Which operating system is the best? Which OS' laptop or desktop computer is the best? The simplest questions always need the longest answers, have you noticed that recently? A question that will no doubt rumble on through the ages of PC users, gamers, content creators, and various professionals: What is better, Mac or PC? Choose System Preferences from the Apple menu, then click Software Update to check for updates. If any updates are available, click the Update Now button to install them. Or click ”More info” to see details about each update and select specific updates to install. Online shopping for Software from a great selection of Microsoft Windows, Linux & Unix, Mac Operating Systems & more at everyday low prices.
Apple has updated Mac operating system to macOS 10.13 High Sierra. You probably want to upgrade your Mac/iMac/MacBook to get all the exciting new features. Before you actually do that, read this tutorial and follow the right steps to install and upgrade your iMac or MacBook to the latest Mac OS version.
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How to Upgrade to macOS High Sierra
1. Check the compatibility of the latest Mac OS
Before rushing into anything, you should make sure that your iMac, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac Mini, Mac Pro supports the latest version of Mac OS. Here is the list of Mac models that are compatible with macOS High Sierra.
Also, your Mac is required to run on OS X 10.8 or later. The OS versions that can be upgraded to High Sierra include OS X Mountain Lion v10.8, OS X Mavericks v10.9, OS X Yosemite v10.10, OS X El Capitan v10.11.
2. Make sure there is enough space for the update
You would fail to install the new Mac OS if there is not enough space for the update. Therefore, before installing macOS High Sierra on your Mac, check your Mac storage before the upgrade.
RAM
E sword modules for mac. You need 2GB RAM to run High Sierra, which won't be a problem since all supported Mac models have at least 4GB RAM.
Disk Space
Apple suggests that you should have 14.3GB of free storage on the disk before installing High Sierra. To check your Mac storage: Click Apple icon > About this Mac. Select Storage and see how much free storage left.
To ensure a smooth experience with new Mac operating system, you should try to get as much free space as possible. FonePaw MacMaster is Mac cleaner to clear system junks, applications caches & data, duplicate files & photos, large files, mail attachments, iTunes junks and more. You can use the cleaner to easily remove gigabytes of junk on your Mac. Learn how to free up space on Mac.
3. Get your current macOS up-to-date
For example, if your Mac is running on macOS Sierra, it is better to update the OS to the latest version of Sierra, which is macOS 10.12.6. It is not a must step, but usually, it is more likely to successfully install a major macOS update from the newest version.
To update your current macOS, click Apple logo, choose Software Update and receive any available update.
4. Backup your Mac with Time Machine
Before installing a new macOS update, it is important to back up your Mac so that you can restore the backup if anything goes wrong during the upgrade or you don't like the new macOS. You can back up your Mac with Time Machine.
5. Download and install macOS High Sierra
You can download the latest version of macOS High Sierra directly from App Store.
6. Automatically install macOS update(optional)
If you would like to keep your Mac OS up-to-date in the future, you can set up your Mac to automatically download system update.
Can I Install High Sierra on An Older Mac?
Apple won't let 2008 Mac, iMac, MacBook or earlier models to install macOS High Sierra. Is this mean that an older Mac has no chance to get the new features? Not really. A macOS Sierra Patch Tool written by a developer named DOSDude1 is available for early-2008 or newer Mac Pro, iMac, or MacBook Pro, late-2008 or newer MacBook Air, early-2009 or newer Mac Mini. So if your Mac is supported, you may use the patch tool, to install High Sierra on Mac from an external drive.
However, you should know that as Apple forbids the installation of macOS High Sierra on these Macs, using this third-party patch tool to install the Mac OS on an incompatible device may cause problems on your Mac, at least will slow down your Mac. If you are prepared for the problems that may come along and still interested in the new operating system, you may give the patch tool a shot.
Should I Upgrade My Mac OS Right Away?
When a new OS, e.g. macOS High Sierra, is released, the first question that comes to your mind could be: should I upgrade my Mac to the new macOS? Well, when a new major update is just released, it is better not to get the update right away. Here are the reasons.
Securely clean up the junk files, big files, unneeded files on your Mac to speed it up.
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.
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:
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 StoreIf 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.
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.
Operating System For Macbook Air 2018
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. Sd cards for mac. Download El Capitan here. Operating System For Macbook Late 2009“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. https://qemxwe.weebly.com/hp-utility-for-mac.html. Then you will need to prepare an external drive to download the installation file using OS X Utilities.
Faststone for mac. 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 driveMacbook Operating System
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.
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.
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