I have previously upgraded my personal computer as follows: El Capitan - Sierra - High Sierra. Knowing that, I should be able to see the previous version in the App Store as outlined in this answer. However, I don't see Sierra in my Purchased tab in the App Store: Was Sierra 10.12 completely removed from the store (including previous purchases)? Mac device users can officially download macOS 10.12.3 Update online by simply navigate to App Store Software Update option. To perform manual offline installation of macOS 10.12.3 (16D32) without App Store, users can download.DMG or.PKG update files available below, and can clean install macOS 10.12.3 with iTunes for free. Mac OS X Mountain Lion (version 10.8) is the nineth major release of Mac OS X (now named macOS), Apple’s desktop and server operating system for Macintosh computers. OS X Mountain Lion brings a lot of great things from iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch to the Mac. You can send iMessages. Get your Mac in on Game Center. Receive notifications.

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

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

Cheetah 10.0Puma 10.1Jaguar 10.2
Panther 10.3Tiger 10.4Leopard 10.5
Snow Leopard 10.6Lion 10.7Mountain Lion 10.8
Mavericks 10.9Yosemite 10.10El Capitan 10.11
Sierra 10.12High Sierra 10.13Mojave 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.

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

Macos sierra app store

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.

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.

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:

Apple starts rolling out latest updates for the entire suite of operating systems. After beta testing, the final versions including macOS High Sierra 10.13.3, iOS 11.2.5, and watchOS 4.2.2 are released officially. If you want to update multiple macOS systems, you can download macOS High Sierra 10.13.3 Offline Installer using direct download links. The latest build ships with version 17D47 or 17D2047 (depending on the machine).

The latest macOS High Sierra 10.13.3 addressed a problem in Messages where the conversation is listed out of order. Moreover, it also addressed an issue that could cause your Mac to stop responding when connected to an SMB server.

You can get macOS High Sierra 10.13.3 either through Mac App Store or download macOS High Sierra 10.13.3 DMG file using official links provided in this post.

“The macOS High Sierra 10.13.3 Update improves the stability and security of your Mac and is recommended for all users”, Apple says.

Changelog of macOS High Sierra 10.13.3 Update

  • Addresses an issue that could cause Messages conversations to temporarily be listed out of order
  • Resolves an issue that could cause your Mac to stop responding when connected to an SMB server

macOS High Sierra 10.13.3, Security Update 2018-001 Sierra, and Security Update 2018-001 El Capitan

Audio

Available for: macOS High Sierra 10.13.2, macOS Sierra 10.12.6

Impact: Processing a maliciously crafted audio file may lead to arbitrary code execution

Description: A memory corruption issue was addressed through improved input validation.

CVE-2018-4094: Mingi Cho, MinSik Shin, Seoyoung Kim, Yeongho Lee and Taekyoung Kwon of the Information Security Lab, Yonsei University

curl

Available for: macOS High Sierra 10.13.2

Impact: Multiple issues in curl

Description: An out-of-bounds read issue existed in the curl. This issue was addressed through improved bounds checking.

CVE-2017-8817: found by OSS-Fuzz

IOHIDFamily

Available for: macOS High Sierra 10.13.2, macOS Sierra 10.12.6, OS X El Capitan 10.11.6

Impact: An application may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges

Description: A memory corruption issue was addressed with improved memory handling.

CVE-2018-4098: Siguza

Kernel

Available for: macOS Sierra 10.12.6, OS X El Capitan 10.11.6

Impact: An application may be able to read kernel memory (Meltdown)

Description: Systems with microprocessors utilizing speculative execution and indirect branch prediction may allow unauthorized disclosure of information to an attacker with local user access via a side-channel analysis of the data cache.

