File size: 2.5 MB. Downloads: 32,258. User rating: 32 votes. Rate this 5 (Best) 4 3 2 1 (Worst) macOS Big Sur elevates the most advanced desktop operating system in the world to a new level. Apple recently dropped the $19.99 fee for OS X Lion and Mountain Lion, making the older Mac updates free to download, reports Macworld. Apple has kept OS X 10.7 Lion and OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion. It is now possible to have two operating systems on your Mac computer thanks to Boot Camp for Windows. It is a program designed for installing the Windows operating system on a Mac computer. This is the Boot Camp for Windows download. License: Free OS: Mac OS X Language: EN Version: 5.1.5769. MacOS X was Apple's replacement for their classic MacOS. MacOS X is based on NeXTSTEP, a Unix-based OS. The first consumer release also featured a new user interface appearance called 'Aqua'. Available releases. Download Mac OS X 10.5.6 for Mac & read reviews. The Mojave update. Advertisement Platforms. The latest benefits of the Mac OS. You will get some handy benefits free of charge. Besides the obvious advantages, there are covert improvements that will boost your Mac. As an operating system, Mac OS has always tried to make things sleek.
To download the new OS and install it you’ll need to do the next:
Music, TV, and podcasts take center stage. ITunes forever changed the way people experienced. Download Chrome for Mac. For Mac OS X 10.10 or later. This computer will no longer receive Google Chrome updates because Mac OS X 10.6 - 10.9 are no longer supported.
The simplest way to update OS X to 10.11.5 is through the Mac App Store:
Choose System Preferences from the Apple () menu, then click Software Update to check for updates. If any updates are available, click the Update Now button to install them. Or click ”More info” to see details about each update and select specific updates to install.
To download and install OS X Yosemite:
Upgrading from OS X Snow Leopard or Lion. If you’re running Snow Leopard (10.6.8) or Lion (10.7) and your Mac supports macOS Mojave, you will need to upgrade to El Capitan (10.11) first. Click here for instructions.
The OS X Yosemite 10.10.5 update improves the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac, and is recommended for all users.
The Steps for Upgrading to Mac OS X El 10.11 Capitan
If you’re positive that the Mac isn’t still working on updating your software then run through the following steps:
To manually update your Mac, open the System Preferences dialog box from the Apple menu, and then click “Software Update.” All available updates are listed in the Software Update dialog box. Check each update to apply, click the “Install” button and enter the administrator username and password to allow the updates.
To download the new OS and install it you’ll need to do the next:
Visit the OS X Yosemite page on the Mac app store to download the software for FREE! Follow the instructions. Note: If you cannot download it, you can upgrade your Mac at any Apple Retail store.
Check that your older version of OS X is one of:
Luckily, if you’re already running Mavericks (Mac OS X 10.9) on your Mac, that same Mac is compatible with Yosemite—Mavericks and Yosemite have the same system requirements. Apple confirmed that your Mac requires 2GB of RAM and 8GB of free storage space for the installation.
macOS
All University Mac users are strongly advised to upgrade from OS X Yosemite operating system to macOS Sierra (v10.12.6), as soon as possible, as Yosemite is no longer supported by Apple. The upgrade will help to ensure that Macs have the latest security, features, and remain compatible with other University systems.
First, click on the Apple icon in the top left corner of your screen. From there, you can click ‘About this Mac’. You’ll now see a window in the middle of your screen with information about the Mac you’re using. As you can see, our Mac is running OS X Yosemite, which is version 10.10.3.
If you have a computer running El Capitan still I highly recommend you upgrade to a newer version if possible, or retire your computer if it cannot be upgraded. As security holes are found, Apple will no longer patch El Capitan. For most people I would suggest upgrading to macOS Mojave if your Mac supports it.
Photo in the article by “Wikimedia Commons” https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:QDriverStation_under_Mac_OS_X.png
If you've upgraded to macOS Mojave or later, follow these steps to keep it up to date:
To find updates for iMovie, Garageband, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, and other apps that were downloaded separately from the App Store, open the App Store on your Mac, then click the Updates tab.
To automatically install macOS updates in the future, including apps that were downloaded separately from the App Store, select ”Automatically keep my Mac up to date.” Your Mac will notify you when updates require it to restart, so you can always choose to install those later.
If you're using an earlier macOS, such as macOS High Sierra, Sierra, El Capitan, or earlier,* follow these steps to keep it up to date:
To automatically download updates in the future, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click App Store, then select ”Download newly available updates in the background.” Your Mac will notify you when updates are ready to install.
* If you're using OS X Lion or Snow Leopard, get OS X updates by choosing Apple menu > Software Update.
Learn how to update your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to the latest version of iOS.
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.
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 |
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:
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)
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The following method allows you to download Mac OS X Lion, Mountain Lion, and Mavericks.
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.
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.
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).
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.