18 7 likes 51,693 views Last modified Feb 15, 2020 5:22 PM
This tip is part of a series of tips for : Mac OS X 10.4, 10.5, 10.6,10.7, 10.8, 10.9, 10.10, 10.11 El Capitan,
Jun 03, 2020 Server version of Mac OS X is not supported; This software cannot be used on virtual operating systems such as Microsoft's Virtual Machine, Parallels, VMware, VMware Fusion or any other virtual environments. Internet connection for Download, Registration, Exam Download and Upload. Administrator level account permissions (Instructions). Requires a Mac (2012 or later) with OS X Yosemite and an Apple TV (3rd generation rev A, model A1469 or later) with Apple TV software 7.0 or later. Supported by the following Mac models: MacBook Pro with Retina display (Mid 2012 or newer) MacBook Air (Late 2010 or newer) iMac (Late 2012 or newer) Mac mini (Late 2012 or newer) Mac Pro.
10.12 Sierra, 10.13 High Sierra, 10.14 Mojave, and 10.15 Catalina
If a Mac shipped new with 10.11 it can be updated to 10.14 Mojave direct from the Mac App Store.
If it is not running 10.12 yet, but was prebundled with 10.11, it can be upgraded to 10.12 first, then upgraded to Catalina.
If a Mac is already running 10.12, and it is older than 10.12, you must format a separate GUID HFS Plus partition to install 10.11 or earlier on it. The reasoning is starting with High Sierra HFS Plus is automatically formatted on SSD and thumb drives.
If a Mac has 10.8 on it, it can be upgraded to 10.13 High Sierra if it doesn't meet 10.14's requirements but does 10.13's.
If a Mac has 10.7.5 or later on it, it can be updated to 10.12 Sierra if it meets 10.12's system requirements. 10.12's availability just became known to the author of this tip on October 1, 2018.
These tips all refer to the client version. If you are using Mac OS X server, please check: Server forums
for more posts on Mac OS X Server.
Some important dates:
September 17, 2018, Apple released iOS 12. Synchronizing with it needs El Capitan or newer on a Mac.
El Capitan is only available to those who downloaded it before, or have 10.6.8 installed. Sierra is available to
those with preloaded 10.7 or later Macs. Either one can be installed on its own partition to allow compatibility with older apps while synchronizing iTunes with iOS 12.
September 25, 2017, Apple replaced Mac OS Sierra with Mac OS High Sierra on the Apple Mac App Store.
September 20, 2016, Apple released Mac OS Sierra and changed the minimum system requirements of its operating system.
September 30, 2015, Apple released Mac OS X 10.11, El Capitan.
December 8, 2015: Apple fixed issues with Image Capture scanning that existed with 10.11.0, and 10.11.1, with the release of 10.11.2 at least for the Canon Pixma MX922, and probably other multifunction printers and scanner..
January 19, 2016: Apple released 10.11.3.
January 27, 2016: Apple has updated support links for several printers on 10.11.
March 12, 2016: This tip got updated with additional links from January 27, 2016 updates, and manufacturer El Capitan Printer and Scanner drivers.
March 21, 2016: 10.11.4 was released.
May 16, 2016: 10.11.5 was released.
July 18, 2016: 10.11.6 was released
July 19, 2017: 10.11.6 Security update was released: Security Update 2017-003
September 20, 2016, Apple released Mac OS 10.12, Sierra. El Capitan is no longer available except to people who purchased machines with it, and purchased it for download before Sierra's release.
Apple has now made the official releases for El Capitan through Mojave available on their support pages:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT206886 10.11 El Capitan
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208202 10.12 Sierra
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208969 10.13 High Sierra
https://support.apple.com/macos/mojave 10.14 Mojave
There has been limited success installing 10.11 directly onto 10.8.5.
Note: The 6 GB file takes approximately 37 minutes at 25 Mbps. After
which point you'll have to check through the license agreement and then it will proceed with the installation of about 24 minutes. That 24 minute installation may be longer depending on the capacity and memory support of your system, and should not be regarded as an exact time. If it takes longer than 2 hours in the 24 minute process, feel free to post on the forum to ask if there is something that might have been overlooked.
Before installing, be sure to backup your data:
iPhoto moved to the Pictures App which loses some capabilities in Mac OS X 10.10.2 and later. This tip explains how to keep both:
And make sure your system is otherwise functional.
Also if you are upgrading from 10.6.8 or earlier, please read this tip first, as the 'free' upgrade may cost a lot more, given that Apple
has not supported a software allowing older applications since the release of 10.7:
Then look at the software reports after 10/1/2015 on http://roaringapps.com/apps?platform=osx
Don't just consider the table having a green circle saying that it is compatible as people have been testing with pre-release versions of 10.11, and may have reported it in there. The only release version of 10.11 tests could have been performed on 9/30/2015 or later.
