However, if you are still unable to install, perhaps you should include in your question the steps you used to create the installer.

Since you have stated you have correctly created the USB Mountain Lion installer, I will not post how to do so. You should choose 'Mac OS Extended (Journaled)' as the format. After booting from the Mountain Lion installer, you will need to open the Disk Utility and erase the entire internal drive. My 2011 iMac will boot without any issues.Ĭatalina uses APFS which will not be recognized by Mountain Lion. OS X 10.8.4 and I can not boot from any OS X 10.8.5 installer created using instructions given in this answer. However, shows the earliest OS X that can installed on my iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2013) is Therefore, you should be able to install Mountain Lion on your Mac. Download for free OS X Lion on Apple’s support page here or OS X Mountain Lion on Apple’s support page here.A quick check at shows the earliest OS X that can be installed on a 2012 MacBook Pro model is between OS X 10.7 3 and OS X 10.8.2 inclusively.Pay for OS X Lion and Mountain Lion $19.99 through the Apple Store.So if by any chance you have an old Mac and want to install an old version, you can choose one of the two paths: The new M1 Macs, for example, can only be restored to macOS 11 Big Sur. For example, only Macs launched before 2012 are eligible to install them and the user must factory reset their computer to be able to run these older OS X systems. Why would I install an older Mac OS X software?Īs for now, a limited number of Macs can install these old operating systems. OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.8, Lion 10.7, or Mountain Lion 10.8 already installedĪpple notes that Macs shipped with Mac OS X Mountain Lion cannot install OS X Lion while Macs shipped with Mac OS Mavericks or later cannot install Mountain Lion.Mac OS X Mountain Lion requires the following technologies: Some features require a compatible Internet service provider fees may apply.Some features require an Apple ID terms apply.OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.6 or later or OS X Lion 10.7 already installed.Mac computer with an Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, or Xeon processor.

Mac OS X 10.7 Lion is available for older systems that are not compatible with the latest version of macOS and requires the following: Ten years ago, users needed to pay Apple $19.99 for the latest version of its OS X, and now you can finally download these two for free.Īs reported by MacWorld, through support pages, it’s possible to download them for free. Released in 20, Mac OS X Lion and OS X Mountain Lion were the last paid software updates for the Mac.

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