To get the latest features and maintain the security, stability, compatibility and performance of your Mac, it's important to keep your software up to date. Apple recommends that you always use the latest macOS that is compatible with your Mac.
Find out how to upgrade to macOS Big Sur, the latest version of macOS.
Check compatibility
Download El Capitan and install fresh the Mac OS without upgrading the current Mac OS version The second method of installation is the clean install method. It basically erases the entire content of your chosen drive and installs a fresh, smooth version of the new operating system which is downloaded El Capitan Mac OS X in this case. OS X El Capitan supports two methods of installation. The default method is an upgrade install, which will upgrade your Mac to El Capitan while preserving all of your user data and apps.This is the most common means of upgrading the operating system and is recommended when your Mac is in good shape and having no problems. Install OS X El Capitan with Chameleon - A basic tutorial to install OS X El Capitan (10.11) using the Enoch version of the older Chameleon bootloader. Install OS X El Capitan on PCs with Unibeast - If the 'official' tutorial from tonymacx86 isn't as easy to follow as you would like, you might prefer this installation guide from MacBreaker. The simplest method to boot El Capitan on these Macs is the 'pikify' createpikeinstallmedia script, or the new Pikify App to create a pre-patched El Capitan installer with the El Capitan branch of the Piker-Alpha bootloader. This directly allows an El Capitan installer to run to be run to completion on a 2006/2007 Mac Pro. Install El Capitan from the installation disk. Create the macOS X 10.11.6 El Capitan Install Disk from official sources. As the hdiutil tool is proprietary, we do not have the choice to use an macOS to create the ISO file. I have used macOS 10.11 to create this ISO.
The version of macOS that came with your Mac is the earliest version it can use. For example, if your Mac came with macOS Big Sur, it will not accept installation of macOS Catalina or earlier.
If a macOS can't be used on your Mac, the App Store or installer will let you know. For example, it may say that it's not compatible with this device or it's too old to be opened on this version of macOS. To confirm compatibility before downloading, check the minimum hardware requirements:
Install El Capitan Dmg
- macOS Catalina 10.15 hardware requirements
- macOS Mojave 10.14 hardware requirements
- macOS High Sierra 10.13 hardware requirements
- macOS Sierra 10.12 hardware requirements
- OS X El Capitan 10.11 hardware requirements
- OS X Yosemite 10.10 hardware requirements
Download macOS using Safari on your Mac
Safari uses these links to find the old installers in the App Store. After being downloaded from the App Store, the installer will open automatically.
- macOS Catalina 10.15 can upgrade Mojave, High Sierra, Sierra, El Capitan, Yosemite or Mavericks
- macOS Mojave 10.14 can upgrade High Sierra, Sierra, El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks or Mountain Lion
- macOS High Sierra 10.13 can upgrade Sierra, El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks or Mountain Lion
Safari will download the following older installers as a disk image named InstallOS.dmg or InstallMacOSX.dmg. Open the disk image, then open the .pkg installer inside the disk image. It will install an app named Install [Version Name]. Open that app from your Applications folder to start installing the operating system.
Install El Capitan On Unsupported Mac
- macOS Sierra 10.12 can upgrade El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks, Mountain Lion or Lion
- OS X El Capitan 10.11 can upgrade Yosemite, Mavericks, Mountain Lion, Lion or Snow Leopard
- OS X Yosemite 10.10can upgrade Mavericks, Mountain Lion, Lion or Snow Leopard