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From underpowered to one of the fastest ultrathin laptops around, the new MacBook Air with M1 is the best Mac for most people. It takes a familiar design and turbocharges it with record-setting. Note: The headings on this list indicate the Macintosh System bundle names; the bullet points indicate the version of the System File included in that bundle. This is to make it clearer for people searching for specific bundle versions as opposed to System File versions. Finder File versions are not indicated. 1 Classic Mac OS 1.1 Macintosh System Software (0 - 0.3) 1.1.1 System File 1 1.1.2.

  1. Best In Show Mac Os Catalina
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PowerShell 7.0 or higher require macOS 10.13 and higher. All packages are available on our GitHubreleases page. After the package is installed, run pwsh from a terminal.

Note

PowerShell 7.1 is an in-place upgrade that removes PowerShell Core 6.x and 7.0.

The /usr/local/microsoft/powershell/6 folder is replaced by /usr/local/microsoft/powershell/7.

If you need to run and older version of PowerShell core side-by-side with PowerShell 7.1, installthe version you want using the binary archive method.

There are several ways to install PowerShell on macOS. Choose one of the following methods:

  • Install using Homebrew. Homebrew is the preferred package manager for macOS.
  • Install PowerShell via Direct Download
  • Install from binary archives.

After installing PowerShell, you should install OpenSSL. OpenSSL isneeded for PowerShell remoting and CIM operations.

Installation of latest stable release via Homebrew on macOS 10.13 or higher

If the brew command is not found, you need to install Homebrew followingtheir instructions.

Now, you can install PowerShell:

Finally, verify that your install is working properly:

When new versions of PowerShell are released, update Homebrew's formulae and upgrade PowerShell:

Note

The commands above can be called from within a PowerShell (pwsh) host,but then the PowerShell shell must be exited and restarted to complete the upgradeand refresh the values shown in $PSVersionTable.

Installation of latest preview release via Homebrew on macOS 10.13 or higher

After you've installed Homebrew, you can install PowerShell. First, install the Cask-Versionspackage that lets you install alternative versions of cask packages:

Now, you can install PowerShell:

Finally, verify that your install is working properly:

When new versions of PowerShell are released, update Homebrew's formulae and upgrade PowerShell:

Note

The commands above can be called from within a PowerShell (pwsh) host,but then the PowerShell shell must be exited and restarted to complete the upgrade.and refresh the values shown in $PSVersionTable.

Installing PowerShell using the Homebrew tap method is also supported for stable and LTS versions.

You can now verify your install

When new versions of PowerShell are released, simply run the following command.

Note

Whether you use the cask or the tap method, when updating to a newer version of PowerShell, usethe same method you used to initially install PowerShell. If you use a different method, opening anew pwsh session will continue to use the older version of PowerShell.

If you do decide to use different methods, there are ways to correct the issue using theHomebrew link method.

Installation via Direct Download

Download the PKG package powershell-7.1.3-osx-x64.pkg from the releases page onto yourmacOS machine.

You can double-click the file and follow the prompts, or install it from the terminal:

Install OpenSSL. OpenSSL is needed for PowerShell remoting and CIMoperations.

Install as a .NET Global tool

If you already have the .NET Core SDK installed, it's easy to install PowerShellas a .NET Global tool.

The dotnet tool installer adds ~/.dotnet/tools to your PATH environment variable. However, thecurrently running shell does not have the updated PATH. You should be able to start PowerShellfrom a new shell by typing pwsh.

Install OpenSSL. OpenSSL is needed for PowerShell remoting and CIMoperations.

Binary Archives

Mac

PowerShell binary tar.gz archives are provided for the macOS platform to enable advanceddeployment scenarios. When you install using this method you must also manually install anydependencies.

Install OpenSSL. OpenSSL is needed for PowerShell remoting and CIMoperations.

Note

You can use this method to install any version of PowerShell including the latest:

  • Stable release: https://aka.ms/powershell-release?tag=stable
  • Preview release: https://aka.ms/powershell-release?tag=preview
  • LTS release: https://aka.ms/powershell-release?tag=lts

Installing binary archives on macOS

Installing dependencies

OpenSSL is required for PowerShell remoting and CIM operations. You can install OpenSSL via MacPortsif needed.

Note

MacPorts and Homebrew can have problems when used to together on the same system. However,Homebrew does not have a package for OpenSSL 1.0. For more information, see theMacPorts FAQ.

