I Have an old Mac (2017) with a previous software update ( Big Sur). I want to update my Mac to the new software (Ventura) but I don't have enough space. Can I delete the old software update to make space and then install the latest update?
iPhone 6, iOS 11
If you are asking if you can delete the previous Install macOS Big Sur app, the answer is yes. Drag it to the Trash, empty the Trash, and then determine if you can download and install the newer Install macOS Ventura app.
It may be necessary to wait a while before the Finder allocates sufficient free space so that the installer has sufficient room to work. "A while" can be as much as a day.
For reference: Free up storage space - Apple Support.
If your Mac's storage space is really low, there are workarounds, but everything begins with Back up your files with Time Machine on Mac - Apple Support, so if you don't have a Time Machine backup, create one. That should just go without saying anyway.
If you are asking if you can delete the previous Install macOS Big Sur app, the answer is yes. Drag it to the Trash, empty the Trash, and then determine if you can download and install the newer Install macOS Ventura app.
It may be necessary to wait a while before the Finder allocates sufficient free space so that the installer has sufficient room to work. "A while" can be as much as a day.
For reference: Free up storage space - Apple Support.
If your Mac's storage space is really low, there are workarounds, but everything begins with Back up your files with Time Machine on Mac - Apple Support, so if you don't have a Time Machine backup, create one. That should just go without saying anyway.
If you mean the "Install macOS Big Sur.app" file then yes. But that's not going to get you a lot of space. 10 or 12GB is significant, but you likely need more considering your drive needs 15-20% totally unused at all times. There are also minimum space requirements for OS upgrading.
You likely need to delete user data: data you created, copied or downloaded. Never anything related to system. This is especially important if you have a "smallish" 120 or 250 GB class drive. If the data is important, copy it to an external drive then remove it.
What Apple says: Free up storage space - Apple Support
Low Storage and software update
