Apple macOS Big Sur update can cause data loss if your lack disk space

Just a quick word of warning for Mac users. Apparently, the installation of the macOS Big Sur update can result in data loss if your storage disk doesn't have sufficient space. 9to5Mac reports Macs need at least 35.5GB to attempt the upgrade. The installer doesn't check whether the disk has enough space -- and this bug can have nasty consequences:

After noticing several reports from users on the web, Mr. Macintosh found out that macOS Big Sur installer isn’t checking whether the Mac’s internal storage has enough free space. As the system initiates the update process, the Mac becomes unresponsive and data can be permanently corrupted.

Apple says upgrading to macOS Big Sur for the first time requires at least 35.5GB of available storage — and this doesn’t include the 13GB macOS Big Sur installer. Unfortunately, even if your Mac does not have 35.5GB of storage available, macOS will try to install the Big Sur update, and that’s when users may lose all their data.

This 35.5GB comes on top of the 13GB required for the macOS Big Sur installer, resulting in a total of 48.5GB. That's quite a lot considering many of today's lower-end Macs feature just a 256GB SSD.