  1. Install the Xcode command-line tools. The Xcode tools are required by MacPorts.

  2. Install MacPorts. If you need instructions, refer to theinstallation guide.

  3. Update MacPorts by running sudo port selfupdate.

  4. Upgrade MacPorts packages by running sudo port upgrade outdated.

  5. Install OpenSSL by running sudo port install openssl10.

  6. Link the libraries to make them available to PowerShell:

Uninstalling PowerShell

If you installed PowerShell with Homebrew, use the following command to uninstall:

If you installed PowerShell via direct download, PowerShell must be removed manually:

To remove the additional PowerShell paths, refer to the paths section in this documentand remove the paths using sudo rm.

Note

This is not necessary if you installed with Homebrew.

Paths

  • $PSHOME is /usr/local/microsoft/powershell/7.1.3/
  • User profiles will be read from ~/.config/powershell/profile.ps1
  • Default profiles will be read from $PSHOME/profile.ps1
  • User modules will be read from ~/.local/share/powershell/Modules
  • Shared modules will be read from /usr/local/share/powershell/Modules
  • Default modules will be read from $PSHOME/Modules
  • PSReadline history will be recorded to ~/.local/share/powershell/PSReadLine/ConsoleHost_history.txt

The profiles respect PowerShell's per-host configuration. So the default host-specific profileexists at Microsoft.PowerShell_profile.ps1 in the same locations.

PowerShell respects the XDG Base Directory Specification on macOS.

Because macOS is a derivation of BSD, the prefix /usr/local is used instead of /opt. So,$PSHOME is /usr/local/microsoft/powershell/7.1.3/, and the symbolic link is placed at/usr/local/bin/pwsh.

Installation support

Microsoft supports the installation methods in this document. There may be other methods ofinstallation available from other sources. While those tools and methods may work, Microsoft cannotsupport those methods.

Additional Resources

So, you’ve decided to download an older version of Mac OS X. There are many reasons that could point you to this radical decision. To begin with, some of your apps may not be working properly (or simply crash) on newer operating systems. Also, you may have noticed your Mac’s performance went down right after the last update. Finally, if you want to run a parallel copy of Mac OS X on a virtual machine, you too will need a working installation file of an older Mac OS X. Further down we’ll explain where to get one and what problems you may face down the road.

A list of all Mac OS X versions

We’ll be repeatedly referring to these Apple OS versions below, so it’s good to know the basic macOS timeline.

Cheetah 10.0Puma 10.1Jaguar 10.2
Panther 10.3Tiger 10.4Leopard 10.5
Snow Leopard 10.6Lion 10.7Mountain Lion 10.8
Mavericks 10.9Yosemite 10.10El Capitan 10.11
Sierra 10.12High Sierra 10.13Mojave 10.14
Catalina 10.15

STEP 1. Prepare your Mac for installation

Given your Mac isn’t new and is filled with data, you will probably need enough free space on your Mac. This includes not just space for the OS itself but also space for other applications and your user data. One more argument is that the free space on your disk translates into virtual memory so your apps have “fuel” to operate on. The chart below tells you how much free space is needed.

Note, that it is recommended that you install OS on a clean drive. Next, you will need enough disk space available, for example, to create Recovery Partition. Here are some ideas to free up space on your drive:

  • Uninstall large unused apps
  • Empty Trash Bin and Downloads
  • Locate the biggest files on your computer:

Go to Finder > All My Files > Arrange by size
Then you can move your space hoggers onto an external drive or a cloud storage.
If you aren’t comfortable with cleaning the Mac manually, there are some nice automatic “room cleaners”. Our favorite is CleanMyMac as it’s most simple to use of all. It deletes system junk, old broken apps, and the rest of hidden junk on your drive.

Download CleanMyMac for OS 10.4 - 10.8 (free version)

Download CleanMyMac for OS 10.9 (free version)

Download CleanMyMac for OS 10.10 - 10.14 (free version)

STEP 2. Get a copy of Mac OS X download

Normally, it is assumed that updating OS is a one-way road. That’s why going back to a past Apple OS version is problematic. The main challenge is to download the OS installation file itself, because your Mac may already be running a newer version. If you succeed in downloading the OS installation, your next step is to create a bootable USB or DVD and then reinstall the OS on your computer.

How to download older Mac OS X versions via the App Store


If you once had purchased an old version of Mac OS X from the App Store, open it and go to the Purchased tab. There you’ll find all the installers you can download. However, it doesn’t always work that way. The purchased section lists only those operating systems that you had downloaded in the past. But here is the path to check it:

  1. Click the App Store icon.
  2. Click Purchases in the top menu.
  3. Scroll down to find the preferred OS X version.
  4. Click Download.