There are some known issues with Microsoft Office that they have listed on their knowledgebase and they have issued 14.5.6 & 14.5.7 of Office 2011 to address these.
El Capitan Compatible printer and scanner models that are on Apple's knowledgebase article are available. Additional entries are on printer websites with Apple software update links below:
NRG (January 27, 2016)
Printers on the article that are not reflected by those downloads have El Capitan drivers available directly from their vendors, as listed below:
HP - http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c04473034 has more direct info about compatible printers on their support documents page including 10.11 compatibility.
Canon has this page to find if your printer is El Capitan Compatible:
Kodak has a generic 7.9 driver for all in one printers and El Capitan: http://support.en.kodak.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/17378/selected/true
Dell's listing is here: http://www.dell.com/support/Article/us/en/19/SLN299394/EN
Samsung gave me the Yosemite & El Capitan printers via their online support chat, as they have not made a specific page for these:
Sl-C1810, Sl-C1860, SL-C410, SL-M2020, Sl-M2070, SL-M2835, SL-M2875, SL-M2885
There may be open source drivers that work as well, that have not be investigated by me, though are put on my own personal FAQ*: http://www.macmaps.com/printersx.html
10.11.2 patches some issues with 10.11 and automatic document feeder scanning from the Canon Pixma MX922, and may help other scanners that no longer had their Image Capture interface for the document feeder.
Also found with another copy of 10.11.2, was the Canon MX922 was automatically recognized on launch, and with waiting for the dialog, it was able to locate the right drivers to download automatically.
I'm watching responses to my thread here to find out if there are other printers other than that which I own:
Apple has released RAW camera update for 10.11 here:
Additional updates may come with a newer version, and can be searched on your favorite internet search engine.
From http://www.apple.com/osx/how-to-upgrade/#hardware-requirements
Apple lists the following models whose Machine ID found in your System Profiler application.
Compatible with most features:
- MacBook (Early 2015) [8,1]
- MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer) [5,1 or 5,2]
- MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer) [3,1]
- MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer) [2,1]
- Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer) [3,1]
- iMac (Mid 2007 or newer) [7,1]
- Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer) [3,1] *
- Xserve (Early 2009) [3,1]
* Note: As the model #s are very similar to 10.8, 10.9, and 10.10, it is possible that the solution that allows earlier Mac Pros to be used may be feasible for 10.11.
That solution is here: 1,x to 2,x not officially supported solution (for Mountain Lion) No one has yet reported trying this on anything later. Note, the 2018 El Capitan Security updates do not work well with these older Mac Pro models.
Other models mentioned for unique features of 10.11 include:
- MacBook Pro (2012 or newer) [9,1]
- MacBook Pro with Retina display (Mid 2012 or newer) [10,1]
- MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 or newer) [9,1]
- MacBook Pro (Early 2011 or newer) [8,1]
- MacBook Pro (Late 2008 or newer) [5,1]
- MacBook Air (2012 or newer) [MD508LL/A, 5,1]
- MacBook Air (Mid 2012 or newer) [5.1]
- MacBook Air (Mid 2011 or newer) [4,1]
- MacBook Air (Late 2010 or newer) [3,1]
- Mac mini (2012 or newer) [6,1]
- Mac mini (Late 2012 or newer) [6,1]
- Mac mini (Mid 2011 or newer) [5,1]
- Mac mini (Mid 2010 or newer) [4,1]
- iMac (2012 or newer) [13,1]
- iMac (Late 2012 or newer) [13,1]
- iMac (Mid 2011 or newer) [12,1]
- iMac (Early 2009 or newer) [9,1]
- Mac Pro (Late 2013) [6,1]
- Mac Pro (Early 2009 with AirPort Extreme card, or Mid 2010 or newer) [4,1]
10.11.1, 10.11.2, 10.11.3, 10.11.4, 10.11.5 Combo, and 10.11.6 are also available.
Another similar tip for 10.11 compatibility on audio applications is here:
* Links to my pages may give me compensation.
2 2 likes 18,803 views Last modified Feb 27, 2016 7:59 AM
Tips on: 10.2 Jaguar (including firmware updated necessary for older Macs to get to 10.2 or higher), 10.3 Panther, 10.4 Tiger, 10.5 Leopard
When determining whether you meet the requirements for updating, see this tip on Mac model and age:
This is part of a series of tips from 10.2 through 10.11 (10.6 through 10.11 not mentioned above links as 10.5.8 is the end of the line for all Macs with 10.3 that support up to 10.5.8), which all refer to Mac OS X Client. The server version of Mac OS X may have different requirements in which the Server forum is better able to answer.
