Some apps will require a paid upgrade, so factor that cost into the equation.

Some developers may not have released El Capitan-compatible apps yet, so things that used to work might not work the same once you've upgraded.

It's a good idea to upgrade any and all apps (those downloaded from the Mac App Store and those that have come directly from the vendor) that you use before shifting up to El Capitan. If you're not that familiar with the OS X file system then there are apps that can help you do this, such as DaisyDisk or Clean My Mac. If you know your way around OS X then you'll know some of the places to look for detritus that you can delete (think the Downloads or MobileSync folders, or that folder on your desktop where you keep all the funny memes and cat videos you've found). You're going to need around 10GB of free space to carry out the upgrade.

MacBook Pro: 13-inch, Mid 2009 or newer | 15-inch, Mid/Late 2007 or newer | 17-inch, Late 2007 or newer.

MacBook: Aluminum Late 2008 | Early 2009 or newer.

Here is a complete list of compatible Macs: The privilege of upgrading to Snow Leopard just so you can download the free El Capitan upgrade will cost you $20. If you're running OS X 10.5 Leopard then you'll have to upgrade to Snow Leopard first via the old-school method of using a DVD. Upgrades to El Capitan are possible from OS X versions going back to Snow Leopard (10.6).

The simple rule of thumb is that if you're running OS X 10.9 Mavericks or OS X 10.10 Yosemite then you're good to go, although not all features will be available to those running older hardware. The best DNS blockers and firewalls: Secure your home or office network.How a digital cold war with Russia threatens the IT industry.

Ukraine calls for volunteer hackers to protect critical infrastructure.Open that app from your Applications folder to start installing the operating system. Safari will download the following older installers as a disk image named InstallOS.dmg or InstallMacOSX.dmg. macOS High Sierra can upgrade Sierra, El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks or Mountain Lion.macOS Mojave can upgrade High Sierra, Sierra, El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks or Mountain Lion.

macOS Catalina can upgrade Mojave, High Sierra, Sierra, El Capitan, Yosemite or Mavericks.macOS Big Sur can upgrade Catalina, Mojave, High Sierra, Sierra, El Capitan, Yosemite or Mavericks.After you've downloaded the installer from the App Store, the installer will open automatically. Safari uses these links to find the old installers in the App Store.

How to update my mac to os x el capitan