Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. Guides

How much space does MacOS Monterey take up?

By

MacOS Monterey is the latest version of Apple’s MacOS operating system for its Mac and MacBook systems, and it comes with plenty of great features and reasons to upgrade. If you haven’t upgraded to Monterey yet, it’s important you know how much space MacOS Monterey takes up so that you can be sure you have enough storage to fit the big update.

An Apple MacBook Pro on a table.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The MacOS Monterey installer is 12.16GB. However, this isn’t the whole picture, as it’ll work out to a much larger install once unpacked. It’s imperative you have much more space than 12GB available on your Mac when upgrading, which is especially important for those running much earlier MacOS versions.

Recommended Videos

If you’re looking to install Monterey on a system that runs MacOS Sierra or later, Apple recommends you free up 26GB of storage space, while earlier versions could need as much as 44GB of space to complete the upgrade.

Related

It’s best to be on the safe side when it comes to upgrading a system that contains all your files and sensitive information. You don’t want such data to be lost during the process of upgrading due to a lack of storage space or for any other reason, so we recommend you have upwards of 35GB to 40GB of space to err on the side of caution, even if you have a newer system.

When it comes to actually downloading and installing MacOS Monterey, there are a few important aspects to consider. First, you will need to be connected to a Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection in order to download the installer itself. How long that takes is completely dependent on your internet connection speed. Once the installer has been downloaded, you will now be greeted with the option to move through with the actual installation process. Depending on the age of your Mac system, this can take several hours to complete.

Shared With You content in the Podcasts app in MacOS Monterey.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Before you begin that process, you should ensure all your important files and data are backed up. This is particularly important because there have been reports of certain older Macs getting bricked after installing MacOS Monterey — that said, these are generally isolated incidents. In any case, if you’re unsure about the methods available for backing up a Mac, head over to our comprehensive guide explaining how to back up your Mac.

Once you’re ready, here’s how to upgrade to MacOS Monterey, step by step.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Zak Islam
Zak Islam
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Zak Islam was a freelance writer at Digital Trends covering the latest news in the technology world, particularly the…
Best MacBook deals: Get an Air for $605 and save on M3 MacBook Pro
A MacBook Pro M2 sits on a wooden table with a nice bokeh background.

If you want to grab one of the best laptops on the market, you can't go wrong with one of the MacBooks, especially if you're already working within the Apple ecosystem. There are a couple of options you can go for, including both the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, but also in terms of what sort of chip you want to run, starting with the slightly older M1 chip which is harder to find, to the higher-end M3 chip. Of course, they tend to be quite expensive, especially if you go for a MacBook Pro, so you'll want to snag one of these Apple deals on MacBooks from various retailers to help save yourself a little bit extra.

You can also check out some of these great AirPods deals, Apple Watch deals, and iPhone deals to pair with your new MacBook, or, if you don't want a MacBook at all, check out some of these great laptop deals instead.
Best MacBook Air (M1) deals

Read more
The M4 Mac launch is incoming, but not how you might expect
The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 Max chip seen from behind.

The past few months have been full of speculation, anticipation, and pretty wild rumors concerning the upcoming M4 Macs -- and now the predicted release date of November 1 is just a week or so away. Despite the lack of an event announcement, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman still believes the launch is "imminent," with an announcement reportedly coming on October 30.

According to him, Apple Stores are running very low on iMac, Mac mini, MacBook Pro, Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, and Magic Trackpad units -- and this usually happens when updates are about to be released.

Read more
Best Apple deals: Save on AirPods, Apple Watch, iPad, MacBook
Apple MacBook Air M1 open, on a table.

Apple is one of the biggest tech companies in the world, and if you're in it's ecosystem and want to pick up something new, you'll be get the chance to pick between some of the best wireless earbuds, the best smartwatches, the best laptops, and even the best tablets. That gives you an absolute ton of options, and while it is a bit of a walled garden, the ecosystem is pretty solid and robust, so you don't really need a ton else, even if you pay a premium for the luxury. Luckily, there are a lot of excellent Apple deals floating around, which is why we've gone out and collected a few of our favorite ones.

That's why we've gone out and searched through various big retailers to find you some of the best deals we can find. That includes everything from the MacBook deals, AirPods deals, Apple TV deals and Apple Watch deals to the AirTag, so hopefully, you can find the perfect deal that fits your needs and budget.
Apple M2 MacBook Air 15 -- $999 $1,299 30% off

Read more