OS X El Capitan is the newest version (version 10.11) of the desktop operating system for Apple computers. It contains several new features and improvements that will make your computer more efficient and easier to use. Among different Mac OS X releases, El Capitan 10.11 is known as a prominent release now known as macOS El Capitan providing numerous enhancements and a wide range of powerful features. It provides a sleeker user interface with an eye-catching environment; the users can find everything with the glimpse of an eye. OS X Version: Mountain Lion (10.8), most models. Mavericks (10.9) or higher — all models. How to check it: Click the Apple icon at the top left of your screen. Select 'About This Mac.' The number underneath 'OS X' is your version number. If you're running a version of OS X older than 10.8, look into upgrading your OS X.
'Can I still upgrade to El Capitan though the official update is outdated?' 'How do I upgrade to El Capitan? I'm using Yosemite, is there a way that can upgrade Yosemite to El Capitan?'
On this page, we collected the complete process of how to upgrade to Mac OX S El Capitain 10.11.6 without losing any data. Follow this guide, you can download and install Mac OS X 10.11.6 on your computer with ease:
Tips on this page also work to upgrade macOS Mojave, High Sierra to the latest macOS Big Sur. You may also interest in: update and install macOS.
El Capitan, the last edition known as Mac OS X 10.11.6, is an operating system between Yosemite and macOS Sierra, released on July 18, 2015.
Here is a list of new features that Mac OS X 10.11.6 brings to most old Mac OS X users. And you may feel like downloading and installing the system on your Macs:
So how to download or upgrade your Mac computer to El Capitan? Follow through the guides, any one of Mac users can make it.
Before you take steps to update your present Mac OS X to El Capitan 10.11.6/10.11.2, check whether your Mac computer is available to download and install the new El Capitan. Check the below list and see whether your device or OS X can get the new update:
Supported Mac devices:
Available OS X for El Capitan:
If your Mac OS X and devices are just right on the list, read on and follow tips to prepare your Mac OS ready for El Capitan update.
Let's see what you should do to prepare your Mac devices fully ready for the new El Capitan 10.11.6, etc. update. And if this is your first time updating Mac OS X, follow the tips below carefully:
It's vitally important to back up important data on Mac to external storage devices, which will certainly help to avoid data loss issues due to Mac OS X update.
To do so, you have two options:
For a step-by-step guide, please follow: How to Back Up Mac without Time Machine for help.
If you have forgotten to backup data, reliable Mac data recovery software like EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is the best tool to help you restore lost data.
So now, you can follow the next tutorial tips to update your present Mac OS X into El Capitan.
You can update your Mac OS X to El Capitan now. Follow the below guide to update to El Capitan with ease:
Step 1. Go to Mac App Store and search El Capitan.
Step 2. Click the Download button for El Capitan.
Step 3. Click Continue and follow the instructions to install El Capitan on your Mac.
Here you can also download El Capitan or other new versions of macOS from the Apple support page, and install on your Mac:
When the downloading process is finished, the El Capitan installer will launch automatically. All you just need to follow the onscreen guide to install the Mac OS X 10.11.6 on your Mac computer.
Note that the El Capitan upgrade process will not take long. Just wait patiently to let the El Capitan installation process accomplish on your Mac.
Don't worry if you meet some problems during the Mac OS X or macOS update process. Click the below troubleshooting guide and follow to resolve the respective issue on your own.
When you encounter macOS update stuck, macOS or Mac OS X update failed, stay calm. Follow this guide to install the desired macOS or Mac OS X on your Mac.
If you didn't create backups before the Mac OS X El Capitan update, and you lost some important Mac files after the update process, your last chance is to turn to reliable Mac data recovery software for help.
Here, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac is available for you to download and restore all lost files after macOS or Mac OS X update.
This software is fully compatible with all Mac OS X such as El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks, and the latest new macOS Mojave, High Sierra, etc.
Download it and follows to restore lost data due to the El Capitan update now:
Step 1. Where was data lost after operating system update? Choose the location and click Scan.
Step 2. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac will immediately scan your selected disk volume and display the scanning results on the left pane.
Step 3. After the scan, select the target files that were unknowingly lost during or after the update and click Recover button to get them all back.
What Else Can EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Do for You?
Besides macOS update file recovery, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard dedicates to restoring lost data for Mac users under complex circumstances, such as:
Don't worry if your Mac computer is not available for updating to Mac OS X El Capitan. Follow this page, you'll see if your computer can install this operating system.
If yes, follow to download and install this excellent system and renew your Mac computer now. Don't worry if you lost some files during the process, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac can bring your files back.
Now, it's your turn. Go and get it now.
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.