Michael Graubart
Level 2 (283 points)
Mac OS X

Q: Can I still upgrade to El Capitan?

Now that Sierra has come upon us, can I (at the moment still running Mountain Lion) upgrade to El Capitan if certain of my applications are not available in Sierra-compatible versions?

 

Thank you in anticipation…

Mac mini, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.5)

Posted on Sep 23, 2016 8:52 AM

by Michael Graubart,Solvedanswer
Michael Graubart Michael Graubart
Level 2 (283 points)
Mac OS X
A:

Thank you, everyone who contributed to this string. My biggest worry was whether Photoshop CS6 and my old 2013 version of Finale (music typesetting) would work in Sierra. I made some enquiries and got some answers from users, and finally took the plunge and — bypassing El Capitan — updated to Sierra. To my great relief and delight, everything apart from a few unimportant apps (some of which I updated free or cheaply) seems to work.

Posted on Oct 14, 2016 7:12 AM

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Michael Graubart

Q: Can I still upgrade to El Capitan?

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Eric Root,

    Eric Root Eric Root Sep 23, 2016 9:50 AM in response to Michael Graubart
    Level 9 (74,022 points)
    iTunes
    Sep 23, 2016 9:50 AM in response to Michael Graubart

    Yes. Link to El Capitan.

     

    El Capitan

  • by Michael Graubart,

    Michael Graubart Michael Graubart Sep 23, 2016 11:22 AM in response to Eric Root
    Level 2 (283 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 23, 2016 11:22 AM in response to Eric Root

    Would that it were that simple! It is no longer available in the App Store — not in the UK one, anyway. Is there any way of getting round that? I have searched the Net…and have found no site from which I could legally and successfully download an installer. Any other ideas?

     

    And I have another worry: if I do succeed in finding one, will it work in Mountain Lion, since I have not successively updated my OS to each new version of the OS?

  • by BobHarris,Helpful

    BobHarris BobHarris Sep 24, 2016 1:21 AM in response to Michael Graubart
    Level 6 (19,662 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 24, 2016 1:21 AM in response to Michael Graubart

    Try going through this link

    <https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT206886>

  • by K Shaffer,Helpful

    K Shaffer K Shaffer Sep 24, 2016 1:21 AM in response to Michael Graubart
    Level 6 (14,567 points)
    Desktops
    Sep 24, 2016 1:21 AM in response to Michael Graubart

    The sources to get this upgrade now that macOS Sierra has top spot

    in the App Store, all share this same URL to an itunes store page:

    get El Capitan from the App Store  which is this address

    https://itunes.apple.com/app/os-x-el-capitan/id1147835434?mt=12

     

    The good thing about this version of El Capitan, is it appears to be

    a little larger than the one available a week ago, so it seems to have

    the last update included inside. One less thing to get. Expect it to

    take as much time as it can. I downloaded more than a week ago

    and it took several hours; no telling if it will work -- I've not installed.

     

    Good luck & happy trails!

     

    Screen Shot 2016-02-14 at 12.58.17 PM.png

    {a few winters ago - AKRR crew repaired tressel - at Upper Trail Lake narrows} image KS

  • by Michael Graubart,

    Michael Graubart Michael Graubart Sep 24, 2016 1:20 AM in response to K Shaffer
    Level 2 (283 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 24, 2016 1:20 AM in response to K Shaffer

    Thank you very much, BobHarris and K Shaffer. Two different links to a similar target — and with an identical, negative outcome. In both cases, I receive the following response:

     

    Screen Shot 2016-09-24 at 09.08.56.png

    Is this something to do with my being in the UK and not the US, I wonder?

  • by K Shaffer,

    K Shaffer K Shaffer Sep 24, 2016 2:17 AM in response to Michael Graubart
    Level 6 (14,567 points)
    Desktops
    Sep 24, 2016 2:17 AM in response to Michael Graubart

    There may be a localized URL to get a similar content from a UK or regional Apple server.

     

    ...Not sure if there is a way to tell what part of the web address may be different; or if there

    even is a localized download link, for outside the US. Or where else the given link may work.

     

    Here, the https://itunes.apple.com/app/os-x-el-capitan/id1147835434?mt=12 link opens an

    App Store page (at first, for me it opened iTunes Music store; it not App Store) w/ download,

    but not a 'purchase' - as it directly tries to download El Capitan, here.

     

    Although I've tried to guess where 'uk' or other Apple country locator may be in the URL

    the few attempts did not get me past a non-working page notice in my browser. If there

    were even a similar file at Apple (UK) or elsewhere, it may be hard to find if even available.

     

    {I keep getting notices here that my content (as I keyboard) cannot be saved. This happened

    earlier in the iBook portable computer area; it failed to save. But it also failed to notify me.}

     

    https://duckduckgo.com/?q=how+to+download+El+Capitan+10.11.6+now+its+missing+from+App+Store+in+UK

     

    Here's another URL that I replaced 'us' with 'uk' but the Mac I'm at is too old for the App Store

    so the page won't even get close to loading... (you can change it back to 'uk' to test further)

    https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/os-x-el-capitan/id1018109117?mt=12

     

    Maybe someone with Apple can be helpful. We're just fellow users here...

