macOS High Sierra Full Installer Download Link (January 2024)

Grant Bennet-Alder wrote:

<<. The Internet Recovery method of installing High Sierra is gone and it's not coming back. Forget about that method. >>

It appears that Mr. Macintosh has uncovered the reason people get the "The Recovery Server Could Not Be Contacted" error message when trying to recover High Sierra. And it's not due to the recovery services having been removed. Apparently there is something broken in the "internal SSL security verification or Security.framework" on the server. If you can believe it, the fix is merely to replace "https" with "http" in the URL that contacts the server.

It's a relatively simple fix but does have multiple steps and uses Terminal to locate, copy & modify the URL in NVRAM that contacts the recovery server. Here's a video with instructions; the full details are here.

The only way to obtain it is to download the Install macOS High Sierra app from the App Store.

Start with How to download and install macOS - Apple Support. Scroll down to High Sierra 10.13.

However, when attempting to use Internet Recovery (tried Command + R, Option + Command + R, and/or Shift + Option + Command + R), I encountered an error stating, "The Recovery Server Could Not Be Contacted."

That is correct. The Internet Recovery method of installing High Sierra is gone and it's not coming back. Forget about that method.

Was able to reinstall my old iMac with High Sierra by doing the following steps:

1. Download and install on USB driver (How to download and install macOS - Apple Support. Scroll down to High Sierra 10.13.)

2. Access Recovery mode

3. Select Disk utility

4. Delete my OS volume and recreated as MacintoshHD using default values from Disk utility

5. Exit Disk utility tool

6. Launch 'Terminal' from the macOS utilities menu

7. enter the following command where 2Install is the USB drive name and MacintoshHD is the name of your newly formatted drive:

/Volumes/2Install/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/startosinstall --agreetolicense --volume /Volumes/MacintoshHD

8. The program will run for a bit and it will restart your machine automatically to launch the install and will complete successfully once you answered all questions.

Good Luck!

that unit may originally have shipped with 10.12.5 High Sierra, and if you have removed your Apple-ID, that is likely the only version that can be made available to you using Shift + Option + Command + R

Has your battery been run flat? do you have any reason to believe your date&time is not correct within five minutes?

<<. The Internet Recovery method of installing High Sierra is gone and it's not coming back. Forget about that method. >>

any references you know of on that issue? want to be providing the best answers to that question, which seems to come up often.

exactly what model-year MacBook Pro 13-in?