Performing an El Capitan-to-Sierra upgrade is easy. Although it does not come like a push-one-button-and-proceed method, the truth is it’s quite close.
Requirements for Upgrading from El Capitan to Sierra
Before we proceed with our step-by-step guide, allow us to answer an important question that some Mac users have in mind: “Can an old Mac still upgrade to Sierra?”
The answer is, of course, a YES. However, there are a few minimum requirements that need to be met, such as the following:
2 GB RAM
8 GB Storage Space
Mac Models: Late 2009 iMac, 2009 MacBook, 2010 MacBook Pro, 2010 MacBook Air, 2010 Mac Mini, 2010 Mac Pro
Once you are certain that your Mac has met the requirements above, make sure you have backed up your Mac. This backup will come in handy in case something comes up in the process of upgrading to High Sierra.
Upgrading from El Capitan to Sierra
8/10 (114 votes) - Download macOS El Capitan Mac Free. The twelfth version of Mac OS X appeared in 2015. MacOS El Capitan is the successor to Yosemite with improvements to its functions and graphical performance. MacOS is the current name of the former OS X, previously known as Mac OS X. I own a MacBook Pro mid-2009. I haven't been able to update my OS past El Capitan and I'm worried about security updates that aren't being addressed by running an older OS. The computer hardware seems to prevent me from making any OS updates. Are there any other solutions besides purchasing a new computer? Mac OS X El Capitan: Being the 12th major release of macOS, Mac OS X El Capitan belongs to the Macintosh-Unix family of OS.It was majorly released for server OS for Macintosh computers and Apple Inc.’s desktop. Being the successor of OS X Yosemite, it mainly focuses on stability, performance, and security.There is a history in its name. Jun 16, 2020 If you're using OS X El Capitan v10.11.5 or later and your App Store preferences or Software Update preferences are set to download new updates when available, macOS Catalina will download conveniently in the background, making it even easier to upgrade. A notification will inform you when macOS Catalina is ready to be installed.
After backing up your Mac’s important files and folders, it’s time to get started. Here’s how to upgrade from El Capitan to Sierra.
1. Download High Sierra from the App Store.
High Sierra is available for download from the App Store. To get it, follow these steps:
Open the Mac App Store by simply clicking on the App Store icon in the dock.
Navigate to the Featured tab.
Find macOS Sierra in the rightmost column and click on it.
Click Download.
At this point, the download will start. It may take long, especially if it’s your first time accessing the App Store. Just be patient.
Once the download is completed, the installer should launch automatically.
2. Start the Upgrade.
With the High Sierra installer ready, it’s time to actually install it. Here’s how:
The High Sierra installer should now be open on your Mac. If you have accidentally quit it, you can restart it by going to the Applications folder and double-clicking on the installer.
Click Continue to proceed.
Press on the Agree button to agree with the software licensing terms and agreements flashed on your screen.
Click on the Agree button again to verify your action.
Hit Install.
A new dialog box will pop up, requiring you to input your administrator password. Provide that information and click Add Helper.
The High Sierra installer will begin copying the system files to the new target drive. The progress will show in a new window.
As soon as all the system files are copied, your Mac will automatically reboot. Don’t panic if the restart process takes a while. It only means your Mac is coping with the installation process.
3. Utilize the Setup Assistant to Complete the Installation.
Your Mac should already be finished with the basic installation process. The next thing you should do is run the Setup Assistant to configure some important macOS High Sierra options and settings.
Take note, though, that if your Mac is configured to ask for your login details, a normal login window will show. Provide your login credentials so you can proceed with the following steps:
The Setup Assistant starts off by asking you for your Apple ID details. If you wish to leave everything as it is, click the Set Up Later option.
Let the Setup Assistant configure all vital services that need your Apple ID credentials. Simply provide your Apple ID password and hit Continue.
Click Agree if you agree with the Terms and Conditions flashed on your screen.
You will be asked to verify your action again. To continue, click Agree again.
The Setup Assistant should then continue with configuring your iCloud account information. It will also ask you whether you want to set up iCloud Keychain. You can just skip it to avoid confusing yourself.
Next, there will be options displayed on your screen regarding how you wish to use iCloud for storing images and documents. Choose which of them apply to you by clicking on the boxes next to each one of them:
Store Files from Documents and Desktop in iCloud Drive – This option will allow you to automatically upload files from your Desktop and Documents folder to your iCloud Drive. Be mindful, though, that Apple only offers a limited amount of storage space for free users. If all this free space is exhausted, you will be asked to purchase additional storage.
Store Photos and Videos in iCloud Photo Library – This will let you upload videos and images from your Photo Library to iCloud. As with the first option, you have to remember that you only have limited free storage space.
Hit Continue.
Wait for the Setup Assistant to finish the setup process.
You will know when it’s done because you will be taken to your desktop.
Summary
We hope you found this guide useful. But before you download macOS Sierra and perform an upgrade, do not forget to clean up your Mac with a reliable Mac repair tool first. This way, you can ensure that nothing comes your way and keeps you from making the most of High Sierra.
