Q: can't resume el capitan download.

Check the App Store Purchases tab for a resume button. If that doesn't work, delete the installer from your Applications folder and start a new download.

Whats the installer app called as I cant see one?

Applications folder>

"Install OS X El Capitan.app"

Thanks for that. I did try it but it didn't work. So I read on another community that someone had purchased a free App from the App Store and installed it, and that pushed El Capitan through. It worked for me too.

Yes installing a free app did push the waiting insall of El Capitan

thanks all concerned

This worked for me too. The free app helped reduce the "friction" in the downloading process.

I have the same problem, what's the "free App".

pls help

Simply download any free app from the App Store and this will kick the OS X El Capitan into downloading.

Good work.  This was exactly what I needed, and super simple.  Yeah, other threads were saying just delete and start over, which is probably okay for a lot of people, but I'm dealing with very slow, expensive and limited internet, so I couldn't afford to throw away 3gb already downloaded if I could at all help it.  Thanks!

Hi Adam, could you share with me what is the free app's name?

Hi Alford7, I think any free app in the app store would do...

Just download ANY FREE app/game/tool etc.. from app store

This helped me WOW !!!! Super simply

You may not need to download a free app. The following worked for me...

If you have a partial download there will be a paused icon in Launchpad.

Just click on it and the download should resume.

(I don't know why the Resume button in the Appstore Updates pane is not working.)