As we covered this month, macOS Sequoia brings many new features for Mac users, including iPhone Mirroring and a new Passwords app. However, the update also brings some discreet but important changes. That's because new versions of macOS relax the free storage requirements for downloading apps from the Mac App Store.
macOS Sequoia changes storage requirements for Mac App Store apps
The App Store currently requires twice as much free storage space on your Mac as the initial app download size. That means if you want to install a 1GB app, you’ll need at least 2GB of free space on your Mac before the App Store starts downloading.
This isn't a problem for small apps, but it can be a problem when downloading large apps, especially games that can easily exceed 10GB. Luckily, Apple is making installing large apps on macOS a little easier.
With macOS Sequoia, the Mac App Store no longer requires twice as much available storage space as the size of an app. Apple said in the macOS 15 beta 2 release notes that the requirement is now “the final install size of the app plus a small buffer.”
Starting with macOS 15, the App Store no longer requires twice as much free space for the initial app download and installation. Now the free space requirement will be the app's final install size plus a small buffer. Developers should take these changes into account when messaging about size requirements.
Of course, if you want to download a 10GB app, you'll need that much storage space on your Mac. But these changes are sure to please some users, especially those with 128GB and 256GB Macs.
macOS Sequoia is scheduled to be released to the public this fall. A developer preview is available now, and a public beta will be released next month.
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