Updating Rider fails with "IOException: No space left on device". How much space is needed?

Symptoms

• Updating Rider fails on a disk that has about 2.7 GB of free space.
• The update process starts but then stops with an error about insufficient disk space (the exact wording may vary by installer/toolbox version, stage at which the update fails).
• Retrying the update without freeing additional space leads to the same result.

Cause

Rider updates are applied as a sequence of steps that all consume disk space on the drive where Rider and its caches are located. The update process needs additional temporary space for intermediate files. Update includes below steps:

• Download patch. The updater first downloads the patch archive. Approximate size: ~1 GB;
• Unpack patch archive: The downloaded archive is extracted to a temporary location on the same drive. Approximate size: ~2.6 GB unpacked content.
• Back up existing Rider installation: Before applying changes, the updater creates a backup of the current Rider installation so it can roll back if something goes wrong. Approximate size: roughly equal to the current Rider installation. ~5 GB.
• Copy new/updated files to the installation directory: Updated files are written to the Rider installation directory. During this phase, both old and new files may temporarily coexist until the update finishes. Approximate size: ~2.6 GB.

When these steps are combined, the total temporary disk space required is much higher than the size of the downloaded patch. As a result, a disk with less than 11 GB free cannot accommodate all intermediate files, and the update fails.

Resolution 1 (free more space):

1. Increase free space on the drive used by Rider and its caches
   • Free up additional disk space on the same volume where Rider is installed and where the user profile / Toolbox cache resides.
   • As a rule of thumb, ensure there is at least 11 GB;
2. Retry the update after freeing enough space
   • Once sufficient free space is available, run the Rider update again (via the JetBrains Toolbox App or the standalone installer).
   • The update should complete successfully when the disk can accommodate the download, extraction, backup, and copy steps.
3. (Optional) Reduce space used by older IDE versions
   • If multiple Rider versions are installed, remove versions that are no longer needed.
   • If managed via Toolbox App, enable automatic cleanup of old IDE versions to reduce disk usage over time.

Resolution 2 (move IDE directories to another drive):

• Launch Rider;
• Select Help | Special Files and Folder;
• Double-click the "Config directory", so it opens up in files explorer (Explorer/Finder/Files);
• Open the idea.properties file for edit;
• Override the IDE directories by adding entries as in the below pattern: (see Directories used by IDE)

idea.system.path=D:/Directory/On/Another/Drive/system
idea.log.path=D:/Directory/On/Another/Drive/log

• Ensure to create a corresponding folder structure on a different drive;
• Click "Save";
• Restart Rider;

The patch files are being downloaded to a subdirectory of the idea.system.path (tmp/patch-update). So that when IDE directories are set to be on a different drive, updating IDE doesn't anymore require space (for patch files) on the system drive. Upon applying the changes described here, feel free to remove the 'system' and 'log' directories used by IDE earlier;

Resolution 3 (clean installation instead of update):

• Uninstall the existing installation. IDE settings should remain, so later they can be imported. (See Directories used by IDE);
• (Optionally), export IDE settings to be sure not to lose them (File | Manage IDE Settings | Export settings);
• Download and install a newer version.

Resolution 4 (ToolBox update)

Using tool box for update might require a few gb less (~3gb). If a machine is constantly lacking of free space, using the ToolBox for updates might help. There are several recommendations that might help when every gb is crucial, so that updating IDE will get enough free space:

• Disable the "Keep previous versions of tools to enable instant rollback" in settings. If there is "Remove the previous versions" action available, click it to free up some space:
• Clear the download cache and leftover tool directories from the same settings page: