This question already has an answer here:. 2 answers I have recently been having issues with my mac and want to do a clean install. I still have Yosemite and thought it’s a good time to upgrade the OS. However, I am wary of jumping directly to Sierra when it’s so fresh. My specific circumstances:. Sierra could run on my computer (early 2015 Macbook Pro), but I would prefer to install El Capitan. I have not previously downloaded the El Capitan installer I realize apple provided to install El Capitan from Snow Leopard.
However, when I follow the links to the app store to get the install file, I am met with this message: This version of OS X 10.11 cannot be installed on this computer. Is there a way to download the El Capitan installer now that Sierra is out, for more modern computer?
Mac operating system’s twelfth major version is the El Capitan Installer (version 10.11). All the Mac computers which don’t have the privilege to upgrade to MacOS High Sierra or the computers that need to upgrade to El Capitan first, can download this twelfth version on the computer. # Update: OS X El Capitan is no longer the latest version of OS X / macOS available on the App Store. If you want to upgrade to the latest version, you can follow our dedicated article on how to upgrade from OS X to macOS Sierra via direct download.
Searching El Capitan on the app store yields no results for the installer. It depends on your circumstances. It can be difficult to find old OS downloads. If you purchased it previously it will be in the App Store under the Purchased tab.
![Installer Installer](http://cdn.osxdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/os-x-el-capitan-boot-install-drive-610x476.jpg)
If your mac came with it pre-installed you may have to go the internet recovery or Recovery HD route, but that would entail wiping your hard drive in order to do the install. You could then migrate your user data from a Time Machine backup or similar. Alternatively, if you have a bootable backup of your El Cap system (assuming you had it installed) you could reinstall that.
More specific answers will require more specific information from you (it's generally a good idea/helpful to provide more information so that answers can be geared towards your situation and others in the same situation can benefit). Whatever you do, make sure you have a full working backup (which you have tested) so that you can revert should something fail. The following link, opened in Safari, should trigger the App Store to show the El Capitan download even if it is not already in the purchases list. I tried the link a few times but my App Store did not open. Maybe it was a server issue on Apples side or maybe it helped already having opened the App Store. Anyway today the link lead me correctly to the El Capitan download in the App Store. Update: After that I tried the link a few more times by directly clicking or by copy paste it into the URL-bar.
Sometimes it worked but sometimes not. So it seems a matter of retrying until success. Just reloading the page with Cmd+ R did not have the same success rate as clicking into the URL-bar and resubmit the request by hitting Return. Source of the link is the link of the OP where it is provided under the words 'get El Capitan from the App Store' Update2: Here is what someone says on upgrading from Yosemite to El Capitan in an Apple discussion: If you Mac is compatible with Sierra, then you cannot install El Capitan unless you had previously downloaded it. The version you tried to install is for those with Macs that cannot run Sierra or still have Snow Leopard installed.
Since your Mac cannot run Snow Leopard either, there isn't a way for you to get El Capitan. So one idea left would be to get an older Mac of a friend. Log in the App Store with your account.
Download El Capitan. And finally have access to it via your purchases tab in your account from your newer Mac. FYI, for those having trouble downloading the El Capitan installer from the Mac App Store. El Capitan will not come up in a keyword search. You need to switch to the Purchased tab and then manually scroll down the list and find it that way. In my case, I had installers in there going back to Lion.
Also note that once you you've downloaded it, you may still be unable to run it, since Apple doesn't let you revert directly to an older OS. You will need to create a bootable installer USB using Terminal. I just installed Mac OS X 10.11 El Capitan on a Mac with Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite, despite the app store offering me only macOS 10.12 Sierra. My method was a variation on. From the app store, I downloaded macOS 10.12 Sierra. This finished up as an application, /Applications/Install macOS Sierra.app. And, I had macOS Sierra in my app store purchase history.
I dug out and booted up my old computer, which runs Mac OS X 10.6.8 Snow Leopard. The Snow Leopard wanted to update my App Store, so I did this. On the Snow Leopard computer, the App Store offered only macOS Sierra, not El Capitan. The Software Update feature had no El Capitan either. I ran iTunes, confirmed that I was logged out there.
(OK, this is a simplification. The first time through I didn't do this, but didn't have the OS install in my purchase history.
I went through these steps a second time. The App Store refused to let me download again. I logged out of iTunes, which was logged in as a different user, and then the App Store let me download.). On the Snow Leopard computer, I used Safari to visit the URL from Pete's answer,.
The App Store appeared. It offered OS X El Capitan, release Sep 20, 2016, version 10.11.6.
![App App](/uploads/1/2/4/0/124095935/336016721.jpg)
The description says, 'this version of OS X El Capitan is for users running OS X Snow Leopard who would like to upgrade to macOS Sierra.' . I clicked the download button. This finished up as an application, /Applications/Install OS X El Capitan.app. However, I did not have OS X El Capitan in my app store purchase history.
