Inserts fail with error 1105 and the message that the PRIMARY filegroup is full. The disk still shows 20GB free. What is going on?
SQL Server error 1105: PRIMARY filegroup is full
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SQL
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Colin Carter November 8, 2026
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Free disk space is only one reason. Check these.
1. Autogrowth. Open database properties > Files. If autogrowth is off or the file has a maximum size, SQL Server can not grow even when the disk is free. Turn it on and use a fixed growth size, for example 512 MB, not a small percentage.
2. Disk. Make sure the drive that holds the data file has space. A different drive than you looked at may be full.
3. Quota or mount point limits on the volume.
4. Look at sys.database_files and compare size, growth and max_size.
If the file is at its maximum, raise MAXSIZE with ALTER DATABASE db MODIFY FILE (NAME = 'logical_name', MAXSIZE = UNLIMITED); and try the insert again.
MAXSIZE was set to 50GB from an old script. Changed it and inserts work. Thanks.