Apple is set to release OS X 10.11 El Capitan. Is your current Mac compatible with El Capitan and, if so, how do you go about downloading and installing the new Mac OS? Read on for answers and other El Capitan preparation tips.

El Capitan

1. When and where can I download El Capitan?

Starting Wednesday, September 30, Mac OS X 10.11 El Capitan will be available for download from the Mac App Store.

2. How much will it cost?

Not a cent. Like OS X 10.10 Yosemite before it, El Capitan will be free.

3. Will my old Mac be able to run El Capitan?

The minimum hardware requirements for OS X 10.11 El Capitan remain the same as they were for Yosemite. Here are the Macs that will run El Capitan:

  • iMac (Mid 2007 or newer)
  • MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer)
  • MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer)
  • Mac Mini (Early 2009 or newer)
  • MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer)
  • Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer)
  • Xserve (Early 2009)

Also, if you haven’t updated your Mac’s operating system in a number of years, then you need to check to see if you are running at least OS X 10.6.8 Snow Leopard, which was released way back in 2009. Its 10.6.6 update introduced the Mac App Store, which you’ll need in order to download El Capitan. You need be running one of the following:

2. How much will it cost?

Not a cent. Like OS X 10.10 Yosemite before it, El Capitan will be free.

3. Will my old Mac be able to run El Capitan?

The minimum hardware requirements for OS X 10.11 El Capitan remain the same as they were for Yosemite. Here are the Macs that will run El Capitan:

  • iMac (Mid 2007 or newer)
  • MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer)
  • MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer)
  • Mac Mini (Early 2009 or newer)
  • MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer)
  • Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer)
  • Xserve (Early 2009)

Also, if you haven’t updated your Mac’s operating system in a number of years, then you need to check to see if you are running at least OS X 10.6.8 Snow Leopard, which was released way back in 2009. Its 10.6.6 update introduced the Mac App Store, which you’ll need in order to download El Capitan. You need be running one of the following:

OS X 10.10 Yosemite

 

5. How much space will I need?

Apple has not stated how big a download El Capitan will be, but if OS X 10.10 Yosemite is any indication, you will need roughly 8GB of hard-drive space. Yosemite also required at least 2GB of memory, a threshold your Mac likely meets.

You can find out how much memory and hard-drive space your Mac has by clicking About This Mac from the Apple menu.

Reference: Cnet

See also: How to remove the El Capitan beta and go back to Yosemite | Revert to OS X 10.10 Yosemite from El Capitan

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