Did we miss some important steps above? Do you know other, easier methods to upgrade from El Capitan from Sierra? We’d love to know. Comment on them below!
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This tutorial article offers you with direct links to download El Capitan 10.11.6/10.11.4/10.11.2 and detail guidance to update Mac OS X to El Capitan without losing data. To do so, back up your Mac data first and then upgrade the Mac OS X. If you lost data during the Mac OS X upgrade process, download EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac to restore your lost data immediately. (Tips on this page are also applicable to upgrade the latest macOS Mojave, High Sierra, etc.)
PAGE CONTENT:
1. Check whether your Mac device is available for El Capitan update
2. Prepare Mac Ready for the El Capitan Update
3. Update Mac OS X to El Capitan (Download OS X 10.11.6)
Bonus Tip: Restore lost data after El Capitan update (without backups)
Picktorial 3 0 4. This page collects complete process for all old Mac OS X users to follow and upgrade their Mac into Mac El Capitan. (Tips on this page are also applicable to upgrade the latest macOS Mojave, High Sierra, etc.)
How To Update Macbook Pro Os X El Capitan 10 12
If you want to update Mac OS X to a higher version, you should follow this tutorial guide for help: update and install macOS Sierra.
1. Check whether your Mac device is available for El Capitan update
Macbook Pro Operating System
Before you take steps to update your present Mac OS X to El Capitan 10.11.6/10.11.2, it's highly recommended that you check whether your Mac computer and present OS X is available for download and install the new El Capitan. Check the below list and see whether your device or OS X can get the new update:
Supported Mac devices:
iMac (Mid 2007 or newer)
MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, Early 2009, or newer)
MacBook Pro (Mid 2007 or newer)
MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer)
Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer)
Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer)
Xserve (Early 2009)
Available OS X for El Capitan:
OS X Yosemite v10.10
OS X Mavericks v10.9
OS X Mountain Lion v10.8
OS X Lion v10.7
Mac OS X Snow Leopard v10.6.8
If your Mac OS X and devices are just right on the list, read on and follow below tips to prepare your Mac OS ready for El Capitan update.
2. Prepare Mac Ready for the El Capitan Update
Let's see what you should do to prepare your Mac devices fully ready for the new El Capitan 10.11.6, etc. update. And if this is your first time to update Mac OS X, follow tips below carefully:
Leave at least 2GB memory and 8.8 GB storage space on your Mac
Leave at least 45% battery on your Mac
Connect Mac to the internet or WiFi
Update your Mac Apps to the latest versions
Back up all your personal data and even create backups for your present Mac OS X through Time Machine
It's vitally important to back up important data on Mac to external storage devices, which will certainly help to avoid data loss issues due to Mac OS X update.
If you have forgotten to backup data, you may suffer data loss issue on Mac. And Mac data recovery software is the best tool to help you restore lost data. So now, you can follow the next tutorial tips to update your present Mac OS X into El Capitan.
3. Update Mac OS X to El Capitan (Download OS X 10.11.6)
So now you can update your Mac OS X to El Capitan now. Follow below steps and then update to El Capitan with ease:
Step 1. Go to Mac App Store and search El Capitan on Mac App Store or you can directly go the El Capitan page.
Step 2. Click the Download button for El Capitan. And here you can download the newest El Capitan or the exact version such as 10.11.6,10.11.4, 10.11.2, etc., and install on your Mac:
Download OS X El Capitan 10.11.6 (Offered by Apple)
Download OS X El Capitan 10.11.4 (Offered by Apple)
Download OS X El Capitan 10.11.2 (Offered by Apple)
When the downloading process is finished, the El Capitan installer will launch automatically.
If you are planning to download the latest macOS system like Mojave or High Sierra, go to Mac App Store and download the latest macOS.
Step 3. Click Continue and follow the instructions on your Mac device screen to install El Capitan on your Mac.
Usually, the process will not take you too long and just wait patiently to let the El Capitan installation process accomplish on your Mac. After this, you can restore your Mac backups from Time Machine and get all those data back to your Mac so to reuse them again.
Bonus Tip: Restore lost data after El Capitan update
This offer is specially designed for Mac users who have no backups or have forgotten to create data backup images after Mac OS X El Capitan update. If you have no Mac data backups and lost important data on Mac, EaseUS Mac data recovery software can help. Apple 3d animation software.
EaseUS Mac data recovery software, also named EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac, dedicates to restoring lost data for Mac users under complex circumstances such as data deletion, Mac hard drives formatting, storage devices corruption, even system crash or OS X reinstallation.
Macbook Pro Os Download
This software is fully compatible with all Mac OS X such as El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks and the latest new macOS Mojave, High Sierra, etc. Download it and follows below steps to restore lost data due to El Capitan update now.
Step 1. Where was data lost after operating system update? Choose the location and click Scan.
Step 2. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac will immediately scan your selected disk volume and display the scanning results on the left pane.
How To Update Macbook Pro Os X El Capitan 10 11 6
Step 3. After the scan, select the target files that were unknowingly lost during or after the update and click Recover Now button to get them all back.