Insufficient storage available" when installing an APK

How much space an install needs

Installation copies the package into /data/app, extracts native libraries, and on first launch compiles the code. Plan for two to three times the package size free on internal storage. A 1.4 GB XAPK game therefore wants around 4 GB free during installation, even though it settles at about 1.5 GB afterwards. The expansion data of a game is extracted a second time, so the peak usage is higher still.

Installing to an SD card is not possible for most modern apps; adoptable storage exists on some devices but Google Play and many developers disable it.

Where the space goes

Settings › Storage shows the split. On most phones the largest movable blocks are:

• App caches: Settings › Apps › sort by size › Storage › Clear cache. Browsers, social and video apps hold gigabytes.
• Downloads folder: old APKs and XAPKs you already installed. Delete them after installation.
• WhatsApp and Telegram media: both apps have a storage manager in their settings that lists the largest chats.
• Offline maps, music and video: check the individual apps.
• Photos and videos: back up to Google Photos or a computer, then use Free up space in the Photos app.

The Files by Google app has a Clean tab that finds most of these automatically.

Errors that look like storage but are not

• A package that fails at 100% with a generic App not installed while plenty of space is free is usually a signature or downgrade problem; see App not installed.
• Games that install but fail to download their data afterwards need space for the data too; the game shows the required size on first launch.

After freeing space

Reboot before retrying a large install. Android reserves some space for the system and reports it as used until a restart clears temporary files from the failed attempt.