Updated and republished for macOS 11.2.2; skip it unless you really really care about all the macOS releases. Originally published on November 14th, 2005.
Updating a Mac to OS X 10.11.6 El Capitan. The easiest way to download and update to MacOS X 10.11.6 is through the App Store. Always back up a Mac before beginning any software update. Go to the Apple menu and choose 'App Store', then select the 'Updates' tab. MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014), OS X Yosemite (10.10.5) Posted on Feb 23, 2017 5:50 PM. The all new OS X 10.11.6 for Mac has been released by Apple as beta update for OS X developers and non-developers (public beta testers). Mac OS X El Capitan 10.11.6 Beta (Build: 15G26a) is now available for update / upgrade / installation on Mac devices running an old OS X versions. The Direct Download Links of OS X 10.11.6 Beta Delta / Combo.DMG Update Files are available below.
Below the break is a table showing all major releases of macOS (previously Mac OS X) from the public beta through the latest public version, which is 11.2.2, as of February 25th, 2021—the 146th release in total.
Note: Click the ⓘ symbol to read Apple's release notes for a given update.
The following was culled from Apple's support downloads page, and as such, some of the dates may be off just a bit. If you know for certain that something is incorrect, please let me know and I'll get it fixed. (Scroll to see all entries.)
Date | Version | Comments | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Feb 25 | 16 | 11.2.2 | 2.17 GB | ⓘ |
| Feb 9 | 8 | 11.2.1 | 2.43 GB | ⓘ | |
| Feb 1 | 49 | 11.2 | 3.25 GB | ⓘ | |
| 2020 | Dec 14 | 25 | 11.1 | 3.27 GB | ⓘ |
| Nov 19 | 7 | 11.0.1 | 2.81 GB | ⓘ First general release of Big Sur | |
| Nov 12 | 7 | 11.0 | 12.18 GB | ⓘBig Sur - 11.0 only shipped on M1 Macs | |
| Nov 5 | 43 | 10.15.7 SU1 | 1.21 GB | ⓘ | |
| Sep 23 | 42 | 10.15.7 | 2.86 GB | ⓘ | |
| Aug 12 | 28 | 10.15.6 SU1 | 3.22GB GB | ⓘ | |
| Jul 15 | 44 | 10.15.6 | 3.35 GB | ⓘ | |
| Jun 1 | 6 | 10.15.5 SU1 | 1.59 GB | ⓘ | |
| May 26 | 48 | 10.15.5 | 3.37 GB | ⓘ | |
| May 21 | -- | 10.14.6 SU4 | 151 MB | Fixes a launch issue for certain 32-bit apps | |
| Apr 8 | 15 | 10.15.4 SU1 | 1.38 GB | ⓘ | |
