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.
A list of all Mac OS X versions
Aug 03, 2021 For Mac OS X El Capitan, macOS High Sierra, macOS Mojave or macOS Catalina, Open Safari and click on this link, How to get old versions of macOS – Apple Support. Go to the Download OS section and click on the OS you want to install. Before upgrading make a full back up of your Mac. Sep 30, 2015 Download El Capitan OS X is also significant since it’s the last version of Apple Mac OS X released as its successor Sierra was released in the year 2016 under the brand macOS. El Capitan latest version. El Capitan 10.11.6 is now released as the latest version of Download El Capitan. For OS X El Capitan users this update is recommended.
Download: OS X El Capitan This downloads as a disk image named InstallMacOSX.dmg. On a Mac that is compatible with El Capitan, open the disk image and run the installer within, named InstallMacOSX.pkg. It installs an app named Install OS X El Capitan into your Applications folder. Working framework X El Capitan is as of now open for straightforward download and at present, this new change is known to all. This advantageous downloading opportunity is at present by and large grabbed excitedly by the submitted Mac owners as they can acknowledge benefits with the latest type of OS X presented.
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.
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.
I need to download the El Capitan to install on my Mac computer. What is the best place to download the El Capitan dmg or El Capitan iso.
Download file - OS X El Capitan 10.11.4.iso. When Apple announces there OS for the public, firstly, they bring in developer mode. Every year Apple bringing huge changes to there operating system. Like macOS X El Capitan, macOS X Yosemite, macOS Sierra, macOS High Sierra, and macOS Mojave is out new and perfectly professionally made. Then you are in the right place because here I am wanna show you how to install Vmware tools on Mac OS X El Capitan. If you install it then you OS X 10.11 Will work perfectly with the VMware. Actually, when you install Vmware tools on OS X 10.11 then it will install the missing drivers and kext when you installed it then your OS X El Capitan. Download file - OS X El Capitan 10.11.4.iso.
Is this a good question?
Comments:
Mac Os X Iso For Virtualbox
Aug 04, 2017 On this page, select “I will install the operating system later” and click Next. Guest OS Installation. Yes, you’re right, select Apple Mac OS X and OS version then hit Next. Personalize and select a preferred location for the virtual machine and click Next. Name Virtual Machine.
I've been looking for El Capitan for weeks and today I finally managed to get it.
The Appstore no longer has OS X El Capitan available to download.
To solve this issue follow this link: http://bit.ly/ElCaptanOriginalOSX
.
The Appstore only has updates but not the original OS. So If you did not download El Capitan before it was removed from the App Store then you will not be able to get it from the Appstore anymore. You can now only download it via alternative sources, Just make sure they are trusted sources though. Hence I recommended the link above.
Hope this helps you also.
@Kate smith, They are illegally selling Apples software !
Find the official installers here
Infographic over the many versions of OSX/macOS
@katemor Its not true that App Store no longer has El Capitan as download. It does not have it as download, if your Apple-ID has never registered a machine with El Capitan. Otherwise they are still there.
And your link points to a place, which charges $20 for Apple software. Not quite legal..
macOS Mojave 10.14 is one of the latest and off the mark operating systems launched by Apple. macOS Mojave updates lead to improvisation in the strength, execution, or agreement with your Mac and are prescribed for all Mojave clients.
Apple launched its very new macOS Mojave which includes influential selling focuses such as Continuity Camera, Dark Mode, Stacks to limit your work area with the documents.
License
Official Installer
File Size
6GB
Language
Multilingual
Developer
Apple Inc.
Some sumptuous peculiarities associated with the latest macOS Mojave 10.14 are as mention below
- The newly included feature of macOS Mojave is the Dark Mode arena, which you can opt for at the time of installing this operating system. Hence, on the off chance that you wish to apply the light mode, at that point you can.
- Dynamic Desktop: It is with a dim mode that the work area inclinations are fixed with the light mode, and your backdrop on the work area is well situated.
- Desktop Stacks: Here, you can store various types of folders displaying the same file names on the macOS Mojave work area.
- Screen Mark-ups:Earlier you were expected to isolate the application on the screenshot, however now you can outline, draw, include content, shapes, and crop pictures in whichever way you wish to do it.
- Screen Utility: macOS Mojave likewise includes a screen capture taskbar, where you can without much of a stretch take a screen capture!
- Coherence Camera: Now straightforwardly you can transfer or upload photographs from iPhone iPad, or from some other Apple gadget.
- iOS Applications on Mac: After downloading the updates of macOS Mojave, you can utilize the iOS Apps on your desktop.
- The App Store: It facilitates you to Work, Create, Play, =and develop with the App Store, in short, all that you are doing on iOS.
- Finder tool: It permits you to convert all your photos into a short slideshow, or even aids you in altering a short video.
Various other macOS Mojave Enhancements are added to the operating system.
Also Read:-Download macOS Catalina Image file for Virtualbox and VMWare
- AirPods:Includes support for new AirPods (second era).
- Improves the nature of sound accounts in Messages.
- Gives improved help to outer GPUs in Activity Monitor.
- Improves the dependability of USB sound gadgets when utilized with MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac scaled-down models presented in 2018.
- Amends the default screen splendor for the MacBook Air launched in 2018.
However, on the off chance that you are a Windows user, at that point testing macOS Mojave gets extremely complicated, That’s the reason a portion of the Mac Users who are well versed with programming and are acquainted with the steps on How to Create a VMDK (Virtual Machine Image) File, have made the VMDK File.
The Best part pertaining to the macOS Mojave VMDK (Virtual machine Image) File is that it tends to run on any working framework like Windows, Macintosh, Linux, etc. At the end of the day, as long as there is the very presence of Virtual Machines, for example, the VMware and VirtualBox, any operating system can be downloaded, installed, tried and tested by any user or any OS.
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- With regards to entering or testing applications, Software or Operating Systems, virtual machines are the ideal choice to go with. They permit you to run diverse, one of a kind operating systems, run programs on them or have a go at installing whichever applications you like.
- They run on a sandboxed environment that is altogether out of your real working framework. Despite which operating system you’re as of now employing, you can introduce pretty much every operating system and do far more terrible things. This can be running a noxious or even worse which you’re probably not going to do inside your current Operating System. When there’s something not right, you can without any hassle erase the virtual machine whether that is on VMware or VirtualBox.
The following links are available to download macOS Mojave on Virtual Machines:
VMware:macOS Mojave VMware Image Download (One Full – Google Drive)
This is the specially created record file where you can introduce macOS Mojave on the VMware machine. It is a solitary document. On the off chance that you have a rapid web connection, at that point, you need to download the picture. Further, you will peruse the record in your VMware programming. And afterward, you can without much of a stretch introduce the macOS Mojave with default wizard. Thus, It will at that point run macOS Mojave on VMware utilizing Windows 10.
VirtualBox:macOS Mojave VirtualBox Image Download (One Full – Google Drive)
This one is a huge document with one picture download interface. Along these lines, you should have high web speed to download the record. Be that as it may, After the download you need to peruse it to a virtual box and follow the means from the wizard for fruitful establishment.
Download macOS Mojave 10.14 Virtual Box and VMWare - ISORIVER
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macOS Mojave 10.14 is one of the latest and off the mark operating systems launched by Apple. macOS Mojave updates lead to improvisation in the strength,
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Os X El Capitan Update
Operating System: Mac OS Mojave 10.14
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Application Category: Virtual Machine Image