Surface Go 3 says not enough space to install W 11

Hi @Robert N,   

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum. 

Thanks for sharing the details. The “not enough space” message is expected in many Windows 11 upgrade scenarios because the upgrade can require around 40 GB of free space to complete, even if Windows shows you still have some space available. With 18 GB free, the installer may still block the upgrade.

Here are a few steps that often help on Surface Go 3 devices with limited internal storage. 

1/ Run Storage Sense 

Go to Settings > System > Storage and enable Storage Sense to remove temporary files automatically 

2/ Run Disk Cleanup (System files) 

Press Win + R, type cleanmgr, then select Clean up system files and remove temporary files and update caches (and any previous Windows installation files if shown). 

3/ Free up additional internal space 

Uninstall unused apps and move personal files off the internal drive (for example, to your external drive or a microSD card) until you have substantially more free space. 

4/ If using an external drive, confirm it meets upgrade requirements 

Make sure the external drive is formatted as NTFS (not exFAT or FAT32), has free space, is connected before starting the upgrade, and is visible in File Explorer with a drive letter. 

[If Windows Update still won’t proceed, you can also try upgrading using the Windows 11 Installation Assistant or ISO from Microsoft’s official Windows 11 download page. If you have third party antivirus or “optimizer” tools installed, consider a clean boot or temporarily uninstalling them, as they can interfere with upgrades]

If none of the above helps, please open a support ticket via the Surface app so Surface Support can review the device and upgrade logs more closely (in the Surface app, look for a Help/Support or Contact Support option). 

I hope the information is helpful and please feel free to reach out if you have any further questions.