| Mar 24 | 56 | 10.15.4 | 3.0 GB | ⓘ | |
| Jan 28 | 49 | 10.15.3 | 3.0 GB | ⓘ | |
| 2019 | Dec 10 | 42 | 10.15.2 | 3.0 GB | ⓘ |
| Oct 29 | 14 | 10.15.1 | 4.5 GB | ⓘ | |
| Oct 15 | 8 | 10.15 SU1 | 985 MB | No info page | |
| Oct 7 | 11 | 10.15 | 4.9 GB | ⓘCatalina - You need more permission! | |
| Sep 26 | 31 | 10.14.6 SU3 | 1.32 GB | ⓘ | |
| Aug 26 | 25 | 10.14.6 SU2 | 1.25 GB | ⓘ | |
| Aug 1 | 10 | 10.14.6 SU1 | 949 MB | ⓘ | |
| Jul 22 | 70 | 10.14.6 | 2.7 GB | ⓘ | |
| May 13 | 49 | 10.14.5 | 2.5 GB | ⓘ | |
| Mar 25 | 62 | 10.14.4 | 2.8 GB | ⓘ | |
| Jan 22 | 48 | 10.14.3 | 2.0 GB | ⓘ | |
| 2018 | Dec 5 | 28 | 10.14.2 | 2.5 GB | ⓘ |
| Nov 7 | 8 | 10.14.1 SU1 | 1.3 GB | ⓘ For 2018 MacBook Air | |
| Oct 30 | 36 | 10.14.1 | 3.3 GB | ⓘ | |
| Sep 24 | 27 | 10.14 | 5.2 GB | ⓘ Mojave - You need permission! | |
| Aug 28 | 38 | 10.13.6 SU2 | 1.32 GB | ⓘ For 2018 Touch Bar MBP…again | |
| Jul 24 | 15 | 10.13.6 SU1 | 1.31 GB | ⓘ For 2018 Touch Bar MBP | |
| Jul 9 | 38 | 10.13.6 | 1.32 GB | ⓘ AirPlay 2 | |
| Jun 1 | 64 | 10.13.5 | 2.12 GB | ⓘ Messages in iCloud | |
| Mar 29 | 37 | 10.13.4 | 2.36 GB | ⓘ Sortable Safari bookmarks!! | |
| Feb 20 | 28 | 10.13.3 SU | 40.4 MB | ⓘ Indian character/Messages crash fix | |
| Jan 23 | 33 | 10.13.3 | 1.97 GB | ⓘ | |
| Jan 8 | 33 | 10.13.2 SU | 633.6 MB | ⓘ Spectre and Meltdown fixes | |
| 2017 | Dec 6 | 36 | 10.13.2 | 2.08 GB | ⓘ |
| Oct 31 | 26 | 10.13.1 | 1.47 GB | ⓘ | |
| Oct 5 | 10 | 10.13 SU | 915 MB | ⓘ Addresses two security issues | |
| Sep 25 | 68 | 10.13 | 4.8 GB | ⓘ High Sierra - Higher in the mountains? | |
| Jul 19 | 65 | 10.12.6 | 1.98 GB | ⓘ | |
| May 15 | 49 | 10.12.5 | 1.57 GB | ⓘ | |
| Mar 27 | 63 | 10.12.4 | 1.56 GB | ⓘ Night Shift | |
| Jan 23 | 41 | 10.12.3 | 1.05 GB | ⓘ | |
| 2016 | Dec 13 | 50 | 10.12.2 | 1.94 GB | ⓘ |
| Oct 24 | 34 | 10.12.1 | 1.36 GB | ⓘ | |
| Sep 20 | 64 | 10.12 | 4.77 GB | ⓘ Sierra - Still in the mountains. | |
| Jul 18 | 63 | 10.11.6 | 759 MB | ⓘ | |
| May 16 | 57 | 10.11.5 | 759 MB | ⓘ | |
| Mar 20 | 61 | 10.11.4 | 1.58 GB | ⓘ | |
| Jan 19 | 41 | 10.11.3 | 662 MB | ⓘ | |
| 2015 | Dec 9 | 49 | 10.11.2 | 1.4 GB | ⓘ |
| Oct 21 | 21 | 10.11.1 | 1.19 GB | ⓘ | |
| Sep 30 | 48 | 10.11 | 6.08 GB | ⓘ El Capitan - Go climb something! | |
