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How to download old macOS installers

by Technical otaku - 2022-11-26 2233 0 2

Sometimes we may need to grab the old version of the macOS installer, but because the Mac App Store may be removed from the shelves, etc., the version you want may not be so easy to find. When searching for files shared by others on the Internet, on the one hand, I don't know if they have been added, and on the other hand, it may not conform to the original Apple user agreement.

So I researched for a long time, and finally let me catch all the macOS installers that may be downloaded at present,While showing off,By the way, how to download.

 

10.13 and above

For versions above 10.13, there are three methods.

The first method is to use the App Store link provided by the official website to download directly:

  • macOS 12.0 Monterey

  • macOS 11.0 Big Sur

  • macOS 10.15 Catalina

  • macOS 10.14 Mojave

  • macOS 10.13 High Sierra

  • macOS 10.12 Sierra  (The official website teaching did not write this link, but I dug it out and it can be used, not necessarily permanent)

Another method is to run the 10.15 Catalina or above Mac, and then enter the command:

softwareupdate --fetch-full-installer --full-installer-version 10.14.6

softwareupdate --fetch-full-installer --full-installer-version 10.13.6

In this way, the system will download the App of the macOS installer to /Applications. This command cannot download versions 10.12 and below.

The last method is to use Python commands on the Internet, but it is not recommended, not so intuitive, and I remember that it seems that machines that are too new will not be able to download the old version of macOS, so I will not post them here.

 

10.7 ~ 10.12

10.7 ~ 10.12 version, also divided into two methods

The first method is to use the mas command to download. After installing Homebrew first, use the brew install mas install mas command.

Then enter mas install + 數字to download the specified version

  • macOS 10.12 Sierra: 1127487414

  • OS X 10.11 El Capitan: 1018109117

  • OS X 10.10 Yosemite: 915041082

  • OS X 10.9 Mavericks: 675248567

  • OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion: 537386512

  • OS X 10.7 Lion: 444303913

I will not list the ones above 10.13, because the experimental result is that even if there are correct numbers, it cannot be downloaded, and the methods listed above can be used for 10.13 and above.

It should be noted here that your Apple ID must have actually owned or downloaded the version before you can use this method. For example, if you have downloaded macOS once a year since 10.9, then 10.9 ~ 10.12 should all be available for download. But if you've only jumped from Windows to Mac since 10.11, then you can't download versions prior to 10.11.

If you are sure that your Apple ID really owns the version, but you can't download it, you can try another computer, or download it on a 10.13 High Sierra machine. I have the same account on MacBook Pro 2018 (10.14.6) and some versions cannot be downloaded, but all can be downloaded on a 10.13 machine.

In addition, 10.7 Lion and 10.8 Mountain Lion should be the most difficult to deal with, because these two systems were purchased at the time, so if you didn't buy the digital version, you can still buy the iOS App in the Apple Store now. , you can also choose to buy the physical version of the disc...

2021.07.01 Update: Apple opens free direct download links for 10.7 and 10.8

  • Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion

  • Mac OS X 10.7 Lion

The second method is the same as using Apple's official website link, but this method will not open the Mac App Store, and the downloaded will not be the App, but the dmg file. This method can only be downloaded from 10.10 ~ 10.12.

  • macOS 10.12 Sierra

  • Mac OS X 10.11 El Capitan

  • Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite

 

10.2 ~ 10.6

This is amazing, generally other websites do not teach...

To download such an old version, you need Apple's "paid" developer account, then go to https://developer.apple.com/download/more/ to download.

Because the files here are very complicated, so I list keywords to facilitate the search for those who want to download:

  • Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard: Search for "Mac OS X version 10.6 Snow Leopard build 10A432"

  • Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard: Search for "Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard 9A581"

  • Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger Server: Search for "Mac OS X Server v10.4.7 (Universal)"

  • Mac OS X 10.3 Panther: Missing. The only version that cannot be downloaded above 10.2

  • Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar Server: Search directly for "Jaguar"

It should be noted that 10.4 and 10.2 are Server versions, not general versions. In addition, 10.6, 10.5, and 10.2 are the CD/DVD of the initial release version. If you need to install the Combo Update separately, you can download it from Apple's official website, and it still exists. Although 10.4.7 is not the initial release version, the latest version should be 10.4.11, so it is also recommended to download the update from the official website.

 

After downloading, how can I check that the archive is correct? You can use this list to compare InstallESD.dmg, prior to 10.6 it was directly compared to the CD image file itself.

Grab everything, and sort it out like this:


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