(Clarification: after the second download started, I did have an 'OS X El Capitan' entry in my purchase history on the Snow Leopard computer.). Copied the macOS Sierra and El Capitan installers to my file server. On my current Mac, copied Install OS X El Capitan.app to my /Applications directory. Ran the Install OS X El Capitan app.
It ran as expected, and I had Mac OS X 10.11 on my current Mac. So far (6 hours) it appears to be doing well. Contrary to what is said (and above about past OS releases where the N-1 installer is removed soon after version N launches) Apple now has an article with links to the store and detailed requirements for getting and installing OS X El Capitan that works.
(And yes, even after Sierra and High Sierra are out – and apparently now independent from previous 'purchases' of that operating system. It is also not appearing in the purchased tab whether or not it was purchased or not.). Apple says on - How to download OS X El Capitan: OS X El Capitan remains available for Mac computers that can't upgrade to macOS High Sierra, or that need to upgrade to El Capitan first.
If you still need OS X El Capitan, use this App Store link:. To download it, your Mac must be using macOS High Sierra or earlier. Current advice here on this site seems to use the help article to check for an updated link if the Mac App Store one fails you. Given the information in the question, the information Apple provides means currently that on Sierra and High Sierra accessing the link given will provide you the opportunity to download the El Capitan installer from the App Store. The fact that this currently gives the error 'not possible because your current system is newer' can only mean three things: 1.
That there is a bug in recent versions of the App Store on Sierra or High Sierra, 2. That this policy has changed recently but the KB article doesn't reflect that change 3. That Apple simply lies on the above page which is quoted accurately here. As memory tempts me to remember that I did download El Capitan from a newer system, it seems options 1+2 are more likely. However, this does not apply to the conditions listed in the question by OP above.
I am not allowed to comment yet, I cannot even up-vote, so I will reiterate Pwdr's first solution - 'If you purchased it previously it will be in the App Store under the Purchased tab.' Consider this an up-vote.
I also needed the El Capitan installer, and based on Pwdr's answer, I went to my App Store Purchased tab and found the installers for El Capitan, Mavericks, and Mountain Lion. I am downloading all of them.
This issue is a sore spot with me because I wanted to upgrade from Leopard to Lion years ago, but I had to first upgrade to Snow Leopard. The Apple store did not have Snow Leopard anymore, just Lion, and referred me instead to one of their 'partners'. Why does Apple expect a partner, like B.Buy, to provide better service than themselves? I ended up paying a premium at a Mac store for Snow Leopard ($50) that I used long enough to upgrade to Lion, and then to Mountain Lion.
It is now possible and remarkably easy to use OS X El Capitan on VMware following Apple’s live changing move geared towards improving its OS X software for the desktop operating system. Mac OS El Captain was publicly launched on Wednesday the 30th of September last year.
This tutorial provides a clear and systematic guideline with respect to downloading and installing Mac OS X El Capitan on a PC. Though it is hectic, complicated and tiresome to install MAC OS X on non- Apple hardware, this guidebook provides an easy way out.
The foremost thing is to have a VMware Player which is free. Alternatively, VMware Workstation which is paid for may work equally well.
However, it is better to use VMware Player. OS X 10.11 Image: Google Drive (One Full): Google Drive (One Full): Fix Download Limit: Torren.t: Tool (New): Tool: VMware Player 12.5: Understanding What VMware is? Fundamentally, VMware is a program which allows the user to install and run OS X that is Intel-based as well as one with AMD processor. This convenience makes VMware Player the most appropriate program to use for this purpose.
Updates On VMware player as well as a workstation, one can conveniently upgrade the existing El Capitan on simulated machine available on Windows on PC. Moreover, windows 10 can host the most recent El Capitan 10.11.4 with the help of VMware player and workstation. For Application developers, using OS X El Capitan on VMware offers an added advantage. One can acquire skills on Xcode and use the new features supported by Mac OS X El Capitan and most importantly installing Applications on OS X El Capitan on VMware without necessarily having to install it.
Running the OS X El Capitan on VMware on PC maybe somewhat hectic and may probably take a toll on one’s additional energy. Nevertheless, the benefits associated with this bold and sophisticated move towards effectiveness and convenience is never disappointing.
It works meticulously once it is done. Steps to Install OS X 10.11 El Capitan on VMware on PC Step 1: Download Image and Extract file with Winrar or 7zip You can download then install it.
Right click part 1 then select Extract here. Please help me,Im getting this error.I downloaded 2-3 VMWARE images from your site,All are showing the same error ? A fault has occurred causing a virtual CPU to enter the shutdown state. If this fault had occurred outside of a virtual machine, it would have caused the physical machine to restart. The shutdown state can be reached by incorrectly configuring the virtual machine, a bug in the guest operating system, or a problem in VMware Workstation. Click OK to restart the virtual machine or Cancel to power off the virtual machine.