Installing apps on macOS Sequoia will use less storage space than ever before, here's why

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Installing apps no longer needs double the space.

The 2024 MacBook Air M3 on a wooden table in front of a bookshelf.
(Image credit: Gerald Lynch / Future)

If you're a Mac user who installs their apps via the Mac App Store, you're probably already familiar with strange behavior relating to storage space. Current macOS releases require double the app's storage requirements in order to initiate the download and installation process, and that can be an issue for those with relatively small SSDs. However, macOS Sequoia has the answer.

According to Apple, the second macOS Sequoia beta includes a tweak that fixes this annoying issue, freeing up storage space and making it easier for people to install large apps such as games.

Unfortunately, you're going to have to wait a while before you can take advantage of this change – macOS Sequoia isn't set to be made available to the public until this fall.

Space-saver

Apple confirmed the news in the macOS Sequoia beta 2 release notes, saying that  "Starting in macOS 15, the App Store no longer needs twice the space free for an initial app download and install. The free space requirement will now be the final install size of the app, plus a small buffer." The notes go on to say that developers should factor that into any messaging that they might have relating to installation requirements.

The macOS Sequoia update will bring with it Apple Intelligence and a slew of other features, and developer betas are currently in testing.

The final macOS Sequoia release will be joined by iOS 18 as well as new updates for the iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and Apple Vision Pro.

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Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.