In the Overview section, you’ll see your Mac’s model name and year of releaseĤ. Click the I logo in the top left of macOSģ. How to check if your Mac can run a particular OS X version:ġ.

There are ways to get around that, but it’s not usually a good idea, because your Mac will usually be slower as a result.

That’s because Apple periodically drops support for older Macs that can’t run later OS X releases effectively. You’re more likely to run into problems when you try to run a new version on an older Mac. In general, if you want to run an older version of macOS, it should work. Follow the on-screen prompts to install macOSĬheck you can run the older version of macOS.Prepare your Mac for the installation, if necessary.Use your installation disc or drive to boot up your Mac.Find and download a macOS installer file for the version you want to install (sometimes this is a.Check your Mac meets the system requirements to run older OS X versions.To install an older version of OS X on a Mac, you need to: In situations like these, installing an old version of the operating system may be your best choice. Or you might have old software that can’t be run on run on newer macOS versions like Big Sur and Monterey. Older Macs often run better with earlier versions of macOS, for example. And eventually, Apple stops supporting older editions of macOS - and that means no more security patches.īut there are some good reasons to do it anyway. After all, newer versions of the operating system have more features. On the face of it, running old versions of macOS on your Mac seems counterproductive.

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