Disk Space Management¶

qBitrr automatically monitors disk space and pauses downloads when free space drops below your configured threshold, preventing "disk full" errors and system instability.

Overview¶

The Problem:

Downloads fill up your disk
System becomes unstable when disk is full
Database corruption risk
Import failures
Torrent corruption

qBitrr's Solution:

Monitors free space continuously
Pauses downloads before disk fills
Keeps seeding active
Automatically resumes when space frees up
Prevents system crashes and corruption

How It Works¶

graph TD
    A[qBitrr monitoring loop] --> B{Check free space}
    B --> C{Space < FreeSpace?}
    C -->|No| D[Continue normally]
    C -->|Yes| E[Pause all downloads]
    E --> F[Log warning]
    F --> G[Keep seeding active]
    G --> H[Wait for next loop]
    H --> B
    D --> I{Space freed up?}
    I -->|Yes| J[Resume downloads]
    I -->|No| D

Process:

qBitrr checks free space every LoopSleepTimer seconds (default: 5)
Compares available space to FreeSpace threshold
If space < threshold:
Pauses all downloading torrents
Keeps seeding torrents active
Logs warning message
When space frees up (files imported/deleted):
Automatically resumes paused downloads
Continues normal operation

Configuration¶

Disk space management is configured in the [Settings] section:

[Settings]
# Minimum free space threshold
FreeSpace = "50G"

# Folder to monitor
FreeSpaceFolder = "/data/downloads"

# Enable auto pause/resume
AutoPauseResume = true

# Download folder (must match qBittorrent)
CompletedDownloadFolder = "/data/downloads"

FreeSpace¶

FreeSpace = "50G"

Type: String Default: "-1" (disabled) Format: Number + Unit (K, M, G, T)

Minimum free space to maintain.

Units:

K - Kilobytes
M - Megabytes
G - Gigabytes (recommended)
T - Terabytes

Examples:

FreeSpace = "50G"    # 50 gigabytes
FreeSpace = "100M"   # 100 megabytes
FreeSpace = "1T"     # 1 terabyte
FreeSpace = "-1"     # Disabled (no monitoring)

Recommended values:

Disk Size	Recommended FreeSpace	Percentage
100 GB	`10G`	10%
500 GB	`50G`	10%
1 TB	`100G`	10%
2 TB	`200G`	10%
4 TB	`400G`	10%
10 TB	`500G`	5%

Calculation:

FreeSpace = Disk Size × 0.10  (10% of total)

FreeSpaceFolder¶

FreeSpaceFolder = "/data/downloads"

Type: String (path) Default: Same as CompletedDownloadFolder

Folder to monitor for free space.

Usually the same as:

CompletedDownloadFolder - Where qBittorrent saves files
qBittorrent's "Default Save Path"

Why might they differ?

Download folder on SSD, monitoring HDD
Shared storage with multiple mount points
Network storage

Examples:

# Standard - same folder
CompletedDownloadFolder = "/data/downloads"
FreeSpaceFolder = "/data/downloads"

# Different - monitor parent filesystem
CompletedDownloadFolder = "/mnt/storage/downloads"
FreeSpaceFolder = "/mnt/storage"

# Docker
CompletedDownloadFolder = "/downloads"
FreeSpaceFolder = "/downloads"

AutoPauseResume¶

AutoPauseResume = true

Type: Boolean Default: true

Enable automatic pausing and resuming of torrents.

Required for disk space management!

When true:

qBitrr can pause downloads when disk is full
qBitrr can resume downloads when space frees up
Health checks can pause/resume torrents
Full automation

When false:

No automatic pause/resume
Disk space monitoring has no effect
Manual intervention required

Recommendation: Keep true unless you have specific reasons not to.

Complete Configuration Examples¶

Example 1: Standard Setup¶

[Settings]
# Monitor disk space
FreeSpace = "100G"
FreeSpaceFolder = "/data/downloads"
AutoPauseResume = true

# Must match qBittorrent's save path
CompletedDownloadFolder = "/data/downloads"

# Check every 5 seconds
LoopSleepTimer = 5

Behavior:

Monitors /data/downloads filesystem
Pauses downloads if < 100 GB free
Resumes when space freed up
Checks every 5 seconds

Example 2: Docker Setup¶

[Settings]
FreeSpace = "50G"
FreeSpaceFolder = "/downloads"
AutoPauseResume = true
CompletedDownloadFolder = "/downloads"

Docker Compose:

services:
  qbitrr:
    volumes:
      - /mnt/storage/downloads:/downloads

Monitors: /mnt/storage on host (seen as /downloads in container)

Example 3: Large Storage¶

[Settings]
# 500 GB threshold for 10 TB disk
FreeSpace = "500G"
FreeSpaceFolder = "/mnt/bigdisk/downloads"
AutoPauseResume = true
CompletedDownloadFolder = "/mnt/bigdisk/downloads"

Example 4: Disabled (Not Recommended)¶

[Settings]
FreeSpace = "-1"  # Disabled
AutoPauseResume = false

Warning: No protection against disk full errors!

