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.
If it’s OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion that you need you can buy it for £19.99 here US or here UK As with Lion, Apple will send you a download code to use on the Mac App Store, so you will need to be.
- All generated icons are 32-bit Mac OS X-compatible icons which can be viewed on both Classic Mac OS and Mac OS X. Folder Icon X also allows users to manage icons of files and folder through the.
- Jan 06, 2009.
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.
- 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.
These might also interest you:
Sep 09, 2020 • Filed to: Solve Mac Problems • Proven solutions
The download folder on Mac can often contain important files. We have all deleted quite a lot of folders in a bid to get back some precious space on our Macs, and the in-built utility for disk cleanup is a handy tool in such cases. However, the problem here is that it is quite possible that these tools also delete your downloaded files. That is not all - many other reasons can lead to the deletion of the downloads folder on your Mac, including accidental deletion by using the wrong commands on the shell, improper or interrupted copy-paste functions, and so on.
Generally, the trash bin has any deleted files - but once you have deleted them from there, then recovery may not be so obvious. This is where you need software to recover the deleted download folder in Mac.
How is it possible to get back the deleted downloads folder?
Once you have emptied the Trash Bin as well, then the files do not just disappear from your Mac. That specific area is juts marked to be overwritten - and unless any other files or folders are placed there, your files are still in the Mac, and there for you to recover. However, you cannot access them as easily- but to make it all simpler for you, a Mac data recovery software is what you need.
Part 1: Recoverit Data Recovery for Mac Recover lost Data
You cannot just use any Mac data recovery software. You need one that helps you to recover the deleted download folder on Mac with ease and is reputed as a data recovery tool for Mac. This is where Recoverit Data Recovery for Mac comes in.
Recoverit Data Recovery for Mac is amongst the most trusted Mac recovery software and can help you to recover the deleted download folder on Mac without any difficulty. Some of the reasons as to why it is the best in the area include:
In addition to recovering deleted download folder on Mac OS X:
- Retrieve downloads folder due to deletion and inaccessibility.
- Recover various file types like videos, images, archives, documents, songs, etc
- Only read and recover data, no leaking, modifying, or things like that, 100% safe.
- Allows you to rescue data from Macbook, iPod, Mac desktop, USB drives, digital cameras, mobile phones, and other storage media.
Part 2 Guide to Recover Deleted Download Folder on Mac
As mentioned earlier, one of the biggest benefits of using Recoverit Mac data recovery software is the simplicity and ease of use that comes along with it. Using it to recover the deleted download folder on Mac is as simple as 1-2-3!
Step 1. Selecting a disk
To recover deleted files on Mac, you can select the hard drive partition where you lost your important downloads.
Step 2. Scan for deleted files
Recoverit will start scanning deleted files, which will display some recoverable files after the first scan.
If the first scan can't find your deleted files, you can go to deep scan mode which will deeply search more deleted files.
Step 3. Select specific files for recovery
When the scan completes, the results will be displayed in the form of a list of files that can be recovered from the drive/partition. You can search, sort, and filter through these results to find the specific files or folders that you want to recover. Once done, click on Recover, enter the path of the place where you want those files to be saved.
Part 3 Tips for Recover Download Folder files on Mac
How to maximize the chances of recovery
Even the best Mac data recovery software does not guarantee a 100% recovery rate to recover the deleted download folder on Mac. For maximizing the chances of recovering your deleted data on a Mac, a few tips like the ones given ahead can be helpful:
- Once you realize that you have deleted a folder or file that you need to recover, avoid using the particular memory area or partition to avoid the deleted folder from being overwritten.
- The memory scan may take a lot of time- you should avoid using your Mac during that time to speed things up.
- Do not install any non-trusted or non-genuine recovery software, as they could do more harm than good.
- Do not use any software for ‘permanent deletion’ since they could make recovery hard or even impossible.
How to avoid such situations in the future
Mac Os X Installer Download
No matter how careful you may be, recovery will never be 100%. You should avoid situations that need you to recover the download folder on Mac. A few tips on doing the same are:
- Before you delete any file from the Trash, be sure that it will not be required in the future. A period of at least 30 days should be there between sending a file to the recycle bin and deleting it.
- When you are using shell commands, especially for deletion, be very careful about what you are typing. A simple error like typing ‘c’ instead of’ could have disastrous consequences.
- If you are using any utility for deleting files and disk cleanup, then avoid automatic cleanups. Be aware and sure about what it is deleting to have better control over it all.
Mac Os X Downloads Folder
Thus, with all the knowledge above, you should not only be able to recover the download folder on Mac with ease, but also avoid any such situation in the future.
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