Yearly/launch this reply on putting in earlier variations of macOS will want updating. Final replace Could 2023.
Previously couple of years – since this reply was first devised – Apple now have an official checklist of accessible installers making them a lot simpler to search out than earlier than.
So, earlier than working proper down this reply, test right here as a primary step.
One factor that also applies all through: you actually need a Mac to get macOS simply. As all Macs since roughly 2011 can use Web Restoration to at the very least get a workable OS on the Mac, this would possibly usually be one of the best preliminary method, from which you’ll be able to examine additional after getting a fundamental working Mac.
Loads of the information beneath is dependent upon the age of the Mac you are attempting to get an OS onto, whether or not it presently has a working OS, and the age of another Mac you should utilize to aim this.
Accessing an OS your present Mac can not itself run….
The App Retailer won’t allow you to obtain an OS that’s both too previous or too new for the Mac you might be downloading to – which is an annoying hurdle.
There are a number of methods to cope with this – all freeware, however with totally different approaches. All of those solely work for Excessive Sierra & newer. They’re of no use when you solely have an early Mac to work from.
TwoCanoes’ MDS resolution ‘Deploy Stick’ [free to use & open source, but without support or automation, which are paid add-ons].
Mist from ninxsoft which might obtain & construct official installers.
dosdude1 Patchers – a set of apps ostensibly for putting in macOS on unsupported {hardware}, however every of which incorporates direct obtain of the related OS, & separate obtain of the firmware replace mandatory for APFS.
I am within the technique of testing these – stories as they occur
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Mist requires macOS 12 [Monterey] to run.
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MDS –
v1 requires Sierra to run.
v3.5 will run on Mojave.
v5 makes use of Mist for downloads, so Monterey minimal OS. -
dosdude’s patchers require you acquire your installer individually, aside from Catalina, which it will probably obtain itself [tested on El Capitan] as soon as downloaded, it presents to both Set up to this machine, make a bootable installer, or save an ISO picture.
You’ll be able to solely use the dosdude patchers in case your Mac can boot from USB. That will probably be one thing 2009 or later.
As I’ve not but examined alll of those personally, when you hit a stumbling block, please increase a brand new query and hyperlink again to right here/go away a remark beneath, so we will add info to this as a ‘grasp checklist’.
I’ve discovered a listing of older OS installers – Snow Leopard to Sierra – which could be accessed utilizing present browsers, or from older variations of Safari which don’t help fashionable https hyperlinks.http://maclinks.publicvm.com
It can be accessed with https
https://maclinks.publicvm.com
This hyperlinks to official Apple installers, simply by an ‘simpler’ route for older Macs.
There are additionally directions for every to make bootable installers.
In case you are attempting to leap a good distance – say from 10.8 to 10.14 or later, obtained knowledge is to first improve to El Capitan 10.11, then Excessive Sierra 10.13.
It will put together your machine for the lengthy soar.
Some customers appear to have managed to skip El Capitan, however Excessive Sierra remains to be mandatory, if it or newer has by no means been on the Mac earlier than, because it provides a firmware replace required to learn the newer APFS filesystem.
If you could reinstall from Restoration on an Intel-based Mac, & have been beforehand operating Sierra 10.12.4 or greater, there at the moment are 3 choices out there.
Maintain the suitable key combo on the boot chimes…
- Cmd ⌘ R
reinstall the most recent macOS that was put in in your Mac, with out upgrading to a later model [this relies on your Recovery drive being intact & bootable.] - Choose ⌥ Cmd ⌘ R
improve to the most recent macOS that’s suitable along with your Mac - Shift ⇧ Choose ⌥ Cmd ⌘ R
reinstall the macOS that got here along with your Mac, or the model nearest to it that’s nonetheless out there.
The primary 2 choices can be found to any Mac newer than Lion, roughly 2009.
Ought to you have got entry to an older level launch of any OS, 10.11.0 and many others & want to improve, then you’ll be able to obtain Combo Updaters from Apple that include every part essential to go straight to the most recent level launch in a single step, e.g. 10.11.6
Google is nice at discovering these, as the highest hit when you simply search combo replace 10.11 and many others however listed below are hyperlinks to some
Mavericks 10.9.5
Yosemite 10.10.5
El Capitan 10.11.6
Sierra 10.12.6
Excessive Sierra 10.13.6
Mojave 10.14.6
Catalina 10.15.7
Since Huge Sur, Apple have stopped making combo updaters. Huge Sur.
If you could create a bootable USB to put in from
How do I create El Capitan installer on a Catalina (or post-El Capitan) put in Mac to be used on USB boot installer?
How do I make a bootable USB OS X installer on a Mac?
How do I create a Mac bootable USB drive utilizing Home windows?
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Discover a good friend who can entry the obtain [recommended]
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Discover a torrent/sharing website [not recommended]
Notice: You can’t use a Time Machine backup to revert to an OS which is older than the OS of the most recent backup on that Time Machine drive.
Because of this to protect your means to ever restore to an earlier backup & OS along with your Time Machine backup, it’s essential to swap out that Time Machine drive earlier than upgrading the OS. It is because as soon as the Time Machine drive sees the brand new OS, there isn’t any going again to the older OS utilizing it. You’ll be able to nonetheless choose knowledge out from the Time Machine manually, however can not use it to revive to the older OS.