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
Download High Sierra. See How can I download an older version of OS X/macOS? Copy High Sierra to a flash drive. See How to create a bootable installer for macOS; Install High Sierra to a new volume in your APFS container. Here I assume you have enough free space. Goto the App Store while logged into High Sierra. Download El Capitan. If you don't want to partition your main disk, there are other ways you can safely run a different version of macOS (or OS X) or a beta of a new version. One option is to install macOS on an.
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.
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
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.
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 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.
![Create Create](/uploads/1/2/6/6/126632744/620274422.jpg)
These might also interest you:
As you have the idea MacOS Catalina 10.15 is the latest version of Mac and this Mac Operating System is the best with having cool features that are handy and easy to use. However, if you want to install MacOS Catalina Beta on Virtualization software or on your physical system then follow the below links. Moreover, in this article, you will learn How to Install MacOS Catalina Beta on APFS Volume to Dual Boot with Mojave. So, if you want to run MacOS Catalina alongside with MacOS Mojave then you can do it by adding a new APFS volume to the Mac. Well, it means that you can install two operating systems on your Mac and dual boot them, that means both MacOS is available and you can select the one that you want to work with.
Therefore, in this article, I will guide you step by step with a good explanation in order to provide the best article to you. So, read this article top to toe and if you get any confusion then feel free to contact me.
Related Articles:
Table of Contents
Why Dual-Boot MacOS
Good question why we need to Dual-Boot MacOS? However, there are several reasons why a Mac user wants to run two Operating systems or two versions of Mac. below are the reasons to dual-boot MacOS.
- The first reason is if a user wants to update their Mac to the latest software, but they have a legacy of apps that are not working then to create a dual-boot is the best way to run those apps. Read More: How to Uninstall Application in MacOS Catalina
- If you have a Mac software developer and you want to run your own apps on various versions.
- If you want to try MacOS Beta version without committing to it then the best way is to dual-boot your Mac.
Some Important things before you start
Create Partition For Older Version Os X On Mojave X
- Make Some Space: if you want to give shape to your Mac and you want to run two versions of the Mac operating system then you will need space. Delete oruninstall all the apps that you don’t need and remove the files and folder which are not needed anymore.
- Back-Up: The most important thing before doing anything to your Mac is to have a backup of your Mac, in this case, you will not lose your data. Therefore, make sure you have created a backup of your all files and data.
- Be prepared to wipe everything: If you are in an older version of macOS or even Mac OS X, when you partition your Mac you will have to completely wipe it! If you want to keep your current work, you need to create a backup of your Mac and ensure it will fit on your smaller partitioned drive.
How to Install MacOS Catalina Beta on APFS Volume to Dual Boot with Mojave
This step will create dual-boot and allow you to switch between MacOS Catalina to MacOS Mojave or MacOS High Sierra.
- Open Disk Utility and create a new APFS volume by clicking on the ‘+’ button.
- Now give Name to the new APFS volume something like macOS Catalina then click Add button.
- The last step, click Done and quit Disk Utility.
- Now, open the Install MacOS Catalina Beta and you can find it in the Applications folders. afterward, click Continue then read and agree to the terms and service.
- Click on the Show All Disk.
- At the disk selection screen, choose the alternate Catalina APFS Volume you created earlier as the target disk, then click on Install to install MacOS Catalina Beta onto that volume.
- Wait for a while to complete the installation process and the Mac will reboot and the process will take a while.
When the installation gets completed then the computer will reboot for the final time, after that, the computer will start directly into MacOS Catalina.
Switch Booting of MacOS Catalina or MacOS Mojave / High Sierra
You can switch between macOS Catalina to MacOS Mojave / High Sierra by doing these two methods.
Switching Boot macOS Versions on System Start
The First method to switch between MacOS Catalina to Mojave and High Sierra is very handy and easy. Therefore, restart or boot the Mac and immediately hold down the Option key. then, at the boot selection choose the MacOS Volume you wish to boot from.
Switching Boot macOS Version via System Preferences
Pull down the Apple menu and go to System Preferences and then go to Startup Disk and choose the volume / OS to boot from.
Conclusion
That’s all about How to Install MacOS Catalina Beta on APFS Volume to Dual Boot with Mojave. SO, in this article, we have explained each and everything clearly. therefore, read the article and if you get any kind of question then feel free to ask me in the comment box.