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Simply speaking, Macs cannot boot into an OS X version older than the one they shipped with when new, even if it’s installed in a virtual machine. You may find you can’t install an old version of Mac OS X on a new Mac because the drivers for the hardware in your new Mac simply don’t exist in the old software, so it can’t run. Now for the bad news: It is unlikely that your Mac will be able to run a version of macOS or Mac OS X that is older than the one that was installed on it when you bought it.
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First you need to confirm that your Mac will be able to run the version of macOS or Mac OS X you want to install.Īs a guide, expect your Mac to be able to run any version of macOS or Mac OS X that was supported when that Mac launched, and any that were released in the few years immediately following your purchase.
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