Have you noticed that once Apple releases a new version of the Mac operating system (macOS) that previous versions vanish from the App Store? Have you ever needed to reinstall one of these older versions of the Mac operating system (macOS)? It can be challenging to do this since Apple does not make older versions readily available unless you saved your own copy of the installer for the older version. I recently learned that some older versions are still available on the App Store.
[UpdateOctober2019 – Apple now offers a more straight forward way to download older versions of the Mac operating system (macOS) going back to OS X Yosemite (aka OS X 10.10).
Apple Support Web pages:
Apple unveiled the newest version of the Mac operating system at 2018 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) last June, but finally released it to the public in September. MacOS Mojave is a free update to Mac users, and it’s a pretty big upgrade.
Links to App Store via Tidbits:
These installers have certificates that are valid until 2029.]
This article on wphosting.tv has links for downloading some older versions of the Mac operating system (macOS). If you think you might ever need to install an older version then I recommend you download the installers now and then save the installer file so you can create your own install disk, if needed. This Apple support article currently provides instructions on how you can create your own installer disk for El Capitan, Sierra, High Sierra and Mojave. Alternatively you could use an application like DiskMaker X.
As of February 2019, Apple has links to get these versions from the App Store:
App Store links are not provided for older versions of the Mac operating system, such as El Capitan (10.11), Yosemite (10.10) or Mavericks (10.9). This is not a surprise since Apple only officially supports and maintains the 3 most recent versions of the Mac operating system (macOS).
Links are also provided for buying an installer from Apple for Mountain Lion (10.8), Lion (10.7) and Snow Leopard (10.6) Over the decades, Apple has vacillated on whether or not they charged for the Mac operating system. The most recent vacillation came with the introduction of OS X Mavericks (aka OS X 10.9) in 2013, when Apple switched to offering it for free. Prior to that, Apple charged for the Mac operating system since the introduction of Mac OS 8 in the late 1990’s.
If you've upgraded to macOS Mojave or later, follow these steps to keep it up to date:
To find updates for iMovie, Garageband, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, and other apps that were downloaded separately from the App Store, open the App Store on your Mac, then click the Updates tab.
To automatically install macOS updates in the future, including apps that were downloaded separately from the App Store, select ”Automatically keep my Mac up to date.” Your Mac will notify you when updates require it to restart, so you can always choose to install those later.
If you're using an earlier macOS, such as macOS High Sierra, Sierra, El Capitan, or earlier,* follow these steps to keep it up to date:
To automatically download updates in the future, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click App Store, then select ”Download newly available updates in the background.” Your Mac will notify you when updates are ready to install.
* If you're using OS X Lion or Snow Leopard, get OS X updates by choosing Apple menu > Software Update.
Learn how to update your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to the latest version of iOS.