Download Old Mac Operating Systems

1. Download Old Mac Operating Systems Chronology
2. Mac Operating Systems In Order
3. Mac Operating Systems Names
4. Download Old Mac Operating Systems In Order

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.

Download Old Mac Operating Systems Chronology

If you're planning on running the treasures of the past you'll find here on real old Macintosh hardware from the 90's, you sir/madame, deserve to win an Internet! For others, there's SheepShaver, a PowerPC emulator capable of running Mac OS 9.0.4 down to Mac OS 7.5.2 and there's Basilisk II, a 68k emulator, capable of running Mac OS (8.1 to 7.0). Oct 24, 2019  Mac Pro introduced in early 2008 or later Xserve models introduced in early 2009. To find your Mac model, memory, storage space, and macOS version, choose About This Mac from the Apple menu. If your Mac isn't compatible with OS X El Capitan, the installer will let you know.

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.

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 10.4 - 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:

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.

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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.

Mac Operating Systems In Order

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 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.

These might also interest you:

Need a copy of System 6.0.8, 7.0.1, or a newer version of the Classic Mac OS for your vintage Mac? You can dig through apple.com and try to find them – or you can download them using the updated links on this page. (Apple does rearrange things, making it more difficult to find things.) All versions of the Mac OS linked here are copyrighted by Apple Computer and free to Macintosh owners. System 7.1.x as well as 7.6.x and later are not free products and must be purchased.

Making Floppies

Software is stuffed and requires an expander, such as StuffIt Expander (which was traditionally bundled with early Mac web browsers). Mounting disk images or making floppies from them requires Disk Copy (download Disk Copy) or MountImage.

You will need a 400K or 800K floppy drive to produce single-sided disks for use with the Mac 128K and 512K Fat Mac. Apple’s high density floppy drives cannot format single-sided floppies.

You cannot use a USB floppy drive to create 800K floppy disks; they can only be formatted and written to using an Apple 800K or 1.4M HD floppy drive.

You should have no trouble formatting and writing to high density floppies using a USB floppy drive.

Drive Prep

Whenever possible, Apple branded hard drives should be formatted or updated with HD SC Setup 7.3.5 or later before installing a new version of the OS. (Exception: If the hard drive of a Mac Portable is formatted with any version newer than 7.3.1, it will crash instead of waking from sleep mode.)

Mac Operating Systems Names

For an interesting overview of Mac OS history, read Evolution v. Revolution on MacKiDo. And for tips on choosing a version of the Mac OS, read What’s the Best System Version?

Pre System 6

• Several older versions of the Mac OS were available for download through links on The Mac 512, including 1.0, 1.1, 2.0, 3.2, and 4.2. However, Apple forced them and other sites to stop distributing older versions of the Mac OS. Gamba’s page may still work.
• Introduction to Mac OS 1 through 5 on MacKiDo provides a quick overview of every version of the Mac OS from System 1.0/Finder 1.0 to System Software 5.1. (Note: Many download links no longer work.)

System 6

• System 6.0.x from System 6 Heaven
• Hardware Requirements for System 6.0.8 to 7.6, Gamba
  • For more on System 6, visit System 6 Heaven and see The Joy of Six: Apple’s Fast, Svelte, Reliable, and Still Useful System 6

System 7

• System 7.1 and Update 3.0 are available for download from the University of Calgary.
• Apple has made available System 7.5.3 for free download (19 image files!) but no longer hosts the files. Data files require System 7.0.1 or later. (Don’t forget the System 7.5.5 update.) Try these links:
• For international users, first go to Apple’s software updates page, then choose the language you want, then select Macintosh, then click on System, and then choose System 7.5 Update 2.0.
• Hardware requirements for System 6.0.8 to 7.6, Gamba
• Newer versions of the system must be purchased (see below).

Mac OS 8

• Petition: Release Mac OS 8.1 and 8.5.1, Steve Godun, Petition Online. If you’d like to see Apple make OS 8.1 and 8.5.1 free to all, as they did with System 7.5.3, please sign this petition.

Classic Mac OS Updates

Mac OS X updates are readily handled through Software Update, but pre-X updates can be difficult to locate. Links are to English language version of the Mac OS.

• System 7.5.3 update (from 7.5.x)
• System 7.5.5 update (only from 7.5.3)
• Mac OS 7.6.1 update (only from 7.6)
  • For more on Mac OS 7.x, visit System 7 Today and see System 7: Bigger, Better, More Expandable, and a Bit Slower than System 6 and System 7.5 and Mac OS 7.6: The Beginning and End of an Era
• Mac OS 8.1 update (only from 8.0, adds HFS+ support, last to support any 680×0 Macs, and 680×0 Macs cannot boot from HFS+ volumes, first version of Mac OS to support Carbon apps)
• Mac OS 8.6 update (from 8.5 or 8.5.1, PowerPC only, new nanokernel supports Multiprocessing Services 2.0)
  • For more on Mac OS 8.x, see Mac OS 8 and 8.1: Maximum Size, Maximum Convenience
• Mac OS 9.1 update (from 9.0.x)
• Mac OS 9.2.1 update (from 9.1 or 9.2)
• Mac OS 9.2.2 update (only from 9.2.1)
  • For more on Mac OS 9, visit Mac OS 9 Lives

Where to Buy the Classic Mac OS

You may be able to purchase system software from Apple or dealers with old stock.

• System 6.0.8, $15
• System 7.1 + Update 3.0, $25
• System 7.5.3 + Update to 7.5.5, $25

Download Old Mac Operating Systems In Order

Mac OS 7.6 and later are usually available through dealers, eBay, and LEM Swap. Mac OS 7.6 requires a 32-bit clean Mac, a 68030 or later CPU, 8 MB of RAM (16 MB recommended), and at least 70 MB of available drive space (120 MB if you wish to install all the options).

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