Mac os old versions download

How to get old versions of macOS

If your Mac isn’t compatible with the latest macOS, you might still be able to upgrade to an earlier macOS, such as macOS Catalina, Mojave, High Sierra, Sierra, or El Capitan.

To get the latest features and maintain the security, stability, compatibility, and performance of your Mac, it’s important to keep your software up to date. Apple recommends that you always use the latest macOS that is compatible with your Mac.

Check compatibility

The version of macOS that came with your Mac is the earliest version it can use. For example, if your Mac came with macOS Big Sur, it will not accept installation of macOS Catalina or earlier.

If a macOS can’t be used on your Mac, the App Store or installer will let you know. For example, it might say that it’s not compatible with this device or is too old to be opened on this version of macOS. To confirm compatibility before downloading, check the minimum hardware requirements:

Download macOS using Safari on your Mac

Safari uses these links to find the old installers in the App Store. After downloading from the App Store, the installer opens automatically.

• macOS Catalina 10.15 can upgrade Mojave, High Sierra, Sierra, El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks
• macOS Mojave 10.14 can upgrade High Sierra, Sierra, El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks, Mountain Lion
• macOS High Sierra 10.13 can upgrade Sierra, El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks, Mountain Lion

Safari downloads the following older installers as a disk image named InstallOS.dmg or InstallMacOSX.dmg. Open the disk image, then open the .pkg installer inside the disk image. It installs an app named Install [ Version Name ]. Open that app from your Applications folder to begin installing the operating system.

• macOS Sierra 10.12 can upgrade El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks, Mountain Lion, or Lion
• OS X El Capitan 10.11 can upgrade Yosemite, Mavericks, Mountain Lion, Lion, or Snow Leopard
• OS X Yosemite 10.10can upgrade Mavericks, Mountain Lion, Lion, or Snow Leopard

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Downgrading macOS? Here’s What You Need to Know

On the face of it, running old versions of macOS on your Mac seems counterproductive. After all, newer versions of the operating system have more features. They tend to get more updates too. And eventually, Apple stops supporting older editions of macOS — and that means no more security patches.

But there are some good reasons to do it anyway. Older Macs often run better with earlier versions of macOS, for example. Or you might have old software that can’t be run on newer OS X versions like Catalina or Big Sur. In situations like these, installing an old version of the operating system may be your best choice.

To install an older version of OS X on Mac, you need to:

• Check your Mac meets the system requirements to run older OS X versions
• Find and download a macOS installer file for the version you want to install (sometimes this is a .dmg file)
• Create a bootable USB drive
• Use your installation disc or drive to boot up your Mac
• Prepare your Mac for the installation, if necessary
• Follow the on-screen prompts to install macOS

Check you can run the older version of macOS

In general, if you want to run an older version of macOS, it should work. You’re more likely to run into problems when you try to run a new version on an older Mac. That’s because Apple periodically drops support for older Macs that can’t run later OS X releases effectively. There are ways to get around that, but it’s not usually a good idea, because your Mac will usually be slower as a result.

How to check if your Mac can run a particular OS X version:

1. Click the I logo in the top left of macOS

2. Select About This Mac

3. In the Overview section, you’ll see your Mac’s model name and year of release

4. Now check Apple’s technical specification pages for the version of macOS you want to install

If your Mac appears in the list of supported models, then you should be able to downgrade macOS that version.

Finding and downloading an old version of macOS

Once you’ve established your Mac is compatible with a particular version of OS X, you need to download the installer for that version. Some of the newer macOS installers are available in the App store.

Use these links to head straight to them:

To get versions before these, you need to download them without the App Store. Currently, Apple offers direct links going as far back as OS X Yosemite (10.10).

Use these links to download these macOS versions:

If you want to go back any further than that, you’ll need to look elsewhere. You might, for example, find people selling old installation discs on eBay.

Also, be aware that some of these older downloads will come as a .dmg file. To use those, you need to double-click them so they’re mounted. Then run the .pkg file inside them. This will add the relevant macOS installer to your Applications folder.

Creating a bootable USB drive for macOS

After downloading the installer for your old version of macOS, you need to get it into a format your Mac can boot from. The best and easiest option is to create a bootable USB drive. This could be an external hard drive or a thumb drive.

You can also burn installation files to DVD, but this will take longer to install. Also, newer versions of OS X are bigger than the capacity of standard DVDs. And since some Macs don’t have optical drives at all, it’s not a good option.

Creating a bootable USB drive for Mac involves a few steps:

1. Download macOS installer
2. Wipe and format your USB drive in Disk Utility
3. Use Terminal to put the installation files on the USB drive

Check out our full guide to making a bootable copy of macOS to see how this is done.

You can also use the free app Disk Creator to make your bootable USB drive. This does the same thing as using Terminal commands but with a simple graphical interface.

How to create a bootable disk using Disk Creator for Mac:

1. Download and run Disk Creator

2. Select your USB drive under Select the volume to become the installer

3. Click Choose a macOS installer

3. Browse your Mac to find the macOS installer in Applications

5. Click Create Installer and wait for Disk Creator to finish

Installing an old version of macOS from a USB drive

When you’ve created a bootable USB drive, you can use it to install macOS from. To that, you need to select it when your Mac starts up.

How to use a bootable USB drive on a Mac:

1. Restart or turn on your Mac
2. Before the chime, press and hold the Option key
3. Keep holding it until you see a choice of boot options
4. Select your USB drive and wait until it loads

If you’re installing to an external drive or a new partition, you can just follow what the installer tells you to do. But Apple doesn’t let you downgrade your current version of macOS. If you want to install an older version of macOS on your main drive, you need to completely wipe it first.

