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.
Oct 31, 2019. Jun 22, 2020. TLDR; The best Mac OS version is the one that your Mac is eligible to upgrade to. In 2019-2020 it is macOS Catalina. In 2019-2020 it is macOS Catalina. However, users that need to run 32-bit applications on Mac should not go with Catalina because it only supports 64-bit apps. The maximum version of Mac OS X, OS X, or macOS supported by each G3 and later Mac follows. For complete specs on a particular system, click the name of the Mac. For all Macs that are compatible with a specifc maximum supported version of Mac OS X - courtesy of EveryMac.com's Ultimate Mac Sort - click the OS of interest.
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.
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.
Mac Os X Version Names
- 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
![Best Best](/uploads/1/3/4/8/134872937/994988340.png)
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.
These might also interest you:
Prior to OS X, Apple had a rock solid operating system that was fast and stable, but by the time Mac OS 9 was released in 1999, it was looking very dull and dated, especially compared to what Microsoft was offering in the shape of Windows NT 4 (released July 1996), Windows 98 (released June 1998), and Windows 2000 (released February 2000).
In my opinion, Windows 2000 was one of the best versions of Windows ever released: graphically pleasing (for its time) and built on NT rather than 9x, making it rock solid and very fast.
In my opinion, Windows 2000 was one of the best versions of Windows ever released: graphically pleasing (for its time) and built on NT rather than 9x, making it rock solid and very fast.
Mac OS 9 was very space efficient but already looked dated when released in 1999.
Apple had been working on what would become Mac OS X since 1996, when it purchased NeXT. The next few years would see Apple transform it into a Mac operating system running on PowerPC hardware, and Apple released the Public Beta of Mac OS X in 2000.
This article is about Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger, but to fully appreciate it you need to have transitioned through earlier versions.
OS X Before Tiger
Mac OS X 10.0 Cheetah
Wow! was my first impression of OS X. Coming from the dull and clunky looking OS 9, this new OS was slick, animated, transparent, and absolutely gorgeous – albeit not quite fully functional and missing a few things.
OS X 10.0 Cheetah (released in March 2001) was the first official release version, but it was not much better than the Public Beta. 10.1 Puma (Sept. 2001) was released as a free upgrade to 10.0. It was an improvement. It featured bug fixes, speed improvement, and more customisation.
OS X 10.2 Jaguar (August 2002) was the first version I would call useable as a main OS, but it was still clunky and slow. 10.3 Panther (October 2003) was steadily making progress and was a massive improvement over 10.2. It was faster but still clunky in my opinion. It was the first version of OS X to increase its hardware requirements, requiring built-in USB – and thus cutting out some very early G3s (although easily worked around).
Mac OS X 10.3 Panther
Enter Tiger
Mac Os X Update 10.9
Then on April 29, 2005, Apple released Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger. This was a landmark version. At a running time of 30 months, it is also the longest serving version of OS X ever released, which just adds to the fact that it is an amazing OS. Tiger once again increased hardware requirements, requiring built-in FireWire, 256 MB RAM, and by default a DVD drive (although a CD version could be order from Apple), although this is also easily worked around.
For the most part, OS X 10.0 through 10.4 could run on the same hardware, apart from the extra port requirements, but hiking up minimum hardware requirements was a trend Apple would follow with the next versions of OS X.
Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger
With Tiger, Apple really turned OS X around. It was faster, more streamlined, incredibly stable, and added Spotlight, Dashboard and widgets, and Automator, as well as new graphics processing systems in the form of Core Image and Core Video. It also improved a number of previously introduced apps and features.
A long debated topic (even today) is Panther vs. Tiger, with many claiming Panther is faster and more stable than Tiger, to which I totally disagree. Panther came with my eMac G4 in 2004, and compared to it running Tiger, Panther was slow and clunky. I have since run Tiger on every compatible Mac I have owned, including G3 iMacs and iBooks. Tiger even ran better Panther on a Lombard PowerBook G3, which doesn’t officially support it.
Mac Os X Version 10.7
Tiger for Intel Macs
With the switch to Intel processors in 2006, Apple revealed it had been secretly working on Intel versions of OS X from the beginning, and OS X 10.4.4 was the first Intel version. The versatility of Tiger can be seen in the fact that it can run on a 300 MHz G3 all the way up to a 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo (the 24″ Mid 2007 Intel iMac, which was one of the last Macs to be sold with Tiger).
Best Macos Version Reddit
Unlike OS X 10.5 Leopard, which replaced Tiger in October 2007, there were two separate versions of OS X 10.4 – one for PowerPC Macs, the other for Intel Macs. Although there were universal binary applications that could run on both platforms, Mac OS X did not become PPC/Intel universal until Leopard arrived.
![Version Version](/uploads/1/3/4/8/134872937/451614271.jpg)
OS X Landmarks
There are two landmark versions of OS X, ones that have been hard to pull developers and end users away from. One of them is Tiger, the last version to support Classic Mode (but only on PowerPC Macs). The other is OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, which is Intel only and the last version to support PowerPC apps. Both have a strong following of users who either can’t upgrade to 10.5 Leopard (which is not compatible with G3s) and 10.7 Lion (which requires a Core 2 Duo or newer Intel CPU and was the first version of OS X without support for PowerPC software) respectively, think their hardware would run less efficiently or would kill off their current versions of software.
Tiger holds a special place for me. Being a low-end Mac user, most of my Macs have been unable to run anything higher, meaning I held on to it longer than most versions of OS X. Computing progress forces people to move on, and Leopard is a great OS, but it raised the bar immensely in terms of hardware requirements, and then Snow Leopard dropped the whole PowerPC architecture, leaving Tiger even further behind.
Apple will have to try hard to match the excellence of Tiger in future operating systems. Snow Leopard is a worthy runner up, but it falls short of the vast hardware range supported by Tiger.
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