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User profile for user: Gal 220
Gal 220 Author
User level: Level 1
30 points

Not enough memory when trying to upgrade a MacBook Air

I want to upgrade my OS from Catalina to any of the other operating systems available. But Big Sur and Monterey give me an error that I do not have enough memory on my current laptop. My MacBook Air doesn't have the ability to add memory.


The question is: Are there any of the newer OS which require less memory than Big Sur does that would enable me to upgrade? I really only wanted to go with Big Sur because some apps are now saying "only available with iOS 11.xx or above" Finder shows I have 26G available. Big Sur says it is only 15G so I don't know why it won't upgrade. Sorry, completely uneducated on all of this, so I guess it has to do with keeping the old one on board while the new one is getting set up or something.. Thank You. (PS I do have Entrecheck Pro and can run it and post it if anyone wants)








[Edited by Moderator]

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 10.15

Posted on Feb 28, 2023 5:26 AM

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User profile for user: VikingOSX
VikingOSX
Community+ 2024
User level: Level 10
117,155 points

Posted on Feb 28, 2023 6:06 AM

If yours is a 2013-2014 Air with just 4GB RAM, then stay with Catalina as speaking from first-hand experience, it will be nearly unusable with the far larger and more demanding CPU and GPU requirements for Big Sur.

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User profile for user: John Galt
John Galt
User level: Level 10
147,052 points

Feb 28, 2023 9:26 AM in response to Gal 220

As others already pointed out the problem you are describing is strictly unrelated to memory. You are encountering a storage limitation. Your screenshots illustrate the correct use of that terminology. That is the limitation preventing you from downloading and installing the macOS upgrade, and is a common problem with Macs configured as yours is.


To address that limitation, please review Free up storage space on your Mac - Apple Support and Optimize storage space on your Mac - Apple Support.


If you are still unable to create sufficient space for the upgrade after exhausting all those steps, the workaround is to create a Time Machine backup, completely erase the Mac, install the latest version of macOS (read • below), and finally transfer the contents from that Time Machine backup when asked. To learn how to use Time Machine please read Back up your files with Time Machine on Mac - Apple Support.



(PS I do have Entrecheck Pro and can run it and post it if anyone wants)


Not a bad idea. Read Old Toad's excellent User Tip, here: How to use the Add Text Feature When Posting Large Amounts of Text, i.e. an Etrecheck Report - Apple Community

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Not enough memory when trying to upgrade a MacBook Air

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