CVE-2017-5754: Jann Horn of Google Project Zero; Moritz Lipp of Graz University of Technology; Michael Schwarz of Graz University of Technology; Daniel Gruss of Graz University of Technology; Thomas Prescher of Cyberus Technology GmbH; Werner Haas of Cyberus Technology GmbH; Stefan Mangard of Graz University of Technology; Paul Kocher; Daniel Genkin of University of Pennsylvania and University of Maryland; Yuval Yarom of University of Adelaide and Data61; and Mike Hamburg of Rambus (Cryptography Research Division)

Kernel

Available for: macOS High Sierra 10.13.2

Impact: An application may be able to read restricted memory

Description: A memory initialization issue was addressed through improved memory handling.

CVE-2018-4090: Jann Horn of Google Project Zero

Kernel

Available for: macOS High Sierra 10.13.2

Impact: An application may be able to read restricted memory

Description: A race condition was addressed through improved locking.

CVE-2018-4092: an anonymous researcher

Kernel

Available for: macOS High Sierra 10.13.2, macOS Sierra 10.12.6, OS X El Capitan 10.11.6

Impact: A malicious application may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges

Description: A memory corruption issue was addressed through improved input validation.

CVE-2018-4082: Russ Cox of Google

Kernel

Available for: macOS High Sierra 10.13.2, macOS Sierra 10.12.6

Impact: An application may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges

Description: A logic issue was addressed with improved validation.

CVE-2018-4097: Resecurity, Inc.

Kernel

Available for: macOS High Sierra 10.13.2

Impact: An application may be able to read restricted memory

Description: A validation issue was addressed with improved input sanitization.

CVE-2018-4093: Jann Horn of Google Project Zero

LinkPresentation

Available for: macOS High Sierra 10.13.2, macOS Sierra 10.12.6.2

Impact: Processing a maliciously crafted text message may lead to application denial of service

Description: A resource exhaustion issue was addressed through improved input validation.

CVE-2018-4100: Abraham Masri (@cheesecakeufo)

QuartzCore

Available for: macOS High Sierra 10.13.2, macOS Sierra 10.12.6, OS X El Capitan 10.11.6

Impact: Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to arbitrary code execution

Description: A memory corruption issue existed in the processing of web content. This issue was addressed through improved input validation.

CVE-2018-4085: Ret2 Systems Inc. working with Trend Micro’s Zero Day Initiative

Sandbox

Available for: macOS High Sierra 10.13.2

Impact: A sandboxed process may be able to circumvent sandbox restrictions

Description: An access issue was addressed through additional sandbox restrictions.

CVE-2018-4091: Alex Gaynor of Mozilla

Security

Available for: macOS High Sierra 10.13.2, macOS Sierra 10.12.6

Impact: A certificate may have name constraints applied incorrectly

Description: A certificate evaluation issue existed in the handling of name constraints. This issue was addressed through improved trust evaluation of certificates.

CVE-2018-4086: Ian Haken of Netflix

WebKit

Available for: macOS High Sierra 10.13.2

Impact: Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to arbitrary code execution

Description: Multiple memory corruption issues were addressed with improved memory handling.

CVE-2018-4088: Jeonghoon Shin of Theori

CVE-2018-4089: Ivan Fratric of Google Project Zero

CVE-2018-4096: found by OSS-Fuzz

Wi-Fi

Available for: macOS High Sierra 10.13.2, macOS Sierra 10.12.6, OS X El Capitan 10.11.6

Impact: An application may be able to read restricted memory

Description: A validation issue was addressed with improved input sanitization.

Macos Sierra Download For Pc

CVE-2018-4084: Hyung Sup Lee of Minionz, You Chan Lee of Hanyang University

Download macOS High Sierra 10.13.3 Offline Installer

macOS High Sierra 10.13.3 DMG – Download (Size: 1.9 GB)

Download Macos App Store For Windows

Download Security Update 2018-001 macOS Sierra Offline Installer

Macos High Sierra App Download

Security Update 2018-001 macOS Sierra DMG – Download (Size: 731 MB)

Macos App Store Download Folder

Download Security Update 2018-001 (El Capitan) Offline Installer

Security Update 2018-001 (El Capitan) OS X – Download (Size: 823 MB)