Download Mac OS X Lion from the Mac App Store ($29.99) Got all that? Good, let’s proceed. How to Create a Bootable Mac OS X Lion Installation USB Drive We’re going to assume you already have Mac OS X Lion downloaded from the App Store, if you don’t, do that first. Download Lion from the Mac App Store—but don't install it yet, because of the disappearing installer issue noted above. Find the installer in your Applications folder and right-click on it then. Note that this article covers versions of Mac OS X Prior to Lion (Mac OS X 10.7). We also have instructions for creating a Lion-installer drive. Step 1: Disk Utility.
Download Mac Os X Lion To Flash Driver
Right Click on your USB drive option in TransMac and select Format Disk for Mac After that, right-click the USB Drive and select Restore with Disk Image Point to your Mac OS.dmg or.iso file by clicking the add button. After that TransMac will create bootable Mac OS USB within few minutes.
Apple Mac OS X Lion is now available to general public. The Mac OS X 10.7 Lion is available for installation only from the Mac App Store. This guide will teach you how to create a bootable USB Flash drive of Mac OS X Lion 10.7 and install Lion from USB, rather than downloading it from Mac App Store on each and every Mac computer you own.
Despite of numerous great and awesome features, Mac OSX Lion 10.7 has a big flaw that it is not available in bootable USB or DVD right now. Every time you you want to install OSX Lion on a Mac you will need to download it from Mac App Store all over again. Thanks to the bootable USB method which eliminates the downloading of Mac OS X Lion for each and every device and lets you install Mac OS X Lion on any Mac.
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Note: An official bootable USB of Mac OSX ion 10.7 will be available in August 2011 for $69. This method not only eliminates the wait for the official, it also saves you $40 (Mac App Store version costs $29).
Creating a bootable Mac OS X Lion 10.7 USB Flash drives requires medium level Mac knowledge, however, by following these simple instructions even a beginner should be able to install Mac OS X Lion via USB Flash Drive.
Why make a bootable Lion USB drive?
- You can perform a clean OS X Lion installation with the bootable USB drive
- The bootable Lion USB drive becomes a recovery disk with Disk Utility access, access to Time Machine backups, re-installation, and all other Recovery HD partition features
- You will have external media to recover and reinstall Lion in the event of total drive failure or some other catastrophe
Required Stuff
- Purchase and Download Mac OS X Lion from the App Store
- 4GB USB Flash drive (8GB recommended)
If you have arranged the above mentioned items, simply follow the detailed guide below to create a bootable Mac OS X Lion 10.7 USB Flash Drive…
Step 1 – Locate the Lion InstallESD.dmg file
Once the Lion downloading is complete, go to the Applications folder and find the Install Mac OS X Lion.app file you just downloaded;
Right click on the Install Mac OS X Lion.app file and select Show Package Contents;
Right click on the Install Mac OS X Lion.app file and select Show Package Contents;
Now go to Contents > SharedSupport directory. Locate the file named: InstallESD.dmg and copy it on your desktop.
Step 2 – Format The USB
- Before formatting, If you have any data on your USB drive then save it;
- Plug the USB flash drive into your Mac;
- Launch Disk Utility from Applications;
- Select the plugged USB from the Left pane on the Disk Utility and click on Partition tab;
- Select 1 Partition from the Volume Scheme dropdown menu;
- Input a name for the USB and Choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled);
- Now click on Options button at the bottom. Select GUID Partition Table and click OK. Now click on Apply at the bottom right to start formatting.
Step 3 – Make Mac OS X Lion Bootable USB
- Double-click on InstallESD.dmg (that you copied onto your Mac desktop) to mount the Lion disk image (mounted InstallESD.dmg should appear on Disk Utility application and desktop);
- Select the plugged USB from the Left pane on the Disk Utility and then go to Restore tab;
- Click and drag the IMac OS X Install ESD from the left pane and drop it in the Source field;
- Then Click and Drag the USB drive from the left pane and drop it in the Destination field;
- Make sure you have chosen the right USB drive, you don’t want to format the wrong drive and then click on Restore button;
- This will restore the Lion 10.7 image to the USB Flash drive. Wait for the process to complete.
Step 4 – Boot Mac OS X Lion from USB
- Reboot your Mac with the USB drive plugged in.
- Hold down the alt/Option key on your keyboard when you hear the OS X start-up sound.
- Choose the USB Flash Drive from there to boot.
- Now follow the on screen instructions to install OS X Lion.
You can follow the Step 4 to install Lion on other Macs with the bootable USB you just created.
![Lion Lion](/uploads/1/1/8/5/118528925/144207139.jpg)
[via Lifehacker]
Related Content
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.
![Download mac os x lion to flash drives Download mac os x lion to flash drives](/uploads/1/1/8/5/118528925/658056340.jpg)
A list of all Mac OS X versions
We’ll be repeatedly referring to these Apple OS versions below, so it’s good to know the basic macOS timeline.
Cheetah 10.0 | Puma 10.1 | Jaguar 10.2 |
Panther 10.3 | Tiger 10.4 | Leopard 10.5 |
Snow Leopard 10.6 | Lion 10.7 | Mountain Lion 10.8 |
Mavericks 10.9 | Yosemite 10.10 | El Capitan 10.11 |
Sierra 10.12 | High Sierra 10.13 | Mojave 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.
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:
- Click the App Store icon.
- Click Purchases in the top menu.
- Scroll down to find the preferred OS X version.
- 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
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.
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.
- Start your Mac holding down Command + R.
- Prepare a clean external drive (at least 10 GB of storage).
- Within OS X Utilities, choose Reinstall OS X.
- Select external drive as a source.
- 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.
- Boot your Mac from your standard drive.
- Connect the external drive.
- 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 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.