Whether or not you've downloaded it in the past, you can now download OS X El Capitan 10.11.6 (6.21 GB) via this link which will open first in the Browser, then in the App Store. OS X El Capitan This version of OS X El Capitan is for users running OS X Snow Leopard who would like to upgrade to macOS Sierra. Whether or not you've downloaded it in the past, you can now download OS X El Capitan 10.11.6 (6.21 GB) via this linkwhich will open first in the Browser, then in the App Store. OS X El Capitan This version of OS X El Capitan is for users running OS X Snow Leopard who would like to upgrade to macOS Sierra. If you are running Snow.

I know that in the past if I've previously downloaded OS X El Capitan from the App Store I could download it again from the Purchased tab in the App Store, however now that macOS Sierra is out I'm not able to download it as it says INSTALLED (and grayed out) even on a system running OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.5. Pressing any key combination, e.g control, option, etc. doesn't change the button to DOWNLOAD. All other previous versions of OS X can still be downloaded from my Purchased tab in App Store as they still say DOWNLOAD and are not grayed out, thus active.

The image below is from a system running OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.5, does not have OS X El Capitan installed on it or even the Install OS X El Capitan.app on its filesystem, yet it says it's installed and grayed out.

To get the latest features and maintain the security, stability, compatibility, and performance of your Mac, it's important to keep your software up to date. Apple recommends that you always use the latest macOS that is compatible with your Mac.

Learn how to upgrade to macOS Big Sur, the latest version of macOS.

How To Download El Capitan From App Store

Check compatibility

The version of macOS that came with your Mac is the earliest version it can use. For example, if your Mac came with macOS Big Sur, it will not accept installation of macOS Catalina or earlier.

If a macOS can't be used on your Mac, the App Store or installer will let you know. For example, it might say that it's not compatible with this device or is too old to be opened on this version of macOS. To confirm compatibility before downloading, check the minimum hardware requirements:

• macOS Catalina 10.15 hardware requirements
• macOS Mojave 10.14 hardware requirements
• macOS High Sierra 10.13 hardware requirements
• macOS Sierra 10.12 hardware requirements
• OS X El Capitan 10.11 hardware requirements
• OS X Yosemite 10.10 hardware requirements

Download macOS using Safari on your Mac

Safari uses these links to find the old installers in the App Store. After downloading from the App Store, the installer opens automatically.

• macOS Catalina 10.15 can upgrade Mojave, High Sierra, Sierra, El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks
• macOS Mojave 10.14 can upgrade High Sierra, Sierra, El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks, Mountain Lion
• macOS High Sierra 10.13 can upgrade Sierra, El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks, Mountain Lion

Safari downloads the following older installers as a disk image named InstallOS.dmg or InstallMacOSX.dmg. Open the disk image, then open the .pkg installer inside the disk image. It installs an app named Install [Version Name]. Open that app from your Applications folder to begin installing the operating system.

El Capitan Download From App Store Logo

• macOS Sierra 10.12 can upgrade El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks, Mountain Lion, or Lion
• OS X El Capitan 10.11 can upgrade Yosemite, Mavericks, Mountain Lion, Lion, or Snow Leopard
• OS X Yosemite 10.10can upgrade Mavericks, Mountain Lion, Lion, or Snow Leopard