Even if your Mac can run Lion or Mavericks, you'll need to upgrade to Snow Leopard first as an intermediary step, since Tiger and Leopard can't access the Mac App Store and can't perform in-place. Java updates for Apple are very important. Missing a Java update may mean that months later you have to hunt the Apple site for a required update in order to run a new piece of applications software. Here is an example of an Apple Java Security Update for Lion available for free at the Apple site: Next: Solutions for a dead optical drive. I have to finish the complete download in order for me to see it without pauses and even then, it's rare that I can see something without and flaws. Version 6.x was a great version. This is more of a downgrade than an upgrade. Stick to your old version and wait for a update especially if you don't have a new Mac. Start the old computer and connect to the local network. Do the same with the new one. When the new computer asks if you want to run migration assistant, say yes. Follow the prompts to access your old computer and then leave it alone for a while - it can take many hours to process things. Migration Assistant will copy your user info, documents.
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.
Learn how to upgrade to macOS Big Sur, the latest version of macOS.
Check compatibility
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.
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If a macOS can't be used on your Mac, the App Store or installer will let you know. For example, it might say that it's not compatible with this device or is too old to be opened on this version of macOS. To confirm compatibility before downloading, check the minimum hardware requirements:
- 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 downloading from the App Store, the installer opens automatically.
- macOS Catalina 10.15 can upgrade Mojave, High Sierra, Sierra, El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks
- macOS Mojave 10.14 can upgrade High Sierra, Sierra, El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks, Mountain Lion
- macOS High Sierra 10.13 can upgrade Sierra, El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks, Mountain Lion
Safari downloads 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 installs an app named Install [Version Name]. Open that app from your Applications folder to begin installing the operating system.
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- 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