Wizard DemoClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

How to fix the “insufficient disk space to repair master file table MFT mirror” error on Windows 10/11? The top 3 methods have been illustrated and you can choose one that works best for you. If you have other effective solutions, please share them with us in the following comment area.