In today’s age, Apple releases both minor and major software updates for all of its platforms as a free update. Which is good! But, there used to be a time when that was not the case. Now, Apple’s making it possible to download older versions of Mac OS for free that used to not be.
As first reported today by MacWorld, Apple is making it possible to download both Mac OS X Lion and Mountain Lion for free. It’s a possibility, anyway, Technically, the $20 upgrade fee that used to be present is still there. However, there’s a workaround.
If you visit the support pages for OS X Lion or Mountain Lion, you can hit the “Download” button at the top of the page to get the software for free. Apple does note in that documentation that these older software versions are only functional on older machines.
It’s worth noting here that these older versions of the software are “available for older systems that are not compatible with the latest version of macOS.” The support documentation goes on to add system requirements for OS X Lion:
- Mac computer with an Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, or Xeon processor
- OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.6 or later or OS X Lion 10.7 already installed
- 2GB of memory
- 7GB of available space
- Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply.
- Some features require a compatible Internet service provider; fees may apply.
And for OS X Mountain Lion:
- OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.8, Lion 10.7, or Mountain Lion 10.8 already installed
- 2 GB of memory
- 8 GB of available space
- Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply.
- Some features require a compatible Internet service provider; fees may apply.
With a list of Mac models supported by the desktop OS:
- iMac (Mid 2007-2020)
- MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer)
- MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer)
- MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer)
- Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer)
- Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer)
- Xserve (Early 2009)
So, as you can guess this is good news for folks who have older Mac models.