Apple released OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion at long last, after more than a year in development. First announced in February, third-party application developers have spent months preparing for the release. With Lion, Apple's marketing material began referring to 'OS X' rather than 'Mac OS X,' but with Mountain Lion all traces have been eradicated. Even the About this Mac box says 'OS X.').
Download Mac OS X Mountain Lion DMG Apple is one of the best tech companies out there that provides highly secure and powerful machines and software. Apple was founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in 1976. Since then, the company has developed several machines and software to run their machines and Apple was one of the first to develop and commercialize touch phones, which revolutionized the mobile industry.
Some of the popular products in their arsenal are iPhones, Macbooks, iMac, iPads, iPods, Apple Watches, Apple TVs, and HomePods. These devices run on software exclusively developed by Apple. Apple is well known for the features and security they provide to their users. Their devices are well built and run efficiently. Hence, they are used for performing high-end tasks like video editing, graphics design, audio editing, and software development.
The devices are costlier compared to Android and Windows but the security and UI are unmatched in the market. Apple has recently developed and released its first processor, the M1, to run their Mac machines which will make them even more powerful and increase their performance multi-fold.
What is Mac OS? Details in Depth!
Mac OS is the exclusive OS developed by Apple to run their iMac and MacBook (Macintosh) and is the second most used OS for desktop computers. The first Mac OS came in the year 2001 and since then, the OS has been upgraded to match the tech trends and to provide its users with better performance and functionalities. The user interface is very elegant and is easy to use. The Mac systems are quite powerfully built compared to their Windows counterparts and hence provide better performance in performing highly demanding tasks. The Mac OS is a UNIX based Operating System.
Features of Mac OS X Mountain Lion 10.8 ISO
These are some of the new Important Features of Mountain Lion 10.8 ISO:
- A multilingual OS that supports a total of 39 languages.
- Updates are frequently provided to give better functionalities and improve performance (the final update was released in 2015).
- Better and improved user interface for smooth navigation and efficient working.
- Automatic backup facilities to secure data on iCloud.
- Quick look features for easy previewing of files.
- Multiple beta releases for real-time testing of the OS before the actual release.
- Secure OS and 128-bit advanced data encryption to secure and protect data.
- OpenGL support.
- Improved dock.
- This update also improves the performance of the MacBook. Now, this will become 'the user interface becomes the MacBook interface'. In this update, Apple also fixes some problems regarding this.
- Mac OS X Mountain Lion is able to send a huge amount of data over the internet every day. In previous versions, this was not supported by the Mac. But in the new update, Apple will allow users to do this.
- It also fixes some screensaver issues which previously occurred in Mac OS. This update also solves the smart card problem. These two were the major issues in the previous.
- Mac OS version. But in Mountain Lion 10.8 and Mac OS X Yosemite 10.10, Apple is able to solve these kinds of problems.
Some features are added in the Mountain Lion 10.8 new version. They are very much useful for the users.
Mac OS X Mountain Lion 10.8
Mountain Lion is an OS developed by Apple for running its Macintosh and server computers, and was released in 2012. Mac Mountain Lion is the successor of the Mac Lion OS and is the ninth major release of the Mac OS. The OS is packed with many interesting features, making it one of the best OSes developed by Apple. The final update for the version,10.8.5, was released on August 13, 2015 and Apple stopped updating Mountain Lion OS.
Apple devices which support Mac OS X Mountain Lion 10.8 ISO
- MacBook (Early 2015).
- MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum).
- MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007).
- MacBook Air (Late 2008).
- Mac mini (Early 2009).
- iMac (Mid 2007).
- Mac Pro (Early 2008).
- Xserve (Early 2009).
How to download Mac OS X Mountain Lion 10.8 ISO File
These are the steps that the user should follow if they want to download the Mac OS Mountain Lion 10.8 ISO and DMG file:
- Go online and search for Mountain Lion 10.8 ISO Download.
- Select an authentic website to download the OS. Downloading files from inauthentic websites can lead to serious problems like accidental download of malicious files.
- On your PC, select a place where you want the ISO file to be downloaded.
- On the website, search for the download button or for a mirror link which will redirect you to an external website from where you can download the ISO file.
- You need a good internet connection to download the ISO file successfully.
- Once you are done downloading it, you can use the ISO file to install the OS on any Mac devices.
How to download Mac OS X Mountain Lion 10.8 DMG File
The user should follow these steps carefully:
- The download procedures are the same as that of the download procedures of ISO files but instead of searching for ISO, you need to search for Mac OS Mountain Lion 10.8 DMG file download.
- Choosing DMG over ISO will be more advantageous as DMG is the native image file format for Apple, hence the success rate in installing the OS will be high and the support for DMG file will be greater than ISO file on a Mac.
Mac OS Mountain Lion is a pretty good OS for Macintosh devices and provides good functionalities to the users. Older versions of Mac which do not support the latest versions of the Mac OS can still run Mountain Lion. Certain features can only be accessed if you have an Apple account. Apple still supports downloading and installing The Mac Mountain Lion OS on its machines. We hope that the article helped you understand more about the OS and encouraged you to download it.
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.
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.
Open source building design software.
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.
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 Software to decompress rar files.
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.
'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
Mountain Lion Apple Valley
Instruction to downgrade from macOS High Sierra
Mountain Lion Apple Download
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.