El Capitan broke the App Store and Safari You’re now watching this thread and will receive emails when there’s activity. Click again to stop watching or visit your profile/homepage to manage your watched threads. Download Mac OS X El Capitan DMG File – (Direct Links) However, for downloading macOS X El Capitan, if you’ve an old version of macOS X, you can probably download macOS X El Capitan from the App Store. Otherwise, you can’t download macOS X El Capitan from the Store since it’s not available there.

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Instructions for making an external drive that you can use to install macOSSierra.

Roman Loyola By Roman Loyola

Senior Editor, Macworld | Jul 3, 2017 1:32 PM PT

macos sierra installer iconMore like this* macos high sierra iconHow to create a bootable macOS High Sierra installer drive* imac blank screen stockInstalling macOS or OS X: What to do when ‘the installer payloadfailed...* Mavericks installer iconHow to make a bootable Mavericks install drive* Macworld Podcast Episode 586VideoiMac Pro, Apple and Shazam, holiday wish lists, 2018 predictions:Macworld...

Apple uses its App Store to distribute its software, like new Macoperating systems. It’s convenient, but sometimes it can take a while fora download to finish. And if you have multiple Macs, it’s inefficient todownload the new OS to each and every Mac.

sierra external icon

That’s why I like to make a bootable external drive for the sole purposeof installing the Mac operating system. When I need to tend to a bunch ofMacs, it’s much faster to use a bootable drive instead of going to eachMac, launching the App Store, searching for the operating system,downloading it (after entering my Apple ID), and then running theinstaller.

Download El Capitan Installer

You can create a bootable USB flash drive with the macOS Sierra installerthat’s now available. The installer software will take up nearly 5GB ofstorage space. Here’s how to create a bootable macOS Sierra installerdrive.

Download the macOS Sierra installer

Launch the App Store app, then look for macOS Sierra in the store. (Here’sa link.) Click on the Download button, and your Mac will download theinstaller to your Applications folder. If it automatically launches afterdownload, quit the installer.

sierra beta installer app folder sierra gmKeep the installer in theApplications folder.

If you’ve already upgraded your Mac to Sierra, the installer is removedfrom the Applications folder. You can download it again if you go toPurchased in the App Store. Look for macOS Sierra in the list of apps thatyou’ve bought, and click on the Download button. If it automaticallylaunches after download, quit the installer.

Get an external drive

You can use a USB flash drive or a hard drive with room for the installersoftware. I’ve used different drives with success, including a VisionTek120GB USB 3.0 Pocket Solid State Drive ($83 on Amazon) and an old 8GBIomega Micro Mini Hard Drive.

Don’t worry if the drive isn’t formatted for the Mac. The drive will bereformatted automatically as part of the process. Change the name of yourdrive to Untitled; you need to do this for the steps below.

The quick and easy way

The process detailed below involves the Terminal. If your really don’twant to use Terminal, there are a couple of free apps you can use.

Use the Terminal to create a boot disk

terminal mac el capitan icon

So you have your external drive, and the Sierra beta installer is inplace. Now you’re going to use Terminal to create a boot drive. If you’venever used Terminal before, don’t worry. This is pretty easy.

Here are the steps to create a macOS Sierra beta boot disk. (Apple alsohas these instructions.)

How to boot from the installer drive

sierra installstartup option

El Capitan Link App Store App

To comment on this article and other Macworld content, visit our Facebookpage or our Twitter feed.Related:* Macs* Operating Systems* MacOS Hints* MacBooks* Mac Desktops* macOS* MacOS Sierra

Roman has covered technology since the early 1990s. His career started atMacUser, and he's worked for MacAddict, Mac|Life, and TechTV. He's alsowritten for MacRumors and Realtor.com.

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• Reinstall El Capitan on a computer alreadyrunning it

Upgrade from previous versions to OS X 10.11 (El Capitan)

1. From the Apple menu, select App Store....
2. When the App Store opens, search for and download El Capitan. If you don't already have an Apple ID, you'll need to create one. You can monitor the download process in the 'Purchased' section of the App Store.
3. Once the download is complete, the installer should automatically open.

   If it doesn't, or you don't want to complete the installation at this time, you can come back later and double-click Install OS X El Capitan in your Applications folder.

   Within the installer, click Continue, agree to the license agreement, and then choose the disk where you want to install El Capitan.

   After you begin the installation, your computer may need to restart more than once before finishing, and then you may be asked to enter basic information.

4. From the Apple menu, select App Store..., and then install any available updates.

Reinstall El Capitan on a computer already running it

Reinstall while keeping files, applications, and settings

1. Restart your computer, and immediately hold down command-r until the gray Apple logo appears.
2. If prompted, select your main language and then click the arrow.
3. Click Reinstall OS X, and then Continue. Follow the instructions on the screen, and then choose your hard disk. Click Install, and enter your Apple ID information if prompted.
4. When the installation is complete, select App Store... from the Apple menu, and install any available updates.

Reinstall while erasing everything on your computer

1. Restart your computer, and immediately hold down command-r until the gray Apple logo appears.

2. If you see a screen asking you to select your main language, choose it, and then click the arrow.
3. Click Disk Utility, and then Continue.
4. In Disk Utility:
   1. Click your hard disk in the left column, and then click the Erase tab.
   2. Next to 'Format:', make sure OS X Extended (Journaled) is selected. In the 'Name:' field, give your disk a name. Click Erase.
   3. Once it's completed, quit Disk Utility.
5. Click Reinstall OS X, and then Continue:
   1. Follow the instructions on the screen, and then choose your hard disk.
   2. Click Install. If prompted, enter your Apple ID information.
   3. Once the installation is complete, you'll be asked to enter basic information, and have the option to transfer data from another computer or backup.
6. From the Apple menu, select App Store, and then install any available updates.