So, y'all've decided to download an older version of Mac OS X. At that place are many reasons that could point you lot to this radical decision. To brainstorm with, some of your apps may non exist working properly (or but crash) on newer operating systems. Also, you may have noticed your Mac'south performance went down right afterwards the last update. Finally, if you want to run a parallel copy of Mac OS X on a virtual machine, you lot too volition need a working installation file of an older Mac Bone X. Farther downward nosotros'll explain where to get one and what problems you lot may face downwards the road.

A listing of all Mac Os X versions

We'll be repeatedly referring to these Apple OS versions below, and so it's practiced to know the basic macOS timeline.

Chetah 10.0 Puma ten.1 Jaguar 10.2
Panther 10.3 Tiger 10.four Leopard ten.five
Snowfall Leopard 10.6 Lion 10.seven Mount King of beasts ten.eight
Mavericks 10.nine Yosemite 10.10 El Capitan 10.11
Sierra x.12 High Sierra 10.13 Mojave ten.xiv
Catalina 10.15

Pace 1. Gear up your Mac for installation

Given your Mac isn't new and is filled with data, you volition probably need enough free infinite on your Mac. This includes not but space for the Os itself only too space for other applications and your user data. One more argument is that the free infinite on your disk translates into virtual retentivity so your apps take "fuel" to operate on. The chart below tells you how much costless space is needed.

Note, that it is recommended that you install Os on a make clean drive. Next, you lot will demand plenty disk space bachelor, for case, to create Recovery Partition. Hither are some ideas to free up infinite on your drive:

  • Uninstall big unused apps
  • Empty Trash Bin and Downloads
  • Locate the biggest files on your reckoner:

Go to Finder > All My Files > Accommodate by size

Then you can move your space hoggers onto an external drive or a cloud storage.

If you aren't comfy with cleaning the Mac manually, at that place are some overnice automatic "room cleaners". Our favorite isCleanMyMac as it'southward virtually simple to use of all. It deletes system junk, quondam broken apps, and the residuum of hidden junk on your drive.

CleanMyMac X - Smart Scan complete

Download CleanMyMacfor Os 10.4 - 10.eight (free version)

Download CleanMyMac for OS 10.9 (gratis version)

Download CleanMyMacfor Bone 10.10 - ten.14 (gratis version)

Step two. Become a copy of Mac OS X download

Normally, it is assumed that updating OS is a one-fashion route. That'due south why going back to a by Apple OS version is problematic. The main challenge is to download the OS installation file itself, considering your Mac may already exist running a newer version. If you succeed in downloading the OS installation, your next stride is to create a bootable USB or DVD and then reinstall the Bone on your figurer.

How to download older Mac OS X versions via the App Store

Mac operating system download


If you lot in one case had purchased an old version of Mac Bone X from the App Store, open information technology and go to the Purchased tab. There yous'll find all the installers you tin can download. However, information technology doesn't always piece of work that style. The purchased section lists only those operating systems that you had downloaded in the past. But hither is the path to check it:

  1. Click the App Store icon.
  2. Click Purchases in the summit carte.
  3. Ringlet down to notice the preferred Os X version.
  4. Click Download.

This method allows you lot to download Mavericks and Yosemite by logging with your Apple ID — only if yous previously downloaded them from the Mac App Store.

Without App Store: Download Mac OS version as Apple Developer

If yous are signed with an Apple Programmer business relationship, you can get admission to products that are no longer listed on the App Store. If you desperately demand a lower Os X version build, consider creating a new Developer account among other options. The membership toll is $99/twelvemonth and provides a bunch of perks unavailable to ordinary users.

Notwithstanding, keep in mind that if you visit developer.apple.com/downloads, you tin only detect x.3-x.6 OS X operating systems at that place. Newer versions are non available because starting Mac OS Ten Snow Leopard ten.7, the App Shop has go the only source of updating Apple Os versions.

Buy an older version of Mac operating system

Apple OS Versions

You can purchase a boxed or e-mail version of past Mac Bone X directly from Apple. Both will cost you around $twenty. For the reason of being rather antiquated, Snow Leopard and before Apple versions tin simply be installed from DVD.

Buy a boxed edition of Snowfall Leopard 10.half-dozen
Get an electronic mail copy of Lion 10.7
Become an email copy of Mountain Lion 10.viii

The electronic mail edition comes with a special download code you tin use for the Mac App Store. Note, that to install the Lion or Mountain King of beasts, your Mac needs to be running Snowfall Leopard and then y'all can install the newer Bone on tiptop of it.

How to get macOS El Capitan download

If yous are wondering if you can run El Capitan on an older Mac, rejoice as it'due south possible too. But before your Mac can run El Capitan it has to be updated to OS X ten.6.8. So, here are principal steps y'all should take:

1. Install Snow Leopard from install DVD.
2. Update to 10.six.8 using Software Update.
three. Download El Capitan here.

"I tin can't download an old version of Mac Os X"

If you have a newer Mac, at that place is no physical option to install Mac OS versions older than your current Mac model. For example, if your MacBook was released in 2014, don't await information technology to run whatever Bone released prior of that time, because older Apple Os versions merely do not include hardware drivers for your Mac.

Mac os x download

But as it oftentimes happens, workarounds are possible. At that place is however a chance to download the installation file if yous have an access to a Mac (or virtual automobile) running that operating organization. For instance, to get an installer for Lion, y'all may ask a friend who has King of beasts-operated Mac or, once again, set up a virtual machine running Lion. So y'all will need to set an external drive to download the installation file using OS X Utilities.

Afterward you've completed the download, the installer should launch automatically, simply you can click Cancel and copy the file you need. Beneath is the detailed instruction how to do information technology.

Stride 3. Install older OS X onto an external drive

The following method allows you to download Mac OS 10 King of beasts, Mountain Lion, and Mavericks.

  1. Start your Mac holding downwards Control + R.
  2. Fix a clean external bulldoze (at to the lowest degree x GB of storage).
  3. Inside OS Ten Utilities, choose Reinstall Bone X.
  4. Select external drive as a source.
  5. Enter your Apple ID.
How to download old Mac OS X versions

Now the Os should showtime downloading automatically onto the external bulldoze. After the download is consummate, your Mac will prompt y'all to do a restart, merely at this point, you should completely shut it downward. 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. Kick your Mac from your standard drive.
  2. Connect the external bulldoze.
  3. Get to external drive > OS Ten Install Data.

Locate InstallESD.dmg disk image file — this is the file y'all demand to reinstall King of beasts Os X. The aforementioned 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 Loftier Sierra 10.13, it is possible to revert it to the previous organisation if you are not satisfied with the feel. Yous can practice it either with Time Machine or past creating a bootable USB or external drive.

Educational activity todowngrade from macOS Sierra

Instruction todowngrade from macOS Loftier Sierra

Pedagogy todowngrade from macOS Mojave

Education to downgrade from macOS Catalina

Before you lot do information technology, the best communication is to back your Mac upwardly so your most important files stay intact. In addition to that, information technology makes sense to clean up your Mac from old organization junk files and application leftovers. The easiest way to do it is to run CleanMyMac Ten on your automobile (download it for free here).

Visit your local Apple Store to download older Bone Ten version

If none of the options to get older OS X worked, pay a visit to nearest local Apple tree Shop. They should have image installations going back to OS Leopard and before. You tin too inquire their assistance to create a bootable USB drive with the installation file. So here y'all are. We promise this article has helped y'all to download an old version of Mac OS 10. Below are a few more links yous may observe interesting.