How To Reinstall Snow Leopard On Macbook



Snow Leopard's installer is smart enough to reinstall OS stuff and leave your prefs/files alone. Just pop in the SL DVD and it'll detect that SL is already installed and ask if you want to re-install. It should also install in such a way that 10.6.1 will still be intact after the install. Snow Leopard OS X 10.6 was the earliest version that allowed access to the Mac App store. It was the only way for anyone with an old Mac to upgrade to newer Mac operating systems. Apple didn't configure the installer to check for qualifying installed versions of Leopard. So, the upgrade version works like a full-install version.

  1. Reinstall Ios On Macbook Pro
  2. Reinstall Macbook Air Os
  3. Macbook Pro Reinstall Os
  4. How To Install Snow Leopard On Macbook

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

Reinstall macbook air os

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

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).

Visit your local Apple Store to download older OS X version

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.

These might also interest you:

Here is how to change your Mac’s name. This method works on both OS X Lion and Snow Leopard.

Your Mac’s computer name is used to identify it on the network. By default, other computers will see your Mac as something like “Tasman Hayes’s MacBook Air“. I like to change it to something simple like “tazair“.

To change the Mac’s name:

  1. Click the Apple menu at the top and choose System Preferences…
  2. Click the Sharing icon. (It’s in the Internet & Wireless section, third row down.)
  3. In the Computer Name field, type your Mac’s new name.
  4. Click the red cross in the top left corner of the window. This will close the Sharing preferences window and apply your Mac name change.

Did you know in geek speak the Mac computer name is called a host name, or hostname?This is because Mac OSX’s was developed in part from Unix, which uses this term.

Tested on Mac OS X Lion 10.7 and Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6 (10.6.7, 10.6.8).

Reinstall Ios On Macbook Pro

This content has been archived, and is no longer maintained by Indiana University. Information here may no longer be accurate, and links may no longer be available or reliable.

Note: To install or upgrade other versions of OS X,see ARCHIVED: How do I install OS X 10.9 (Mavericks)?, ARCHIVED: How do I install OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion)?, orARCHIVED: How do I install OS X 10.7 (Lion)?

Before attempting to install or upgrade Mac OS X, verify that yourcomputer meets the minimum system requirements. Then, continue yourinstallation or upgrade.

Reinstall Macbook Air Os

Install Snow Leopard while keeping files,applications, and settings

If you follow these steps, the installer will replace your operatingsystem if one is already present, but will preserve your accountinformation and personal files. You may have to reinstall someapplications, however.

Macbook Pro Reinstall Os

  1. Insert the install disc (or the first install disc if you havemore than one) into your disc drive. Restart your computer whileholding down the c key. This causes yourcomputer to start up from the install disc rather than your harddrive. When you see the gray Apple insignia, releasec.
  2. The Mac OS X installer should open automatically. Follow theon-screen prompts to read and accept the license agreement and beginthe installation. When prompted to choose a destination disk, selectyour preferred location and click Install.
  3. When the Mac OS X installation finishes with the disc, restartyour computer. After the installation completes, a configurationprogram may begin automatically if you are installing for the firsttime. You will need to supply basic setup information for yourcomputer.
  4. Update your system software to ensure that you have the mostrecent operating system components. From the Apple menu, selectSoftware Update..., and then follow the instructions onthe screen. Often, you will have to restart your computer, and you mayhave to run Software Update multiple times before it can completelyupdate your system.

Install Snow Leopard while erasing everything onyour computer

If you follow these steps, everything that's currently on yourcomputer will be erased, and a new version of Snow Leopard installed.Make sure you've backed up your documents, music, pictures, movies,and other personal files before you proceed.

How To Install Snow Leopard On Macbook

  1. Insert the install disc (or the first install disc if you havemore than one) into your disc drive. Restart your computer whileholding down the c key. This causes yourcomputer to start up from the install disc rather than your harddrive. When you see the gray Apple insignia, releasec.
  2. Choose your preferred language if prompted, and the Mac OS Xinstaller should open automatically. From the Utilities menu,select Disk Utility....
  3. In Disk Utility, click your hard disk in the left column, and thenclick the Erase tab. Next to 'Format:', make sure Mac OSExtended (Journaled) is selected, and then give your disk a namenext to 'Name:'. If you would like to securely erase your data, clickSecurity Options..., click your preferred option, andclick OK. When you're ready, click Erase...,and then Erase again to erase your disk. Once it'scompleted, quit Disk Utility to return to the installer.
  4. Back in the installer, click Continue, read and acceptthe license agreement, and begin the installation. When prompted tochoose a destination disk, select your preferred location, and theninstall.
  5. When the Mac OS X installation finishes with the disc, restartyour computer. After the installation completes, a configurationprogram may begin automatically if you are installing for the firsttime. You will need to supply basic setup information for yourcomputer.
  6. Update your system software to ensure you have the most recentoperating system components. From the Apple menu, select SoftwareUpdate..., and then follow the instructions on thescreen. Often, you will have to restart your computer, and you mayhave to run Software Update multiple times before it can completelyupdate your system.