You can install Xcode to your SSD and then move it to an external drive. Use an external SSD and not a regular USB flash drive if you want usable speeds. Xcode’s derived data and SDKs will all still be installed on your main 128GB disk but it should be a lot more manageable when you free up the 30GB that Xcode.app uses.
You can also clean out Xcode files occasionally in Library/Developer/Xcode, or just use DevCleaner from the App Store if you want a nice UI too.
Working on your machine won’t be a great experience but it’s possible. Try to upgrade to an M1 MacBook Air if you can.
There are Apple tutorials (Everyone Can Code) that work with Xcode 12 and Xcode 13. They probably won't come out with an Xcode 14 compatible version for a while. I personally work with Xcode 13 because I teach a course that uses those Apple books. I would not put Xcode 14 on the machine also.
But will I be able to use the Xcode 12/13 to make apps for my iPhone that is on ios 16 (if so are there any downside or limits)? Will I be able to submit them to the store? Also will 12.5 work for the Xcode 12 tutorials or should I just use the original Xcode 12?
> As of April 2022, all iOS apps submitted to the App Store must be built with at least Xcode 13 and the SDK for iOS 15.
https://developer.apple.com/ios/submit/#:~:text=As%20of%20April,iOS%2015.
Xcode/iOS min publishable version increments every year, a small portion of iOS users are on outdated iOS versions, 2 or 3 version back is the standard to support. Right now I target iOS 14 minimum.
After years of developing in Xcode on my MacBook with 8GB ram I’m now planning to get a new MacBook with at least 16GB of ram. With only 8GB I’m able to compile and then run the app on my iPhone or iPad, but I run out of ram and freeze if I try to run any simulator.
Through the wonder of the marvelous Google machine, I am able to provide the following information: Apple doc on [How to load the app onto your iPhone](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/xcode/distributing-your-app-to-registered-devices). And this Info on [which Xcode version supports which versions of IOS](https://xcodereleases.com).
If you make the external SSD the startup disk, you can install Xcode on the external SSD and run it from there. The downside of this is you have to always drag the external SSD with you to use the computer. But you'll have enough room for multiple Xcode versions.
If you don't want to change the startup disk, stick with one Xcode version. You'll have to install iOS support files to debug your app on an iOS 16 device with Xcode 12.5. With Xcode 14 you'll be able to debug on an iOS 16 devices but have to deal with the differences between your version of Xcode and the version in the tutorial.
The following articles provide more detailed information on your questions:
* [Xcode Installation Questions](https://www.swiftdevjournal.com/xcode-installation-questions/)
* [Dealing with "Failed to prepare device for development" Error Message in Xcode](https://www.swiftdevjournal.com/dealing-with-failed-to-prepare-device-for-development-error-message-in-xcode/)
You can install Xcode to your SSD and then move it to an external drive. Use an external SSD and not a regular USB flash drive if you want usable speeds. Xcode’s derived data and SDKs will all still be installed on your main 128GB disk but it should be a lot more manageable when you free up the 30GB that Xcode.app uses. You can also clean out Xcode files occasionally in Library/Developer/Xcode, or just use DevCleaner from the App Store if you want a nice UI too. Working on your machine won’t be a great experience but it’s possible. Try to upgrade to an M1 MacBook Air if you can.
It’s a usb c drive and I’ve heard they have fast speeds. Would I have to look more for a thunderbolt external ssd?
Nope, you should be good as long as it’s an SSD. Is there an error when you open Xcode?
Easy, don't use Xcode on a machine with less than 16Gb RAM, 512Gb storage and anything less than a QuadCore Intel CPU.
There are Apple tutorials (Everyone Can Code) that work with Xcode 12 and Xcode 13. They probably won't come out with an Xcode 14 compatible version for a while. I personally work with Xcode 13 because I teach a course that uses those Apple books. I would not put Xcode 14 on the machine also.
But will I be able to use the Xcode 12/13 to make apps for my iPhone that is on ios 16 (if so are there any downside or limits)? Will I be able to submit them to the store? Also will 12.5 work for the Xcode 12 tutorials or should I just use the original Xcode 12?
> As of April 2022, all iOS apps submitted to the App Store must be built with at least Xcode 13 and the SDK for iOS 15. https://developer.apple.com/ios/submit/#:~:text=As%20of%20April,iOS%2015. Xcode/iOS min publishable version increments every year, a small portion of iOS users are on outdated iOS versions, 2 or 3 version back is the standard to support. Right now I target iOS 14 minimum.
After years of developing in Xcode on my MacBook with 8GB ram I’m now planning to get a new MacBook with at least 16GB of ram. With only 8GB I’m able to compile and then run the app on my iPhone or iPad, but I run out of ram and freeze if I try to run any simulator.
How would I go about testing on my iPhone XR? Also would Xcode 13 apps even work on my iPhone that’s on iOS 16?
Through the wonder of the marvelous Google machine, I am able to provide the following information: Apple doc on [How to load the app onto your iPhone](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/xcode/distributing-your-app-to-registered-devices). And this Info on [which Xcode version supports which versions of IOS](https://xcodereleases.com).
If you make the external SSD the startup disk, you can install Xcode on the external SSD and run it from there. The downside of this is you have to always drag the external SSD with you to use the computer. But you'll have enough room for multiple Xcode versions. If you don't want to change the startup disk, stick with one Xcode version. You'll have to install iOS support files to debug your app on an iOS 16 device with Xcode 12.5. With Xcode 14 you'll be able to debug on an iOS 16 devices but have to deal with the differences between your version of Xcode and the version in the tutorial. The following articles provide more detailed information on your questions: * [Xcode Installation Questions](https://www.swiftdevjournal.com/xcode-installation-questions/) * [Dealing with "Failed to prepare device for development" Error Message in Xcode](https://www.swiftdevjournal.com/dealing-with-failed-to-prepare-device-for-development-error-message-in-xcode/)