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.

MacOSSierra1012.rar - Google Drive. Oct 04, 2017.

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

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

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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:

Hey guys in this blog-post I’m going to show you install MAC OS 10.12 Sierra on Windows PC laptop. You would learn to successfully install Mac OS Sierra on Windows Operating Machine.

Let’s get started alright guys so first what you need to do is download all the necessary files from the links mentioned below and a place it on your Desktop. These are the files that is required for the installation MAC OS 10.12 Sierra on your PC or laptop

Step 1: Download Files to Install MAC OS 10.12 Sierra on Windows PC using VMware Workstation

Patch Tool >>> https://mega.nz/#!pRBjxRhJ!Oev39RoC-0D3J0xmPNlw21yEfIS7SBTYR7zOMswdako

Mirror Link >>> https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9SvdLiwSfz5T0FHQTRQY1V5VzQ/view

VMWARE player >>> https://www.vmware.com/products/workstation-pro.html

***VMware Workstation Pro Lets You Run Multiple Operating Systems as Virtual Machines (including Windows VMs) on a Single Windows or Linux PC

macOS 10.12 Sierra Vmdisk file(UPDATED) >>> https://mega.nz/#!hJI2SCZY!KSISuioeXEZxja1XfJFTSLIXLHSbKbL-GcpKLoIa9Kw

Alternate Google Drive Link >>> https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9SvdLiwSfz5d0M2MERTTlVlZWM/view

Step 2: Extract the Batch of Files Using WinRAR Extraction Tool (You can Choose any Extraction Tool)

Install MAC OS 10.12 Sierra on Windows PC ***Download WinRAR Click Here >>>https://www.rarlab.com/download.htm

You can now Delete the Zip Files after Extraction as you would not need them any more

Download macos 10.12 or above

Step 3: Installing and Setting Up VMware Workstation to Install MAC OS 10.12 Sierra on Windows PC

  • Right-Click on VMware Workstation Setup File and Run as Administrator
  • After Installing VMware Workstation. Don’t Start the program yet

Step 4: Installing Patch to Install MAC OS 10.12 Sierra on Windows PC

  • Go to the PatchTool Folder and Find “win-install
  • Right-Click on win-install File and Run as Administrator
  • As Soon as You Run the Script You Will See the Command Prompt Load Automatically
  • Don’t Worry, The Software is Installing the patch needed for VMware Workstation
  • We need to install this patch in-order to install MAC OS 10.12 Sierra on any PC laptop.

*** Also Read (How to Install JDK 9 on Windows 10 64-bit Operating System)

Step 5: Open your VMware Workstation Program and Create New Virtual Machine

  • Now Click on Create New Virtual Machine
  • When you Click Create New Virtual Machine >> Choose Typicaland Click Next
  • Select the I will install the Operating System later then click on next
  • Now Here you will See the Option Apple Mac OS X and Select the Version OS X 10.11
  • You can Name Your Virtual Machine Whatever You Like, I will name it macOs 10.12 Sierra.
  • At the bottom, you can see the PATH to all Logins stored on your PC.
  • Very Important à Please copy this Path on a Notepad as we will need this later. Click Next
  • Here Select: Store Virtual Disk as Single File and Click Next
  • Click on Finish

Macbook Pro Os Download

Follow this Step by Step Pics to Create New Virtual Machine

Download Mac Os 10.12 Iso File

Now You Should See your new Virtual Machine Listed on VMware Workstation

Now You Should See your new Virtual Machine Listed on VMware Workstation

  • Go to Edit Virtual Machine Settings
  • Now Let’s allot some Ram to Our Virtual Machine. It is recommended to use 4Gb of RAM to install MAC OS 10.12 Sierra on any PC
  • Go to the Processors Section and Select 4 for Number of Processors
  • I am using a Quadcore Processor; therefore, I will select 4. If you are using a different processor choose accordingly.
  • Click on Hard Disk and Then Click Remove
  • Now Click on Add and Select Hard Disk
  • Click Next
  • Choose SATA (Recommended) and Click Next
  • Here Select “Use an existing virtual Disk” and Click Next
  • Browse and Navigate to the File (It’s the file we extracted on Our Desktop earlier)
  • It’s the Main file around 8Gb (macOS 10.12 Sierra)
  • Select the file Click Open and then Click Finish
  • Now Click Ok

Now We are Ready to Start Our Virtual Machine, but before that we need to do one more important step. Go ahead and Open My Computer or This PC and paste the address Location that I recommended you copy earlier.

You will be taken to the page where you will see all the macOS 10.12 Sierra files. Open the macOS 10.12 Sierra file which ends with extension VMX. Right-Click on the file and open it with Notepad.

When you open the file with Notepad, Navigate to the bottom of the file and add this following line >>>> smc.version = “0” and then Save it.

Now start your virtual machine. At first you will see some errors (Basically there are not errors but tooltips), but macOS 10.12 Sierra will eventually load. Please Note, it is important that you are familiar with shortcut keys when you are using Virtual Machines. For your convenience here are some shortcut keys to toggle between Operating systems.

Use CTRL + G for macOS

To get back to Host operating system use CTRL + ALT

Now you can see we have successfully installed MAC OS 10.12 Sierra on any PC laptop. Follow all the necessary steps like Registration, Connecting to WIFI and so on.

Mac Os Version 10.12 Download

https://techhowdy.com/install-mac-os-10-12-sierra-windows-pc/https://techhowdy.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/MAC-OS-10.12-Sierra-on-Windows-PC-1024x576.jpghttps://techhowdy.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/MAC-OS-10.12-Sierra-on-Windows-PC-150x150.jpgHow ToInstall MAC OS 10.12 Sierra on Windows PC,MAC OS 10.12 Sierra on Windows PCHey guys in this blog-post I'm going to show you install MAC OS 10.12 Sierra on Windows PC laptop. You would learn to successfully install Mac OS Sierra on Windows Operating Machine. Let's get started alright guys so first what you need to do is download all the necessary files..DemonLyoidLopes[email protected]AdministratorHi there, I am Lyoid Lopes. Internet Marketer and Blog writer. I am Software Engineering Technology graduate from Centennial College Canada. In Techhowdy I publish new technology news every day. You can reach me Facebook, Twitter and Google +TechHowdy