| Aug 13 | 44 | 10.10.5 | 1.02 GB | ⓘ | |
| Jun 30 | 75 | 10.10.4 | 1.09 GB | ⓘ | |
| Apr 16 | 8 | 10.10.3 SU | 1.8 MB | ⓘ Supplemental Update | |
| Apr 8 | 71 | 10.10.3 | 1.52 GB | ⓘ Includes Photos app | |
| Jan 27 | 71 | 10.10.2 | 544 MB | ⓘ | |
| 2014 | Nov 17 | 32 | 10.10.1 | 311 MB | ⓘ |
| Oct 16 | 29 | 10.10 | 5.2 GB | ⓘ Yosemite - No surfers here. | |
| Sep 17 | 79 | 10.9.5 | 139 MB | ⓘ | |
| Jun 30 | 46 | 10.9.4 | 283 MB | ⓘ | |
| May 15 | 79 | 10.9.3 | 461 MB | ⓘ | |
| Feb 25 | 71 | 10.9.2 | 460 MB | ⓘ | |
| 2013 | Dec 16 | 55 | 10.9.1 | 243.4 MB | ⓘ |
| Oct 22 | 19 | 10.9 | 5.3 GB | ⓘ Mavericks - All out of big cats! | |
| Oct 3 | 21 | 10.8.5 SU | 19.6 MB | ⓘ Supplemental Update | |
| Sep 12 | 100 | 10.8.5 | 273.7 MB | ⓘ | |
| Jun 4 | 82 | 10.8.4 | 152.0 MB | ⓘ | |
| Mar 14 | 161 | 10.8.3 | 249.0 MB | ⓘ | |
| 2012 | Oct 4 | 15 | 10.8.2 SU | 26.7 MB | ⓘ Supplemental Update |
| Sep 19 | 27 | 10.8.2 | 665.5 MB | ⓘ | |
| Aug 23 | 29 | 10.8.1 | 24.2 MB | ⓘ | |
| Jul 25 | 77 | 10.8 | 4.1 GB | ⓘ Mountain Lion - App Store only | |
| Oct 4 | 15 | 10.7.5 SU | 2.0 MB | ⓘ Supplemental Update | |
| Sep 19 | 133 | 10.7.5 | 1.1 GB | ⓘ Released w/ 10.8.2 | |
| May 9 | 98 | 10.7.4 | 692.7 MB | ⓘ | |
| Feb 1 | 112 | 10.7.3 | 1.3 GB | ⓘ Only combo updater available | |
| 2011 | Oct 12 | 56 | 10.7.2 | 768.8 MB | ⓘ Now iCloud enabled |
| Aug 17 | 29 | 10.7.1 | 79.3 MB | ⓘ | |
| Jul 19 | 26 | 10.7 | 4.1 GB | ⓘ Lion - App Store only (USB stick later) | |
| Jun 23 | 94 | 10.6.8 | 453.6 MB | ⓘ App Store readied for Lion | |
| Mar 21 | 74 | 10.6.7 | 475 MB | ⓘ | |
| Jan 6 | 57 | 10.6.6 | 143.6 MB | ⓘ Can you say 'App Store?' | |
| 2010 | Nov 10 | 148 | 10.6.5 | 644.5 MB | ⓘ |
| Jun 15 | 78 | 10.6.4 | 607.2 MB | ⓘ | |
| Mar 29 | 140 | 10.6.3 | 719.2 MB | ⓘ | |
| 2009 | Nov 9 | 60 | 10.6.2 | 473 MB | ⓘ |
| Sep 10 | 13 | 10.6.1 | 71.5 MB | ⓘ | |
| Aug 28 | 23 | 10.6 | 2.31 GB | ⓘ Snow Leopard - First Intel-only release | |
| Aug 5 | 85 | 10.5.8 | 274 MB | ⓘ | |
| May 12 | 148 | 10.5.7 | 442 MB | ⓘ | |
| 2008 | Dec 15 | 91 | 10.5.6 | 372 MB | ⓘ |
| Sep 15 | 77 | 10.5.5 | 316 MB | ⓘ | |
| Jun 30 | 33 | 10.5.4 | 88 MB | ⓘ | |
| May 28 | 107 | 10.5.3 | 420 MB | ⓘ | |
| Feb 11 | 88 | 10.5.2 | 343 MB | ⓘ Combo updater only | |
| 2007 | Nov 15 | 20 | 10.5.1 | 110 MB | ⓘ |
| Oct 26 | 128 | 10.5 | 2.15 GB | ⓘ Leopard - First universal binary release | |
| Nov 14 | 147 | 10.4.11 | 128 MB | ⓘ This '10' goes to '11' | |
| Jun 20 | 99 | 10.4.10 | 72 MB | ⓘ | |
| Mar 13 | 165 | 10.4.9 | 160 MB | ⓘ | |
| 2006 | Sep 29 | 94 | 10.4.8 | 206 MB | ⓘ |
| Jun 27 | 85 | 10.4.7 | 133 MB | ⓘ | |
| Apr 3 | 48 | 10.4.6 | 163 MB | ⓘ | |
| Feb 14 | 35 | 10.4.5 | 16 MB | ⓘ | |
| Jan 10 | 71 | 10.4.4 | 55 MB | ⓘ First Intel-capable release | |
| 2005 | Oct 31 | 111 | 10.4.3 | 97 MB | ⓘ |
| Jul 12 | 57 | 10.4.2 | 44 MB | ⓘ | |
| May 16 | 17 | 10.4.1 | 37 MB | ⓘ | |
| Apr 29 | 14 | 10.4 | 1.78 GB | ⓘ Tiger | |
| Apr 15 | 65 | 10.3.9 | 51.3 MB | ⓘ | |
| Feb 9 | 56 | 10.3.8 | 26.6 MB | ⓘ | |
| 2004 | Dec 15 | 40 | 10.3.7 | 97 MB | ⓘ Combo updater only |
| Nov 5 | 88 | 10.3.6 | 34 MB | ⓘ | |
| Aug 9 | 75 | 10.3.5 | ??? | ⓘ | |
| May 26 | 72 | 10.3.4 | 79 MB | ⓘ Combo updater only | |
| Mar 15 | 89 | 10.3.3 | 70 MB | ⓘ Combo updater only | |
| 2003 | Dec 17 | 37 | 10.3.2 | 36.9 MB | ⓘ |
| Nov 10 | 17 | 10.3.1 | 1.5 MB | ⓘ | |
| Oct 24 | 21 | 10.3 | 1.54 GB | ⓘ Panther | |
| Oct 3 | 57 | 10.2.8 | 40 MB | ⓘ | |
| Sep 22 | 139 | 10.2.7 | ??? | Only for certain G5s/G4s | |
| May 6 | 26 | 10.2.6 | 26 MB | ⓘ | |
| Apr 10 | 56 | 10.2.5 | 81.9 MB | ⓘ | |
| Feb 13 | 56 | 10.2.4 | 76 MB | ⓘ | |
| 2002 | Dec 19 | 38 | 10.2.3 | 51 MB | ⓘ |
| Nov 11 | 54 | 10.2.2 | 24.4 MB | ⓘ | |
| Sep 18 | 26 | 10.2.1 | 16.3 MB | ⓘ Update not available? | |
| Aug 23 | 79 | 10.2 | 1.03 GB | ⓘ Jaguar | |
| Jun 5 | 47 | 10.1.5 | 45.1 MB | ⓘ Combo updater only | |
| Apr 19 | 57 | 10.1.4 | 1.7 MB | ⓘ | |
| Feb 21 | 62 | 10.1.3 | 16 MB | ⓘ | |
| 2001 | Dec 21 | 37 | 10.1.2 | 29.2 MB | ⓘ |
| Nov 14 | 50 | 10.1.1 | 13.8 MB | ⓘ | |
| Sep 25 | 95 | 10.1 | 989 MB | ⓘ Puma | |
| Jun 22 | 44 | 10.0.4 | 12 MB | ⓘ | |
| May 9 | 8 | 10.0.3 | 15 MB | ⓘ | |
| May 1 | 15 | 10.0.2 | 15 MB | Released but replaced (see comments) | |
| Apr 16 | 23 | 10.0.1 | 4 MB | ⓘ | |
| Mar 24 | 192 | 10.0 | 659 MB | ⓘ Cheetah | |
| 2000 | Sep 13 | -- | 10.0β | 676 MB | ⓘ Public Beta |
Note: The Days column reflects the number of days between releases.
