What Mac versions you can download from the App Store

In addition to the latest version of macOS that Apple releases every year, it is also possible to download older versions of macOS, and even OS X. Although these can be obtained officiallythey cannot be installed on any computer, since they are aimed at computers, either somewhat older, with specific configurations, or that have an older version of macOS and need a higher version to be able to update to the most modern one.

Download versions of macOS officially

In the Mac App Store we can find these versions of the operating system. Nevertheless, these are somewhat hidden and, to find them, you have to go to the web page of each system. However, in this post we are going to leave you direct links (and official ones from the App Store) so that you can download any of these versions, depending on the needs of your team.

It’s one thing to download the version. Another, install it. And this is where we will have to pay close attention to the requirements requested by each version of the operating system. In the same way, it must also be taken into account that some of these versions were released years before the arrival of Apple Silicon processors. This represents a very marked barrier in terms of system compatibility in the different configurations and models of Mac. The versions of macOS and OS X that can be downloaded are the following:

macOS Fortune
macOS Monterey
macOS Big Sur
macOS Katherine
macOS mojave
macOS High Sierra
macOS Mountain range
OS X Captain

OS X El Capitan is a version that was released in 2015. And although it can be downloaded from the App Store officially, it is intended for those Macs that have versions such as OS X Snow Leopard or OS X Lion installed, but who can later update to macOS High Sierra. And although it is a fully functional version of the system, it is a “bridge” between High Sierra and older versions.

The case of macOS Sierra is an example of a first compatibility gap. As of this version, only 64-bit architecture processors are supported. Here one of the first transition leaps of processors took place, since the standard was 32 bits.

Apart from these two cases of compatibility gap, it is also important that, if you are interested in installing any of these older versions, consult the specifications, the model and the year of release of your Mac. In this way, you will be sure compatibility, and being able to use the system without problems.

You can download even older versions if you pay

Although they are not available in the App Store, they are available in the Apple Store. Some significantly older versions of OS X can be downloaded here than are available for free on the App Store. And in these cases, to download the systems, we will have to pay. macOS updates have not always been free. In addition, these versions have been left far behind and they will only serve us for very specific circumstances.

Similarly, the Mac models supported by these versions are really old, so unless you have a Mac with the necessary requirements, you won’t be able to do much. The oldest versions that can be downloaded from the Apple Store are the following: