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 We’ll be repeatedly referring to these Apple OS versions below, so it’s good to know the basic macOS timeline.
Mac App Store Powerful ways to discover are now in store. The reimagined Mac App Store arrives with a new look and exciting new editorial content. Delve into insightful stories, browse curated collections, even watch videos — each designed to help you fine-tune your search for the perfect app. A quick and simple step-by-step guide to install macOS Sierra in VirtualBox on Windows 10. MacOS Sierra 10.12 on VirtualBox. (+ Screenshots).
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 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 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. For OS 10.4 - 10.8 (free version) for OS 10.9 (free version) 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 10.6 Get an email copy of 10.7 Get an email copy of 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.
Update to 10.6.8 using Software Update. Download El Capitan.
“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. 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 Instruction to Instruction to 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. 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.
These might also interest you:.
Apple distributes through the App Store. You need an internet connection, and the download will be over 5GB, so it’ll take a few minutes.
For a single Mac, the installation process through the App Store works well, but if you have several Macs, it’s not efficient. That’s why I like to create a bootable installation drive.
I can use the drive on each Mac I need to upgrade, saving me from the process of entering an Apple ID and password and then waiting for the download. It’s easy to create an external installation drive. It’s also handy to keep around, just in case you’re in a situation where you rather use the drive than rely on booting in. Here are a couple of different ways you can create a bootable macOS High Sierra installation drive. First, let’s cover the items you’ll need and how to get them. Then we’ll go over the two ways to make the drive itself.
Macworld also has bootable-install-drive instructions for:. Get an external drive and maybe an adapter Just about any type of USB external drive will work: thumb drive, hard drive, or SSD.
The installer software will take up over 5GB. If you want to use a thumb drive, an 8GB drive works perfectly.
I used an 8GB Kingston Data Traveler G4 ($9 on ); it’s cheap and it supports USB 3.1, so it’s fast. I’ve also used a VisionTek 120GB USB 3.0 Pocket Solid State Drive ($95 on ) and older USB thumb drives that support USB 2, which is slower, but works. IDG To connect a USB device with a type-A connector to a MacBook or MacBook Pro with USB-C, you need the USB to USB-C adatper. If you have a 2015 or newer MacBook or a 2016 or newer MacBook Pro, you may need Apple’s. This will allow you to connect a storage device that uses a connector. If you have a USB-C storage device, then you don’t need to get the adapter. When creating the boot drive, the storage device is reformatted, so there’s no need to format the drive beforehand.
Get the macOS High Sierra installer software You’ll find High Sierra in the App Store. It’s not available as an update, so if you run Software Update (Apple menu About This Mac Software Update), you won’t find it. If you launch the App Store app and look for it in the Updates section, you won’t find it. Go to the Featured section of the App Store, and you may see High Sierra appear at the top. If not, just do a search for “High Sierra.” Click on it to go to the High Sierra page. (You can also.) Apple You can read the information to learn more about High Sierra.
When you’re ready to download the software, click the Download button under the icon on the upper left. (If you’ve already downloaded the installer, the button will say Open instead of Download.) Apple Once the download is complete, the installer will launch automatically. But don’t continue with the installation. Instead, press Command-Q on your keyboard to quit the installer. The High Sierra installer app will be in your Applications folder, so you can go there and launch it later to upgrade your Mac to the new operating system.
If you already installed High Sierra, you won’t find the installer app in your Applications folder. You also won’t find it in the App Store app under Purchased. This link should open the App Store app and take you directly to High Sierra. Under the High Sierra icon on the left of the banner, click on the Download button.
This will download the installer to your Applications folder. If the installer auto launches, press Command-Q on your keyboard to quit the app. Make a bootable installer drive: The quick way There’s a free app called that you can use to make the installation drive. It has been updated to support High Sierra.
There’s another app called that I’ve used before, but during the original writing of this article, it didn't support High Sierra. Download Install Disk Creator by clicking on the link above. When the download is done, you can move it over to your Applications folder.
Then follow these steps to create your bootable macOS High Sierra drive. Connect your drive to your Mac. It’s OK if it’s not formatted as a Mac drive. The app will reformat it.
Launch Install Disk Creator. In the main window, you’ll see a pop-up menu under “Select the volume to become the installer.” Click on the menu and select your drive. IDG The main window of Install Disk Creator. Under the pop-up menu, you’ll see “Select the OS X installer.” (macOS used to be called OS X.) If you have only the High Sierra installer on your Mac, Install Disk Creator will automatically select it.
If you have other macOS installers, you need to click on “Select the OS X installer” and select the High Sierra installer. When you’re ready, click “Create installer.” Your Mac may tell you that Install Disk Creator wants to make changes, and you need to enter your user name and password. After you do this, the app will take a few minutes to create the boot drive. You won’t see a progress bar.
When the App is done, your installer is ready to use.