Note, if Apple menu -> About this Mac says you are running Mac OS X 10.4.3 (Mac OS X 10.3.9, 10.2.8, 10.1.5, 10.0.4, Mac OS without X are all older. iOS is only for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch) and earlier, you can't upgrade past 10.5.8. And then you can do that only if you have an 867 Mhz G4, or 1 Ghz or greater or G5 Mac. For more on upgrading to 10.5.8, read this tip. If all you have is Firewire, you can upgrade to 10.4.11. The ports that look like the image below
are the two most common ports on Macs that are Firewire. F800 = Firewire 800, also known as 9 pin IEEE 1394b. F400 is Firewire 400, also known as 6 pin IEEE 1394a. 4 pin IEEE 1394a exists on some camcorders and non-Apple computers:
Backing up, shutting down, removing the backup from the machine, and updating to 10.3.9 for Macs without Firewire.
Macs that have no Firewire, but still have USB, the latest Java found on one of these two links:
Those with Firewire should at least consider updating to 10.4.11 to get a later Java, as is described in this tip:
CAUTION: For those with Mac OS X 10.1.5, 10.1.4, 10.1.3, 10.1.2, 10.1.1, 10.1, 10.0.4, 10.0.3, 10.0.2, 10.0.1, 10.0, 10 Public Beta, Mac OS 9.2.2 or less (not to be confused with Mac OS X 10.9.2, which is 12 years newer): If your firmware is not up to date, you may lose video on your machine permanently without the proper update, and without an up to date PRAM battery before installing the said firmware update. The link here provides all necessary firmware updates:
Mac OS X 10.3 (Panther) can install on any Mac with built-in USB up till the release of 10.4, on April 29, 2005. A few Powerbook G3/333 Mhz and 400 Mhz without Firewire could not install Panther at all, and their DVD module did not work with Panther. Make sure your firmware is up to date while booted from Mac OS 9 before installing any copy of Mac OS X 10.2 or later.
Some firmware updates are only available from resources listed on this tip.
Here are the official system requirements for 10.3:
Additionally, an extra 15% of free hard disk space has arbitrarily been found best for Mac OS X systems.
Be sure to backup your data first at least twice before installing any operating system. Shut down, and disconnect any peripherals before continuing with the installation. Read the info below to ensure you are compatible. Finally, you may need to use the Startup Manager to boot the operating system when the 'C' key doesn't work in order to get the installer to work or repair the disk before installation if the initial attempt to install fails. To determine if that repair is necessary, post to the forum, and someone will be able to help you to find out which repairs might be necessary.
To determine if your Mac is too new for 10.3, look at its serial number reported in Apple menu -> About this Mac -> More info in Mac OS X,
or Apple menu -> Apple System Profiler under Mac OS 9.
Macs with Intel CPUs can't run 10.3.
The first two characters of a serial number do not say anything about a machine's age.
The third, fourth, and fifth tell you everything about its age.
Thus if your serial number begins xx517.. through xx832 where x can be any letter or number, it can't install 10.3.
Os X El Capitan
xx833.. was the serial number for the first G3 iMac, which was the first machine with built-in USB.
G3s and G4s of higher serial numbers could install 10.3.
New Macs beginning in January 2003 no longer were able to boot into Mac OS 9, but still could use Classic. See this user tip to see if you are affected.
Macs that were released between 10/24/2003 and 12/17/2003 (xx343..xx350) could only install 10.3.2, or 10.3.5 retail as is labelled on the disc, and the prebundled installer disc that came with them. All retail discs for 10.3 looked like: and did not say upgrade, dropin, or OEM.
Macs that were released between 12/17/2003 and 8/12/2004 with serial numbers xx351..xx432 could only install 10.3.5 retail as is labelled on the disc and the prebundled 10.3 installer disc that came with them.
Macs released with serial numbers xx433 to xx516 could only use the 10.3 installer disc that shipped with them to install 10.3, and for retail release could use 10.4, or 10.5 depending on their configuration stated in this user tip:
Before upgrading to 10.4 or 10.5, realize some features may make you want to remain in 10.3. Mac OS X 10.3 was the first operating system to no longer use Sherlock for the Find File command, and the Find File was integrated in the Finder's File menu.
No Mac that can use 10.3 can install Snow Leopard or Lion. The highest 10.3, is 10.3.9 that is available for free from to update any system from 10.3 to 10.3.8:
Here's the airport update that supports 10.3.3 through 10.3.9 that includes WPA2 support for those Macs with Airport Extreme cards:
See this article comparing Airport to Airport Extreme:
The original Airport does not support the more secure WPA2 encryption, only the Extreme which runs 802.11g at 33 Mbps does.
10.3 was the first operating system to include the Dashboard web based applets that appear on their own screen.
Sadly Dashboard widgets at this point are no longer developed, though you can download them from:
These printers are compatible with 10.3:
Package manager for mac os x 10.7.5 7 5 11g63.
C!Net has this software search of all 10.3 compatible software.
![Minimum Requirements For Os X 10.12 Minimum Requirements For Os X 10.12](/uploads/1/2/6/0/126044526/507938542.jpg)
Once you determine if you can install 10.3, you have these options for installation: