How Much Space Do You Need For Macos High Sierra

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Having to play around with large video files can be a headache when my system has a blazingly fast SSD drive but is only 500GB in size. Going to the macOS storage analyzer can be a mixed bag of easy to understand actions to reduce disk usage to cryptic descriptions that are more daunting to deal with.

We have spoken about how to rid your computer from data noted in 'other' which in short is space taken up by caches, plug-ins, and documents. But now we'll show you how to reclaim some of your disk space from your 'System' disk usage.

Time Machine and local backups

MacOS High Sierra: Everything you need to know about Apple’s latest Mac operating system. Under the new codec, videos will stream smoother and take up less space, both of which will make.

If you run Time Machine for backups over Wi-Fi like I do, then macOS High Sierra will simultaneous use your remote backup disk and your local disk to save backups to. The reasoning behind this is that in the event the remote backup disk is not available or present, then you can recover files in spite of a missing remote backup disk and recover from the local disk.

In fact, macOS High Sierra manages this disk usage seamlessly without user intervention. It also purges local backups if disk space starts to get too low. However, sometimes the purging doesn't happen to leave enough disk storage for my very large video files and I'll get a 'not enough disk space' message. And instead of waiting for macOS to catch up with my disk space requirements, I can force the purging from the terminal.

Determining if you have a large amount of 'System' disk usage

To see if this method will help you reclaim some disk space we need to check the macOS System Information.

  1. Click the from your desktop.
  2. Click About This Mac.

  3. Click the Storage tab. You'll be greeted with a color-coded categorization of what your disk is being used for.

In my case, 'System' (meaning the operating system) was clearly using the most space. Although I understand the reasoning behind why Time Machine is storing local backups, I didn't feel that I needed so much of my disk space devoted to these local backup snapshots.

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If you have other categories that have very high disk usage you can click the manage button to get more details on what is using that disk space and possibly delete those things that you determine to no longer have use for.

Purging local backups

Please note that although this doesn't affect your remote backup from Time Machine, this will get rid of the redundancy (at least until the next Time Machine backup) that a local backup disk will provide. If you need such redundancy or are worried about the recovery of your data then you would be best served to let macOS determine when to purge these files.

  1. Start Terminal from spotlight.
  2. At the terminal type tmutil listlocalsnapshotdates.

  3. Hit enter.

Here, you'll now see a list of all of the locally stored Time Machine backup snapshots stored on your disk.

Next you can remove the snapshots based on their date. I prefer to delete them one at at time. Once my 'System' disk usage is at an acceptable level, I stop deleting but you can delete all of them if you want to reclaim all of the disk space.

  1. Back at the terminal, type tmutil deletelocalsnapshots where will be one of the dates from your backup. This will be in the form of xxx-yy-zz-abcdef. Try to start with the oldest snapshot.
  2. Hit enter.

  3. Repeat for as many snapshot dates as required.

You can watch your System Information graphic free up disk space in real time to see if you've removed enough.

I want to stress that this should only likely be used if you absolutely immediately need to reclaim the disk space. Otherwise macOS does a pretty good job in managing the unused disk space for local backups and purging when it deems necessary.

Are you running out of disk space? What have you done about it? Let us know in the comments!

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A more musical home

Apple's new 'Behind the Mac' vid shows James Blake making music at home

Apple's latest 'Behind the Mac' video shows James Blake making music even though he's been stuck in his home studio because of 2020.

macOS Catalina gives you more of everything you love about Mac. Experience music, TV, and podcasts in three all-new Mac apps. Enjoy your favorite iPad apps now on your Mac. Extend your workspace and expand your creativity with iPad and Apple Pencil. And discover smart new features in the apps you use every day. Now you can take everything you do above and beyond.

Check compatibility

If you're using one of these computers with OS X Mavericks or later,* you can install macOS Catalina. Your Mac also needs at least 4GB of memory and 12.5GB of available storage space, or up to 18.5GB of storage space when upgrading from OS X Yosemite or earlier.

Apr 02, 2018  by Alyza Angeles April 2, 2018 Apple outs macOS High Sierra 10.13.4  update. The new update features support for external graphics processors (eGPUs), as well as Business Chat conversations in Messages in the U.S. Image via Ars Technica. Macos high sierra support for egpus update april 2018. Also note that macOS High Sierra 10.13.4 doesn’t support eGPUs in Windows using Boot Camp or when your Mac is in macOS Recovery or installing system updates.” For more on eGPUs and the OWC Mercury. Robert @ 1:55 pm on April 6, 2018. Recently I have tried to update the newest version of high sierra and the update froze at 75% complete. Mar 29, 2018  The macOS High Sierra 10.13.4 Update improves the stability, performance, and security of your Mac, and is recommended for all users. This update: Adds support for Business Chat conversations in Messages in the U.S. Adds support for external graphics processors (eGPUs). Fixes graphics corruption issues affecting certain apps on iMac Pro.

MacBook introduced in 2015 or later
MacBook Air introduced in 2012 or later
MacBook Pro introduced in 2012 or later
Mac mini introduced in 2012 or later
iMac introduced in 2012 or later
iMac Pro (all models)
Mac Pro introduced in 2013 or later

* To upgrade from Lion or Mountain Lion, first upgrade to El Capitan, then upgrade to Catalina. To find your macOS version, Mac model, memory, and storage space, choose About This Mac from the Apple menu . If your Mac isn't compatible with macOS Catalina, the installer will let you know. View the complete list of compatible computers.

Make a backup

Before installing any upgrade, it’s a good idea to back up your Mac. Time Machine makes it simple, and other backup methods are also available. Learn how to back up your Mac.

Get connected

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It takes time to download and install macOS, so make sure that you have a reliable Internet connection. If you're using a Mac notebook computer, plug it into AC power.

Download macOS Catalina

If you're using macOS Mojave, get macOS Catalina via Software Update: Choose Apple menu  > System Preferences, then click Software Update.

Or use this link to open the macOS Catalina page on the App Store: Get macOS Catalina. Then click the Get button or iCloud download icon.

Begin installation

After downloading, the installer opens automatically.

Click Continue and follow the onscreen instructions. You might find it easiest to begin installation in the evening so that it can complete overnight, if needed.

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If the installer asks for permission to install a helper tool, enter the administrator name and password that you use to log in to your Mac, then click Add Helper.

Allow installation to complete

Please allow installation to complete without putting your Mac to sleep or closing its lid. Your Mac might restart, show a progress bar, or show a blank screen several times as it installs both macOS and related updates to your Mac firmware.

Stay up to date

After installing macOS Catalina, you will be notified when updates to macOS Catalina are available. You can also use Software Update to check for updates: Choose Apple menu  > System Preferences, then click Software Update.

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Or get macOS Catalina automatically

How Much Space Is Needed For Macos High Sierra

If you're using OS X El Capitan v10.11.5 or later and your App Store preferences or Software Update preferences are set to download new updates when available, macOS Catalina will download conveniently in the background, making it even easier to upgrade. A notification will inform you when macOS Catalina is ready to be installed. Click Install to get started, or dismiss the notification to install later. When you're ready to install, just open the file named Install macOS Catalina from your Applications folder.

Learn more

  • If the installer shows a list of apps that are not optimized for your Mac, learn about 32-bit app compatibility, then choose whether to proceed with the installation.
  • For the strongest security and latest features, upgrade to macOS Catalina. If you have hardware or software that isn't compatible with Catalina, you might be able to install an earlier macOS, such as Mojave, High Sierra, Sierra, or El Capitan.
  • You can also use macOS Recovery to reinstall macOS.