How to wipe your Mac’s hard drive, ready for a downgrade:

1. After booting from your bootable USB drive, select Disk Utility
2. Select your main drive from the list on the left
3. Click Erase
4. Give the drive a name, set the format as OS X Extended (Journaled). This is called Mac OS Extended (Journaled) in later version of the operating system
5. Make sure the Scheme is set as GUID Partition Map
6. Click Erase and then allow Disk Utility to wipe your drive

Now, when you head back to the macOS installer, you should be able to install the older version of OS X on your main disk.

Should I downgrade OS X?

If it’s at all avoidable, no. You miss out on newer features by downgrading, and you’ll lose support from Apple sooner. If you need to run an older version of OS X to use older third-party software, consider looking for alternatives that run on the latest versions instead.

And if you’re downgrading because your Mac is slower after an update, try some of our speed-up tips for Mac first. It’s also a good idea to download MacKeeper to run regular scans to remove junk files and clear caches. That way, downgrading might not be necessary at all.

Can I downgrade my M1 Mac?

M1 Macs use a completely different type of processor to all of Apple’s previous computers. That means you can’t run anything older than Big Sur on them — the first version of macOS to support M1 chips.

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How to Download MacOS Installers for New & Old Versions

Want to know how to download MacOS and Mac OS X Installers from? You might be wondering where you can download older versions of Mac OS from, particularly if you’re looking to install a different MacOS version or even an older system software version.

Downloading and using different Mac OS installers is very common for troubleshooting purposes, for IT staff and admins, and for tinkerers. This article will discuss where to download and access installers for macOS Big Sur, macOS Catalina, MacOS Mojave, MacOS High Sierra, macOS Sierra, Mac OS X El Capitan, OS X Yosemite, OS X Mavericks, Mac OS X Mountain Lion, Mac OS X Lion, Mac OS X Snow Leopard, Mac OS X Leopard, Mac OS X Tiger, and others too.

Where to Download Mac OS Installers From

The following links point to locations from Apple website where you can download various MacOS system software installers.

New versions of MacOS installers are typically available through the Mac App Store, accessed through a computer that is compatible with the latest Mac system software release.

Older versions of Mac OS X installers can often be downloaded as well, but from different sources.

For earlier versions of Mac OS X, including Mac OS X Mavericks 10.9, Mac OS X Mountain Lion 10.8, Mac OS X Lion 10.7, Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6, Mac OS X Leopard 10.5, Mac OS X Tiger 10.4, and before, the process to obtain those installers differs a bit.

Downloading MacOS Installers via Terminal

Mac users can download the latest macOS installer available from the Terminal by using the following command string:

You can also download specific installer versions by using the following syntax, replacing the asterisks with version number:

softwareupdate —fetch-full-installer —full-installer-version **.**.*

For example, to get macOS 11.3.1 the syntax would be as follows:

softwareupdate —fetch-full-installer —full-installer-version 11.3.1

Downloading Mac OS X Installers from App Store “Purchases”

If you had at one point in time purchased or downloaded a version of MacOS or Mac OS X from the Mac App Store, then you should be able to re-download it from the Mac App Store by going go the “Purchases” section. This can typically be used to access downloads for installers for MacOS Mojave, High Sierra, Sierra, Mavericks, and Mountain Lion, though there are some caveats and exceptions.

1. Open the App Store
2. Go to the “Purchases” section (newer App Store versions must go to Account > Purchases)
3. Scroll down the list of Purchased items to locate the Mac OS X Installer version you wish to re-download, then click on the download button

This works particularly well if the Mac you’re downloading the software onto is running an older version of Mac OS X.

This approach for re-downloading older OS X installers from App Store Purchases section works for obtaining many older versions of Mac OS X, particularly if the machine doing the downloading is running an older Mac release too. For example, re-downloading Mavericks from Yosemite, whereas if you’re running the App Store from newer versions of MacOS you’d need to follow the links further above to download the installers directly, or via the App Store links.

Downloading Mac OS X Snow Leopard

If you’re a registered Apple developer then you may be able to download Mac OS X Snow Leopard and Mac OS X Leopard directly from Apple ADC using the following links:

Downloading / Buying Mac OS X Mountain Lion, Lion, Mac OS X Snow Leopard

Apple also sells some older Mac OS X versions for convenience:

For buying even older versions of Mac OS X, you may have some luck searching on Amazon or Ebay and buying old physical copies of the installer disks. Keep in mind those earlier Mac OS X software updates used to cost a significant amount of money to update to and so even if they’re hold they can still carry a premium.

Another option is to peruse the Apple Vintage Software collection at Archive.org which may have image files of older system restore disks and other older system software, just beware that archive.org is not an official distributor of Apple software so appropriate precautions should be taken and only download from there at your own risk.

Finally, if you’re looking to download much older classic Mac OS software, check out this article which discusses finding original classic Mac OS System releases that go back far before the transition to Mac OS X and Unix underpinnings.

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Download and install older versions of OS X on a Mac

Before you install older OS

To prevent software conflicts, it’s recommended that you install OSX on a clean drive. As a first step, you may try deleting your outdated system files.

So here’s the tip for you: download CleanMyMac X to refresh your Mac’s drive automatically. It removes only safe-to-delete files and is notarized by Apple. Now, check out our more solutions below.

Features described in this article refer to the MacPaw site version of CleanMyMac X.

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.

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 10.10 — 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:

1. Click the App Store icon.
2. Click Purchases in the top menu.
3. Scroll down to find the preferred OS X version.
4. 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.

1. Start your Mac holding down Command + R.
2. Prepare a clean external drive (at least 10 GB of storage).
3. Within OS X Utilities, choose Reinstall OS X.
4. Select external drive as a source.
5. 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.

1. Boot your Mac from your standard drive.
2. Connect the external drive.
3. 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.

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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