    You may have to see if an Apple store with genius bar can get it for you.

     

    Good luck in any event!

  • by Michael Graubart,Apple recommended

    Michael Graubart Michael Graubart Sep 24, 2016 6:48 AM in response to K Shaffer
    Level 2 (283 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 24, 2016 6:48 AM in response to K Shaffer

    Thanks so much for taking all that trouble. As soon as I discovered that El Capitan was no longer available in the UK App Store, I did 'chat' online with an Apple advisor, who just said there was no way of my getting hold of El Capitan any more. That was when I started posting here. Incidentally, the 'Learn more' button in the error message I got (see my previous post in this chain) doesn't work.

     

    So I conclude that the inability to download an El Capitan installer that I have encountered may have to do with international agreements, commercial or otherwise, though why these should affect something that is in principle supplied free of charge by Apple is quite beyond me.

  • by BobHarris,

    BobHarris BobHarris Sep 24, 2016 7:23 AM in response to Michael Graubart
    Level 6 (19,662 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 24, 2016 7:23 AM in response to Michael Graubart

    Someone in Spain was able to use this link

    <https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT206886>

    to get El Capitan, so I do not think it is a region thing.

  • by BobHarris,

    BobHarris BobHarris Sep 24, 2016 7:36 AM in response to Michael Graubart
    Level 6 (19,662 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 24, 2016 7:36 AM in response to Michael Graubart

    Missed this one.  Your Mac may be limited to OS X Lion 10.7.

    Here are the El Capitan System requirements

    <OS X El Capitan - Technical Specifications>

     

    and here are the Sierra system requirements

    <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacOS_Sierra>

  • by Michael Graubart,

    Michael Graubart Michael Graubart Sep 24, 2016 7:50 AM in response to BobHarris
    Level 2 (283 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 24, 2016 7:50 AM in response to BobHarris

    Thanks again. As I said initially, my computer is running Mountain Lion (OS X 10.8.5), which is included in the requirements for El Capitan.

     

    I tried the link in your message, BobHarris, that worked in Spain, but with exactly the previous negative result. And Britain hasn't even left the EU yet!

     

    I have now discovered that one of the apps I was particularly concerned about because it only works up to El Capitan has a Sierra version in public beta, so it will, I hope, not be long before it becomes available in a fully authenticated version. I may have to wait till that happens with my OS X update, and then update straight to Sierra.

  • by Eric Root,

    Eric Root Eric Root Sep 24, 2016 8:17 AM in response to Michael Graubart
    Level 9 (74,022 points)
    iTunes
    Sep 24, 2016 8:17 AM in response to Michael Graubart

    Also check to make sure there is a compatible driver for your printer.

     

    Do a backup before installing, preferable 2 backups on 2 different drives.

  • by K Shaffer,

    K Shaffer K Shaffer Sep 24, 2016 11:43 AM in response to Michael Graubart
    Level 6 (14,567 points)
    Desktops
    Sep 24, 2016 11:43 AM in response to Michael Graubart

    Not sure what the advisor you chatted with would be approved to say

    about the active link we see & many have used in the US App Store...

    that allows an El Capitan OS X 10.11.6 download of recent addition.

     

    Screen Shot 2016-09-24 at 10.38.17 AM.png

    link works in US to here ^

     

    Screen Shot 2016-09-24 at 10.38.52 AM.png

    App Store shows this ^ recent (Sept 20, 2016) item as being available.

     

    ...Of course, this is being viewed from a Mac Mini w/ OS X 10.9.5...

     

    {What exact version Mac do you have... the 'build-year identifier' & spec?}

     

    To have this available here, and not there, is almost silly.

    But not laughable.

  • by Michael Graubart,

    Michael Graubart Michael Graubart Oct 14, 2016 7:01 AM in response to K Shaffer
    Level 2 (283 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 14, 2016 7:01 AM in response to K Shaffer

    Thanks again. As I said initially, my computer is running Mountain Lion (OS X 10.8.5), which is included in the requirements for El Capitan.

     

    I tried the link in your message, BobHarris, that worked in Spain, but with exactly the previous negative result. And Britain hasn't even left the EU yet!

     

    I have now discovered that one of the apps I was particularly concerned about because it only works up to El Capitan has a Sierra version in public beta, so it will, I hope, not be long before it becomes available in a fully authenticated version. I may have to wait till that happens with my OS X update, and then update straight to Sierra.

  • by Michael Graubart,Solvedanswer

    Michael Graubart Michael Graubart Oct 14, 2016 7:12 AM in response to Michael Graubart
    Level 2 (283 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 14, 2016 7:12 AM in response to Michael Graubart

    Thank you, everyone who contributed to this string. My biggest worry was whether Photoshop CS6 and my old 2013 version of Finale (music typesetting) would work in Sierra. I made some enquiries and got some answers from users, and finally took the plunge and — bypassing El Capitan — updated to Sierra. To my great relief and delight, everything apart from a few unimportant apps (some of which I updated free or cheaply) seems to work.