I have 17 GB available and I'm getting an message whilst trying to install Big Sur that says I need 12 GB more. Do I really need 30 GB free to install Big Sur? I'm running a 2017 MacBook Pro
MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 10.15
Thanks John Galt! This worked.
For further clarification for anyone else having this issue: I used About This Mac to view Storage, and the OS Suggested I delete my GarageBand Library to free up an additional 17 GB which completed the 35 GB needed to install Big Sur. This worked. Then after I installed Big Sur, I updated GarageBand which reinstalled the library as well.
So if I check About This Mac > Hardware > Storage I have only 18.3GB available on Macintosh HD and the same 18.3 GB available on Macintosh HD _Data.
Disk Utility has Macintosh HD 18.13 Used with 11.28 GB available and Macintosh HD - Data as 87.89 GB Available (69.77 GB Purgeable) and 89.8 GB Used.
So everything that measures available disk space measures it differently?
Do I have to lose everything and format the drive? Is it even worth it to move to Big Sur?
If I were King, I would never sell you a Mac with only a 128GB drive.
You should find an external drive, and move more of your "stuff' Off the the external drive -OR-
Make certain you have at least one Trusted Backup (preferably two) and erase the drive and install MacOS on a blank drive, then use Migration assistant to bring back your files from backup.
I replaced my 2012 13" MacBook Pro with a 2019 13" MacBook Pro. Wanting to use it as long as possible, I upgraded to the faster processor and the bigger RAM. I kept the base model 128GB SSD because I use it primarily with a dock and have a 1TB SSD and a 2TB SSD connected. The small internal drive is more than enough storage when I travel with it. It never occurred to me that the storage would be a limitation to being able to upgrade the OS in the future. I've been stuck with obsoleted Apple hardware in the past, but in just a year?
btw, the 2012 MacBook came with a 500GB drive.
I have Time Machine backups on an external drive and I manually backed up everything as well to the same drive. I then deleted everything I could find and have 11.28GB or 87.89GB or maybe something inbetween available, depending on how you ask the computer.
Yes, apparently I have to wipe the drive and start all over again. It shouldn't be this hard. It's supposed to "just work".
King Alder, that works for me. I upgraded the processor and RAM in an attempt to not obsolete the computer quickly. It shouldn't have happened a year in.
Grant Bennet-Alder provided the solution for you.
Big Sur Install - GB Space Needed
