So, you’ve decided to download an older version of Mac OS X. There are many reasons that could point you to this radical decision. To begin with, some of your apps may not be working properly (or simply crash) on newer operating systems. Also, you may have noticed your Mac’s performance went down right after the last update. Finally, if you want to run a parallel copy of Mac OS X on a virtual machine, you too will need a working installation file of an older Mac OS X. Further down we’ll explain where to get one and what problems you may face down the road.
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A list of all Mac OS X versions
If you still need OS X El Capitan, use this link: Download OS X El Capitan. A file named InstallMacOSX.dmg will download to your Mac. Install the macOS installer. Double-click the downloaded file to open a window showing its contents. Then double-click the file within, named InstallMacOSX.pkg. Whether or not you've downloaded it in the past, you can now download OS X El Capitan 10.11.6 (6.21 GB) via this link which will open first in the Browser, then in the App Store. OS X El Capitan. This version of OS X El Capitan is for users running OS X Snow Leopard who would like to upgrade to macOS Sierra.
We’ll be repeatedly referring to these Apple OS versions below, so it’s good to know the basic macOS timeline.
| Cheetah 10.0 | Puma 10.1 | Jaguar 10.2 |
| Panther 10.3 | Tiger 10.4 | Leopard 10.5 |
| Snow Leopard 10.6 | Lion 10.7 | Mountain Lion 10.8 |
| Mavericks 10.9 | Yosemite 10.10 | El Capitan 10.11 |
| Sierra 10.12 | High Sierra 10.13 | Mojave 10.14 |
| Catalina 10.15 |
STEP 1. Prepare your Mac for installation
Given your Mac isn’t new and is filled with data, you will probably need enough free space on your Mac. This includes not just space for the OS itself but also space for other applications and your user data. One more argument is that the free space on your disk translates into virtual memory so your apps have “fuel” to operate on. The chart below tells you how much free space is needed.
Note, that it is recommended that you install OS on a clean drive. Next, you will need enough disk space available, for example, to create Recovery Partition. Here are some ideas to free up space on your drive:
- Uninstall large unused apps
- Empty Trash Bin and Downloads
- Locate the biggest files on your computer:
Go to Finder > All My Files > Arrange by size
Then you can move your space hoggers onto an external drive or a cloud storage.
If you aren’t comfortable with cleaning the Mac manually, there are some nice automatic “room cleaners”. Our favorite is CleanMyMac as it’s most simple to use of all. It deletes system junk, old broken apps, and the rest of hidden junk on your drive.
Download CleanMyMac for OS 10.4 - 10.8 (free version)
Download CleanMyMac for OS 10.9 (free version)
Download CleanMyMac for OS 10.10 - 10.14 (free version)
STEP 2. Get a copy of Mac OS X download
Normally, it is assumed that updating OS is a one-way road. That’s why going back to a past Apple OS version is problematic. The main challenge is to download the OS installation file itself, because your Mac may already be running a newer version. If you succeed in downloading the OS installation, your next step is to create a bootable USB or DVD and then reinstall the OS on your computer.
How to download older Mac OS X versions via the App Store
If you once had purchased an old version of Mac OS X from the App Store, open it and go to the Purchased tab. There you’ll find all the installers you can download. However, it doesn’t always work that way. The purchased section lists only those operating systems that you had downloaded in the past. But here is the path to check it:
- Click the App Store icon.
- Click Purchases in the top menu.
- Scroll down to find the preferred OS X version.
- Click Download.
This method allows you to download Mavericks and Yosemite by logging with your Apple ID — only if you previously downloaded them from the Mac App Store.
Without App Store: Download Mac OS version as Apple Developer
If you are signed with an Apple Developer account, you can get access to products that are no longer listed on the App Store. If you desperately need a lower OS X version build, consider creating a new Developer account among other options. The membership cost is $99/year and provides a bunch of perks unavailable to ordinary users.
Nevertheless, keep in mind that if you visit developer.apple.com/downloads, you can only find 10.3-10.6 OS X operating systems there. Newer versions are not available because starting Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.7, the App Store has become the only source of updating Apple OS versions.
Purchase an older version of Mac operating system
You can purchase a boxed or email version of past Mac OS X directly from Apple. Both will cost you around $20. For the reason of being rather antiquated, Snow Leopard and earlier Apple versions can only be installed from DVD.
Buy a boxed edition of Snow Leopard 10.6
Get an email copy of Lion 10.7
Get an email copy of Mountain Lion 10.8
The email edition comes with a special download code you can use for the Mac App Store. Note, that to install the Lion or Mountain Lion, your Mac needs to be running Snow Leopard so you can install the newer OS on top of it.
How to get macOS El Capitan download
If you are wondering if you can run El Capitan on an older Mac, rejoice as it’s possible too. But before your Mac can run El Capitan it has to be updated to OS X 10.6.8. So, here are main steps you should take:
1. Install Snow Leopard from install DVD.
2. Update to 10.6.8 using Software Update.
3. Download El Capitan here.
“I can’t download an old version of Mac OS X”
If you have a newer Mac, there is no physical option to install Mac OS versions older than your current Mac model. For instance, if your MacBook was released in 2014, don’t expect it to run any OS released prior of that time, because older Apple OS versions simply do not include hardware drivers for your Mac.
