Most of the space, though, is for system files. Perhaps it’s for all the new Memoji headgear, hairstyles, and face coverings. Why is Big Sur so hungry for disk space? Apple doesn’t say. Catalina, for example, only needs 12.5GB if you’re upgrading from Sierra or later, or 18.5GB if you’re upgrading from an earlier version of macOS. If you think that the 35.5GB Big Sur insists on is a huge jump from previous versions of macOS, you’d be right. If you’re trying to upgrade from an earlier version of macOS, you’ll need a whopping 44.5GB of space.

Take a look at the system requirements on Apple’s website, and you will see that you need 35.5GB of free space, and that’s if you’re upgrading from macOS Sierra or later. It’s not the same as the macOS size on disk. But know, that disk image is just the start. And you might think that’s all the space you need. If you’ve downloaded Big Sur or looked closely at its page on the App Store, you’ll know that the installer/download size is 12.6GB. If you don't have enough, don't worry: we've included some tips that will help you clear up some space. The macOS Monterey installer itself takes 12.13GB, just around the same size as the Big Sur installer.Ĭheck how much free space you have before upgrading your Mac: go to the Apple menu > About This Mac > Storage. Still, it contains many exciting new changes and essential improvements, requiring around 26GB of available storage space. MacOS Monterey doesn't look as packed with features as the previous Apple update - Big Sur. But how much space does macOS take? Let’s find out. If you have tried to upgrade to macOS Big Sur, particularly on a Mac with a 128GB SSD, you may have encountered an error message telling you that you don’t have enough free space for the installation. But to help you do it all by yourself, we’ve gathered our best ideas and solutions below.įeatures described in this article refer to the MacPaw site version of CleanMyMac X. So here’s a tip for you: Download CleanMyMac to quickly solve some of the issues mentioned in this article.

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