Some entries may appear out of chronological order (i.e. 10.5 is shown on Oct 26, but above Nov 14 for 10.4.11). This is to keep the version numbers in the proper order, even when an older OS received an update after a major new release came out. This has happened a few times over the years.
Some random notes, updated from the original post:
- Starting with the Public Beta and up through 11.2.2, there have been 146 macOS releases, both major and minor. This figure includes the one odd macOS X release: 10.2.7. This version was only for the then-new PowerMac G5 and the flat panel iMac G4, and was never generally released.
- As of February 25th, 2021 (11.2.2's release date), it's been 7,470 days since the Public Beta was released. So on average, we've seen some sort of update every 51.2 days.
- The shortest time period between any two releases is six days, which is how quickly the 10.15.5 Supplemental Update 1 came out after the 10.15.5 release.
- The longest time period between any two minor releases is 165 days, which was how long we waited for the 10.4.9 update. (Tecnically, it's actually the 192 day interval between the Mac OS X Public Beta and version 10.0, but I'm counting from the official 10.0 release.)
- The smallest update was 10.3.1, at only 1.5MB. The largest (non-combo, non-main OS release) update was 10.15.1 at 5.3GB.
- The '???' entry for Size on a given release indicates I was unable to find the size. Feel free to contact me if you can help replace any of the '???' entries.
And now, gratuitous graphics…
Releases by version number
Releases by year
A special 'thank you!' goes to Mr. Ziebell (for providing some size values on very-old minor updates), and to Benton Quest (for providing size info on all the major releases up through Snow Leopard). See Benton's comment below if you want a nicely detailed history of those early releases.
Related Posts:
'Can I still upgrade to El Capitan though the official update is outdated?' 'How do I upgrade to El Capitan? I'm using Yosemite, is there a way that can upgrade Yosemite to El Capitan?'
On this page, we collected the complete process of how to upgrade to Mac OX S El Capitain 10.11.6 without losing any data. Follow this guide, you can download and install Mac OS X 10.11.6 on your computer with ease:
- Check If Your Mac Is Available for El Capitan Update
- Prepare Mac Ready Before El Capitan Update
- Update Mac OS X to El Capitan (Download OS X 10.11.6)
- Bonus Tip: Restore lost data after El Capitan update (without backups)
Tips on this page also work to upgrade macOS Mojave, High Sierra to the latest macOS Big Sur. You may also interest in: update and install macOS.
What Is Mac OS X El Capitan
El Capitan, the last edition known as Mac OS X 10.11.6, is an operating system between Yosemite and macOS Sierra, released on July 18, 2015.
Here is a list of new features that Mac OS X 10.11.6 brings to most old Mac OS X users. And you may feel like downloading and installing the system on your Macs:
- Support multitask
- Better performance
- Better user experience
- Free download
So how to download or upgrade your Mac computer to El Capitan? Follow through the guides, any one of Mac users can make it.
1. Check If Your Mac Is Available for El Capitan Update
Before you take steps to update your present Mac OS X to El Capitan 10.11.6/10.11.2, check whether your Mac computer is available to download and install the new El Capitan. Check the below list and see whether your device or OS X can get the new update:
Supported Mac devices:
- iMac (Mid 2007 or newer)
- MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, Early 2009, or newer)
- MacBook Pro (Mid 2007 or newer)
- MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer)
- Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer)
- Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer)
- Xserve (Early 2009)
Available OS X for El Capitan:
- OS X Yosemite v10.10
- OS X Mavericks v10.9
- OS X Mountain Lion v10.8
- OS X Lion v10.7
- Mac OS X Snow Leopard v10.6.8
If your Mac OS X and devices are just right on the list, read on and follow tips to prepare your Mac OS ready for El Capitan update.
