Photos says there is not enough space to import: how to finish the import anyway

You plug in the phone or camera card, click Import All, and Photos stops partway: there is not enough space. The photos are still safe on the phone or card. The question is where to put them.

Option 1: import less

Instead of Import All, select only new items. Photos shows Already Imported separately, and Import All New Items skips those. Importing in chunks of a few hundred lets you clear space between them.

Option 2: free space first

Imports need at least the size of what you are importing, plus room to spare. Quick places to look:

• The Trash, and Recently Deleted inside Photos. See Photos Recently Deleted.
• Old iPhone backups. See iPhone backups.
• The Downloads folder, sorted by size.

df -h /System/Volumes/Data

Option 3: import to an external drive

If the Mac is simply too small for the library, change where it goes:

• For a folder of files: use Image Capture, set Import To to a folder on the external drive.
• For the whole Photos library: move the library to an external SSD, open Photos holding Option, choose it, then set it as the System Photo Library. New imports go there. Moving files to an external drive has the steps.
• Photos can also import without copying: in Photos, Settings, General, untick Copy items to the Photos library, and the originals stay where they are, for example on an external drive. Only then must the drive stay connected.

Option 4: use iCloud Photos

With iCloud Photos and Optimize Mac Storage on, the Mac keeps small versions and the originals live in iCloud, once your iCloud plan has room. Importing from the phone is not needed at all: it syncs. See iPhone photos taking up space on your Mac.