Workflow Examples¶

Scenario 1: Normal Operation¶

Initial state:
- Disk: 1 TB total
- Free: 150 GB
- Threshold: 50 GB
- Status: Downloading

Action:
- 3 torrents downloading
- Free space: 150 GB → 120 GB → 80 GB → 60 GB
- Still above 50 GB threshold
- Continues downloading normally

Scenario 2: Low Space - Pause¶

State:
- Free: 60 GB → 55 GB → 48 GB
- Threshold: 50 GB
- Free space drops below threshold!

qBitrr Actions:
1. Detects: 48 GB < 50 GB threshold
2. Pauses all downloading torrents
3. Logs: "Disk space low, pausing downloads"
4. Keeps seeding torrents active
5. Waits for space to free up

Scenario 3: Space Freed - Resume¶

State:
- Downloads paused (48 GB free < 50 GB threshold)
- Arr imports completed downloads
- Files moved to library
- Free space: 48 GB → 75 GB

qBitrr Actions:
1. Detects: 75 GB > 50 GB threshold
2. Resumes all paused downloads
3. Logs: "Disk space available, resuming downloads"
4. Normal operation continues

Scenario 4: Repeated Pause/Resume¶

Timeline:
00:00 - Free: 120 GB → Downloading
00:10 - Free: 48 GB → Pauses (< 50 GB)
00:15 - Import completes, Free: 85 GB → Resumes
00:20 - Free: 47 GB → Pauses again
00:25 - Another import, Free: 90 GB → Resumes
...continues...

Explanation:
- Downloads consume space faster than imports free it
- Constant pause/resume cycle
- Solution: Increase FreeSpace threshold

Monitoring¶

Logs¶

Monitor disk space in logs:

# Main log
tail -f ~/logs/Main.log | grep -i "space\|pause\|resume"

# Docker
docker logs -f qbitrr | grep -i "space\|pause\|resume"

Example log output:

2025-11-27 10:00:00 - WARNING - Low disk space: 45 GB free < 50 GB threshold
2025-11-27 10:00:01 - INFO - Pausing downloads due to low disk space
2025-11-27 10:00:02 - INFO - Paused 3 downloading torrents
2025-11-27 10:05:00 - INFO - Disk space available: 78 GB free > 50 GB threshold
2025-11-27 10:05:01 - INFO - Resuming downloads
2025-11-27 10:05:02 - INFO - Resumed 3 torrents

Check Current Free Space¶

# Linux
df -h /data/downloads

# Output
Filesystem      Size  Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/sda1       1.0T  900G  100G  90% /data

# Docker - check host filesystem
df -h /mnt/storage

qBittorrent Status¶

Check paused torrents in qBittorrent:

Open qBittorrent WebUI
Look for torrents with status "Paused"
Check if they were auto-paused by qBitrr

Troubleshooting¶

Downloads Keep Pausing¶

Symptom: Torrents pause repeatedly

Cause: Free space threshold too high or disk filling up

Solutions:

Lower threshold:

# Was 100G, reduce to 50G
FreeSpace = "50G"

Increase disk space:
Add more storage
Delete old files
Move library to larger disk

Check import mode:

# Move files instead of copy
[Radarr-Movies]
importMode = "Move"  # Frees up space

Cleanup old torrents:
Configure seeding limits
Remove completed torrents
See Seeding Configuration

Never Pauses Despite Low Space¶

Symptom: Disk fills up, no pause

Solutions:

Verify FreeSpace is set:
```
FreeSpace = "50G"  # Not "-1"
```
Check AutoPauseResume:
```
AutoPauseResume = true  # Must be true
```

Verify folder path:

# Check folder exists
ls -la /data/downloads

# Check free space
df -h /data/downloads

Check logs for errors:
```
grep -i "space\|error" ~/logs/Main.log
```

Wrong Filesystem Monitored¶

Symptom: qBitrr reports plenty of space, but disk is full

Cause: Monitoring wrong filesystem

Solutions:

Identify correct filesystem:

df -h | grep downloads

# Output shows which partition /downloads is on

Update FreeSpaceFolder:

# If downloads are on /mnt/storage
FreeSpaceFolder = "/mnt/storage"

Docker: Check volume mapping:

services:
  qbitrr:
    volumes:
      # Host path : Container path
      - /mnt/storage:/downloads

# Use container path
FreeSpaceFolder = "/downloads"

Imports Failing Due to Space¶

Symptom: Imports fail with "No space left on device"

Causes:

Library on different filesystem
Import mode is "Copy" (needs 2x space)

Solutions:

Use "Move" import mode:

[Radarr-Movies]
importMode = "Move"  # Frees download space

Monitor library filesystem too:

# Add second threshold for library
# (Not directly supported, use external monitoring)

Increase FreeSpace threshold:

# Ensure enough space for imports
FreeSpace = "200G"  # Higher threshold

Best Practices¶

1. Set Threshold to 10% of Disk¶

# For 1 TB disk
FreeSpace = "100G"

# For 500 GB disk
FreeSpace = "50G"

# For 2 TB disk
FreeSpace = "200G"

2. Account for Import Mode¶

With "Copy" mode (2x space needed):

# Need space for original + copy
FreeSpace = "200G"  # Higher threshold
importMode = "Copy"

With "Move" mode (space freed immediately):

# Original file moved, space freed
FreeSpace = "100G"  # Normal threshold
importMode = "Move"

3. Monitor Both Download and Library¶

# Check both filesystems
df -h /data/downloads
df -h /data/library

# Ensure both have adequate space

4. Use Move Mode When Possible¶

[Radarr-Movies]
importMode = "Move"

[Sonarr-TV]
importMode = "Move"

Unless you need seeding:

# Private trackers - must keep seeding
[Radarr-Private]
importMode = "Copy"

5. Configure Seeding Limits¶

Free up space by removing old torrents:

[Radarr-Movies.Torrent.SeedingMode]
MaxUploadRatio = 2.0
MaxSeedingTime = 604800  # 7 days
RemoveTorrent = 3  # Remove when either met

See Seeding Configuration.

6. Monitor Disk Usage¶

Set up external monitoring:

# Cron job to alert on low space
0 * * * * [ $(df /data | awk 'NR==2 {print $4}') -lt 100000000 ] && echo "Low disk space" | mail -s "Alert" you@example.com

Or use monitoring tools: - Grafana + Prometheus - Netdata - Zabbix

Integration with Other Features¶

Instant Imports¶

When disk space is low:

qBitrr pauses downloads
Completed downloads still import (if importMode = "Move")
Import frees up space
qBitrr resumes downloads
Cycle continues

Health Monitoring¶

Disk space monitoring works with health checks:

Health checks continue monitoring torrents
Stalled torrents removed (frees space)
Failed torrents removed (frees space)
Space management happens in parallel

Seeding Management¶

Coordinate disk space with seeding:

[Settings]
FreeSpace = "100G"

[Radarr-Movies.Torrent.SeedingMode]
# Remove torrents to free space
MaxUploadRatio = 2.0
MaxSeedingTime = 604800
RemoveTorrent = 3

Workflow:

Disk gets low
qBitrr pauses downloads
Seeding limit reached on old torrent
Old torrent removed
Space freed
Downloads resume

Advanced Configuration¶

Different Thresholds per Instance¶

Not directly supported, but workaround:

# Global threshold
FreeSpace = "100G"

# Adjust per-instance seeding to free space faster
[Radarr-Movies.Torrent.SeedingMode]
MaxSeedingTime = 86400  # 1 day (removes faster)

[Radarr-4K.Torrent.SeedingMode]
MaxSeedingTime = 604800  # 7 days (keeps longer)

External Disk Space Management¶

Use external scripts with qBitrr:

#!/bin/bash
# cleanup-old-torrents.sh

FREE_SPACE=$(df /data | awk 'NR==2 {print $4}')
THRESHOLD=100000000  # 100 GB in KB

if [ $FREE_SPACE -lt $THRESHOLD ]; then
    echo "Low space, removing old torrents"
    # Remove oldest completed torrents via qBittorrent API
    # ...
fi

Cron:

*/5 * * * * /path/to/cleanup-old-torrents.sh

Disk Space Management¶

Overview¶

How It Works¶

Configuration¶

FreeSpace¶

FreeSpaceFolder¶

AutoPauseResume¶

Complete Configuration Examples¶

Example 1: Standard Setup¶

Example 2: Docker Setup¶

Example 3: Large Storage¶

Example 4: Disabled (Not Recommended)¶

Workflow Examples¶

Scenario 1: Normal Operation¶

Scenario 2: Low Space - Pause¶

Scenario 3: Space Freed - Resume¶

Scenario 4: Repeated Pause/Resume¶

Monitoring¶

Logs¶

Check Current Free Space¶

qBittorrent Status¶

Troubleshooting¶

Downloads Keep Pausing¶

Never Pauses Despite Low Space¶

Wrong Filesystem Monitored¶

Imports Failing Due to Space¶

Best Practices¶

1. Set Threshold to 10% of Disk¶

2. Account for Import Mode¶

3. Monitor Both Download and Library¶

4. Use Move Mode When Possible¶

5. Configure Seeding Limits¶

6. Monitor Disk Usage¶

Integration with Other Features¶

Instant Imports¶

Health Monitoring¶

Seeding Management¶

Advanced Configuration¶

Different Thresholds per Instance¶

External Disk Space Management¶

See Also¶