But as it often happens, workarounds are possible. There is still a chance to download the installation file if you have an access to a Mac (or virtual machine) running that operating system. For example, to get an installer for Lion, you may ask a friend who has Lion-operated Mac or, once again, set up a virtual machine running Lion. Then you will need to prepare an external drive to download the installation file using OS X Utilities.
After you’ve completed the download, the installer should launch automatically, but you can click Cancel and copy the file you need. Below is the detailed instruction how to do it.
STEP 3. Install older OS X onto an external drive
The following method allows you to download Mac OS X Lion, Mountain Lion, and Mavericks.
- Start your Mac holding down Command + R.
- Prepare a clean external drive (at least 10 GB of storage).
- Within OS X Utilities, choose Reinstall OS X.
- Select external drive as a source.
- Enter your Apple ID.
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Now the OS should start downloading automatically onto the external drive. After the download is complete, your Mac will prompt you to do a restart, but at this point, you should completely shut it down. Now that the installation file is “captured” onto your external drive, you can reinstall the OS, this time running the file on your Mac.
- Boot your Mac from your standard drive.
- Connect the external drive.
- Go to external drive > OS X Install Data.
Locate InstallESD.dmg disk image file — this is the file you need to reinstall Lion OS X. The same steps are valid for Mountain Lion and Mavericks.
How to downgrade a Mac running later macOS versions
If your Mac runs macOS Sierra 10.12 or macOS High Sierra 10.13, it is possible to revert it to the previous system if you are not satisfied with the experience. You can do it either with Time Machine or by creating a bootable USB or external drive.
Instruction to downgrade from macOS Sierra
Instruction to downgrade from macOS High Sierra
Instruction to downgrade from macOS Mojave
Instruction to downgrade from macOS Catalina
Before you do it, the best advice is to back your Mac up so your most important files stay intact. In addition to that, it makes sense to clean up your Mac from old system junk files and application leftovers. The easiest way to do it is to run CleanMyMac X on your machine (download it for free here).
Visit your local Apple Store to download older OS X version
If none of the options to get older OS X worked, pay a visit to nearest local Apple Store. They should have image installations going back to OS Leopard and earlier. You can also ask their assistance to create a bootable USB drive with the installation file. So here you are. We hope this article has helped you to download an old version of Mac OS X. Below are a few more links you may find interesting.
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Instructions for making an external drive that you can use to install macOSSierra.
Roman Loyola By Roman Loyola
Senior Editor, Macworld | Jul 3, 2017 1:32 PM PT
Can't Find Os X El Capitan In App Store
macos sierra installer iconMore like this* macos high sierra iconHow to create a bootable macOS High Sierra installer drive* imac blank screen stockInstalling macOS or OS X: What to do when ‘the installer payloadfailed...* Mavericks installer iconHow to make a bootable Mavericks install drive* Macworld Podcast Episode 586VideoiMac Pro, Apple and Shazam, holiday wish lists, 2018 predictions:Macworld...
Apple uses its App Store to distribute its software, like new Macoperating systems. It’s convenient, but sometimes it can take a while fora download to finish. And if you have multiple Macs, it’s inefficient todownload the new OS to each and every Mac.
sierra external icon
That’s why I like to make a bootable external drive for the sole purposeof installing the Mac operating system. When I need to tend to a bunch ofMacs, it’s much faster to use a bootable drive instead of going to eachMac, launching the App Store, searching for the operating system,downloading it (after entering my Apple ID), and then running theinstaller.
You can create a bootable USB flash drive with the macOS Sierra installerthat’s now available. The installer software will take up nearly 5GB ofstorage space. Here’s how to create a bootable macOS Sierra installerdrive.
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Download the macOS Sierra installer
Launch the App Store app, then look for macOS Sierra in the store. (Here’sa link.) Click on the Download button, and your Mac will download theinstaller to your Applications folder. If it automatically launches afterdownload, quit the installer.
sierra beta installer app folder sierra gmKeep the installer in theApplications folder.
If you’ve already upgraded your Mac to Sierra, the installer is removedfrom the Applications folder. You can download it again if you go toPurchased in the App Store. Look for macOS Sierra in the list of apps thatyou’ve bought, and click on the Download button. If it automaticallylaunches after download, quit the installer.
Get an external drive
You can use a USB flash drive or a hard drive with room for the installersoftware. I’ve used different drives with success, including a VisionTek120GB USB 3.0 Pocket Solid State Drive ($83 on Amazon) and an old 8GBIomega Micro Mini Hard Drive.
Don’t worry if the drive isn’t formatted for the Mac. The drive will bereformatted automatically as part of the process. Change the name of yourdrive to Untitled; you need to do this for the steps below.
The quick and easy way
The process detailed below involves the Terminal. If your really don’twant to use Terminal, there are a couple of free apps you can use.
Use the Terminal to create a boot disk
terminal mac el capitan icon
So you have your external drive, and the Sierra beta installer is inplace. Now you’re going to use Terminal to create a boot drive. If you’venever used Terminal before, don’t worry. This is pretty easy.
Here are the steps to create a macOS Sierra beta boot disk. (Apple alsohas these instructions.)
How to boot from the installer drive
sierra installstartup option
To comment on this article and other Macworld content, visit our Facebookpage or our Twitter feed.Related:* Macs* Operating Systems* MacOS Hints* MacBooks* Mac Desktops* macOS* MacOS Sierra
Roman has covered technology since the early 1990s. His career started atMacUser, and he's worked for MacAddict, Mac|Life, and TechTV. He's alsowritten for MacRumors and Realtor.com.
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