2. Prepare Mac Ready Before El Capitan Update
Let's see what you should do to prepare your Mac devices fully ready for the new El Capitan 10.11.6, etc. update. And if this is your first time updating Mac OS X, follow the tips below carefully:
#1. Hardware Requirement
- Leave at least 2GB memory and 8.8 GB of storage space on Mac
- Leave at least 45% battery on Mac
- Connect Mac to the internet or WiFi
- Update your Mac Apps to the latest versions
#2. Back Up All Important Mac Data (to An External Disk)
It's vitally important to back up important data on Mac to external storage devices, which will certainly help to avoid data loss issues due to Mac OS X update.
To do so, you have two options:
- Option 1. Back up all your data via Time Machine
- 1. Connect an external hard drive to Mac.
- 2. Click the Apple menu icon, click 'System Preference', and click 'Time machine'.
- 3. Click 'Select Backup Disk..' and choose the external drive as a backup disk.
- Option 2. Fully back up your Mac data via reliable Mac backup software
For a step-by-step guide, please follow: How to Back Up Mac without Time Machine for help.
If you have forgotten to backup data, reliable Mac data recovery software like EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is the best tool to help you restore lost data.
So now, you can follow the next tutorial tips to update your present Mac OS X into El Capitan.
3. Update Mac OS X to El Capitan (Download OS X 10.11.6)
You can update your Mac OS X to El Capitan now. Follow the below guide to update to El Capitan with ease:
#1. Download and Install Mac OS X from Mac App Store
Step 1. Go to Mac App Store and search El Capitan.
Step 2. Click the Download button for El Capitan.
Step 3. Click Continue and follow the instructions to install El Capitan on your Mac.
#2. Manually Download El Capitan 10.11.6 from Apple
Here you can also download El Capitan or other new versions of macOS from the Apple support page, and install on your Mac:
When the downloading process is finished, the El Capitan installer will launch automatically. All you just need to follow the onscreen guide to install the Mac OS X 10.11.6 on your Mac computer.
Note that the El Capitan upgrade process will not take long. Just wait patiently to let the El Capitan installation process accomplish on your Mac.
You May Also Interest In:
Don't worry if you meet some problems during the Mac OS X or macOS update process. Click the below troubleshooting guide and follow to resolve the respective issue on your own.
When you encounter macOS update stuck, macOS or Mac OS X update failed, stay calm. Follow this guide to install the desired macOS or Mac OS X on your Mac.
10.15.7 Combo Update
Bonus Tip: Restore Lost Data after Upgrading Mac to El Capitan 10.11.6
If you didn't create backups before the Mac OS X El Capitan update, and you lost some important Mac files after the update process, your last chance is to turn to reliable Mac data recovery software for help.
Here, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac is available for you to download and restore all lost files after macOS or Mac OS X update.
This software is fully compatible with all Mac OS X such as El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks, and the latest new macOS Mojave, High Sierra, etc. Microsoft internet games download.
Download it and follows to restore lost data due to the El Capitan update now:
Step 1. Where was data lost after operating system update? Choose the location and click Scan.
Windows 10 os full version download. Step 2. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac will immediately scan your selected disk volume and display the scanning results on the left pane.
Os X 10 11 6 Combo Update
Step 3. After the scan, select the target files that were unknowingly lost during or after the update and click Recover Now button to get them all back.
What Else Can EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Do for You？
Besides macOS update file recovery, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard dedicates to restoring lost data for Mac users under complex circumstances, such as:
- Data deletion
- Mac hard drives formatting
- Storage device corruption
- Mac system crash
- Mac OS X reinstallation
Os X 10 11 6 Combo Updated
El Capitan Still Works on Old Macs, Go and Get It Now
Don't worry if your Mac computer is not available for updating to Mac OS X El Capitan. Follow this page, you'll see if your computer can install this operating system.
Mac Os Combo Update
If yes, follow to download and install this excellent system and renew your Mac computer now. Don't worry if you lost some files during the process, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac can bring your files back.
Now, it's your turn. Go and get it now.