This method allows you to download Mavericks and Yosemite by logging with your Apple ID — only if you previously downloaded them from the Mac App Store.

Without App Store: Download Mac OS version as Apple Developer

If you are signed with an Apple Developer account, you can get access to products that are no longer listed on the App Store. If you desperately need a lower OS X version build, consider creating a new Developer account among other options. The membership cost is $99/year and provides a bunch of perks unavailable to ordinary users.

Nevertheless, keep in mind that if you visit developer.apple.com/downloads, you can only find 10.3-10.6 OS X operating systems there. Newer versions are not available because starting Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.7, the App Store has become the only source of updating Apple OS versions.

Purchase an older version of Mac operating system

You can purchase a boxed or email version of past Mac OS X directly from Apple. Both will cost you around $20. For the reason of being rather antiquated, Snow Leopard and earlier Apple versions can only be installed from DVD.

Buy a boxed edition of Snow Leopard 10.6
Get an email copy of Lion 10.7
Get an email copy of Mountain Lion 10.8

The email edition comes with a special download code you can use for the Mac App Store. Note, that to install the Lion or Mountain Lion, your Mac needs to be running Snow Leopard so you can install the newer OS on top of it.

How to get macOS El Capitan download

If you are wondering if you can run El Capitan on an older Mac, rejoice as it’s possible too. But before your Mac can run El Capitan it has to be updated to OS X 10.6.8. So, here are main steps you should take:

1. Install Snow Leopard from install DVD.
2. Update to 10.6.8 using Software Update.
3. Download El Capitan here.

“I can’t download an old version of Mac OS X”

If you have a newer Mac, there is no physical option to install Mac OS versions older than your current Mac model. For instance, if your MacBook was released in 2014, don’t expect it to run any OS released prior of that time, because older Apple OS versions simply do not include hardware drivers for your Mac.

But as it often happens, workarounds are possible. There is still a chance to download the installation file if you have an access to a Mac (or virtual machine) running that operating system. For example, to get an installer for Lion, you may ask a friend who has Lion-operated Mac or, once again, set up a virtual machine running Lion. Then you will need to prepare an external drive to download the installation file using OS X Utilities.

After you’ve completed the download, the installer should launch automatically, but you can click Cancel and copy the file you need. Below is the detailed instruction how to do it.

STEP 3. Install older OS X onto an external drive

Best In Show Mac Os Catalina

The following method allows you to download Mac OS X Lion, Mountain Lion, and Mavericks.

  1. Start your Mac holding down Command + R.
  2. Prepare a clean external drive (at least 10 GB of storage).
  3. Within OS X Utilities, choose Reinstall OS X.
  4. Select external drive as a source.
  5. Enter your Apple ID.

Now the OS should start downloading automatically onto the external drive. After the download is complete, your Mac will prompt you to do a restart, but at this point, you should completely shut it down. Now that the installation file is “captured” onto your external drive, you can reinstall the OS, this time running the file on your Mac.

  1. Boot your Mac from your standard drive.
  2. Connect the external drive.
  3. Go to external drive > OS X Install Data.

Locate InstallESD.dmg disk image file — this is the file you need to reinstall Lion OS X. The same steps are valid for Mountain Lion and Mavericks.

How to downgrade a Mac running later macOS versions

If your Mac runs macOS Sierra 10.12 or macOS High Sierra 10.13, it is possible to revert it to the previous system if you are not satisfied with the experience. You can do it either with Time Machine or by creating a bootable USB or external drive.
Instruction to downgrade from macOS Sierra

Instruction to downgrade from macOS High Sierra

Instruction to downgrade from macOS Mojave

Instruction to downgrade from macOS Catalina

Before you do it, the best advice is to back your Mac up so your most important files stay intact. In addition to that, it makes sense to clean up your Mac from old system junk files and application leftovers. The easiest way to do it is to run CleanMyMac X on your machine (download it for free here).

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Visit your local Apple Store to download older OS X version

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If none of the options to get older OS X worked, pay a visit to nearest local Apple Store. They should have image installations going back to OS Leopard and earlier. You can also ask their assistance to create a bootable USB drive with the installation file. So here you are. We hope this article has helped you to download an old version of Mac OS X. Below are a few more links you may find interesting.