do i have to backup my mac before updating

Then free up more space by deleting large files or moving them to an external hard drive.

How do I create more free space from a macOS update loop? This is common advice to help your computer run smoothly. Regardless of whether you’re updating your Mac, try to keep at least 10% of your hard drive empty. This should avoid the risk of getting stuck in a macOS update loop. We advise you to give your Mac 1.5x Apple’s recommended storage requirement for an update.

Click here to take a look at that page, typically Apple suggests you need around 20 GB of free space. How much free storage do I need to update macOS? Try to always keep at least 10% of your hard drive empty.Īpple lists storage space recommendations for macOS updates on its website. Without that space, the macOS update installer can’t complete all of its tasks, and the update fails. In fact, you often need as much as 20 GB of free storage on your Mac to update the operating software on it. But in fact, the macOS update installer needs extra room to work in.Īs the update installs, it copies files and expands folders, taking up much more space than it needed to download. Especially after you already made enough space to download the update. It’s not immediately obvious why your Mac needs free space to update itself anyway. Why do I need free space to update macOS?

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In this post, we’ve explained a few different ways to break out of the macOS update loop and make sure you have enough free space on your Mac. But if your update failed during installation, or if that alert failed to read your storage properly, you might find yourself with problems. If there isn’t enough free space on your Mac, usually you get an alert before you start the update. Some users started the update but found themselves stuck in this “boot loop” after it failed, returning to the update installer page every time their Mac booted up again.

Updating macOS can be a real chore sometimes, especially if you get stuck in an update loop because there isn’t enough free space.

Do i have to backup my mac before updating