Apple Releases OS X 10.11.6 El Capitan With Bug Fixes and Security Enhancements - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Releases OS X 10.11.6 El Capitan With Bug Fixes and Security Enhancements

Apple today released OS X 10.11.6 to the public, marking the sixth update to the El Capitan operating system that was first released on September 30, 2015. OS X 10.11.6 comes two months after the release of OS X 10.11.5, a small bug fix update. OS X 10.11.6 has been in testing since May 23.

The OS X 10.11.6 update can be downloaded through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store. It is available to all OS X El Capitan users.

elcapitanmacbook
Many of the updates to the El Capitan operating system have focused primarily on under-the-hood improvements, bug fixes, and security enhancements instead of outward-facing changes, and OS X 10.11.6 continues that trend.

OS X El Capitan will be followed by macOS Sierra, the next-generation Mac operating system that Apple announced at the 2016 Worldwide Developers Conference. macOS Sierra includes features like Siri integration, storage optimization, Photos improvements, auto unlocking with the Apple Watch, cross-device copy and paste, and more.

Related Forum: OS X El Capitan

Popular Stories

apple pro tell logo

Apple Launching Five New Products This Friday

Monday November 2, 2026 1:22 am PST by
Apple is releasing five new products this Friday, November 6, following pre-orders that opened last week, including its first touchscreen MacBook Pro models. The following new products will be available from Friday: iPad mini with OLED display and A20 Pro chip iMac with M6 chip 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 chip 14-inch MacBook Pro with OLED touchscreen 16-inch MacBook Pro with OLED...
Apple Logo Gradient 16x9 1

Apple Isn't Done With 2026: Here's What's Still Coming

Monday November 2, 2026 7:27 am PST by
Apple's busiest season isn't over yet. Far from it. With two hardware launch dates still to come in November, plus software updates and new smart home accessories running into December, there's more on the way from Apple before the end of 2026, so be sure to stick around. Below, we've rounded up what's still coming, along with one date in particular that's worth watching if you're a holiday...
iPad Pro 2024 vs Air 2024 Feature

Three New iPads Rumored to Launch in First Half of 2027

Sunday November 1, 2026 7:27 am PST by
After announcing a new iPad mini with an OLED display earlier this month, Apple plans to release new iPad Air, iPad Pro, and entry-level iPad models in the first half of 2027, according to the latest word from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the next iPad Air will also feature an OLED display, while he expects the next iPad Pro to be equipped with a...

Top Rated Comments

Belazor Avatar
134 months ago
One must be a total idiot to rush into installing this.

Well, but then again, I guess it will be the same people who buy the new iPhone 7 with no-headphone "feature"
Careful you don't cut yourself on that edge there, lad.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
keysofanxiety Avatar
134 months ago
I've been using the beta El Capitan releases for awhile now, and there's nothing wrong with them. Makes more sense to update to this release rather than macOS Sierra for most people.
Agreed. I suspect the OP is one who complains about bugs in the OS, but won't update to a .X release to resolve the issues they're complaining about…
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SoyCapitanSoyCapitan Avatar
134 months ago
Updated.

Finder is still ****. Still can't load thumbnails for very large TIFFs on a 12 core Mac Pro.

Still can't remove favourites from the sidebar unless I force quit the Finder first.

Finder still can't handle multiple large FTP transfers without crashing.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
keysofanxiety Avatar
134 months ago
One must be a total idiot to rush into installing this.

Well, but then again, I guess it will be the same people who buy the new iPhone 7 with no-headphone "feature"
That's not a particularly fair comment. It's a .X update. It's been thoroughly tested and contains bug fixes/security enhancements.

At least it would, if it showed up in the App Store :D
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
134 months ago
My favorite OS releases are the ones that are STRICTLY "under the hood" improvements. Still miss 10.6 though because that iteration of OS (and all sub iterations) was advertised (and delivered) on "under the hood" improvements. 10.6.8 remains to this day the "bar" relative to stability and what a good Mac OS should be.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
134 months ago
That's not a particularly fair comment. It's a .X update. It's been thoroughly tested and contains bug fixes/security enhancements.
I've been using the beta El Capitan releases for awhile now, and there's nothing wrong with them. Makes more sense to update to this release rather than macOS Sierra for most people.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Latest Stories
Everything New in the iOS 27.3 Beta
Everything New in the iOS 27.3 Beta
8 hours ago
Apple Music's New Selfie Sing Feature Lets You Record Karaoke Videos
Apple Music's New Selfie Sing Feature Lets You Record Karaoke Videos
9 hours ago
iPhone Jailbreak Gets Past Lockdown Mode and Survives an Update
iPhone Jailbreak Gets Past Lockdown Mode and Survives an Update
11 hours ago
iPadOS 27.3 Expands Siri Mode to Camera App
iPadOS 27.3 Expands Siri Mode to Camera App
12 hours ago
Veterans Day Apple Watch Activity Challenge Launches November 11
Veterans Day Apple Watch Activity Challenge Launches November 11
13 hours ago
Best Early Black Friday Mac Deals: Save Hundreds on MacBook Air, Mac Mini, and More
Best Early Black Friday Mac Deals: Save Hundreds on MacBook Air, Mac Mini, and More
13 hours ago
Apple Fitness+ Gets Gym Strength Plans in iOS 27.3
Apple Fitness+ Gets Gym Strength Plans in iOS 27.3
14 hours ago
iOS 27.3 Adding New StandBy Mode Features to iPhone 11 and Newer
iOS 27.3 Adding New StandBy Mode Features to iPhone 11 and Newer
14 hours ago
Apple Releases New AirPods Beta Firmware
Apple Releases New AirPods Beta Firmware
14 hours ago
iOS 27.3 Beta Brings Apple Intelligence to China
iOS 27.3 Beta Brings Apple Intelligence to China
14 hours ago
iPhone Duo Gets Reachability in iOS 27.3 Beta
iPhone Duo Gets Reachability in iOS 27.3 Beta
14 hours ago
Siri AI Gets More Capable in iOS 27.3
Siri AI Gets More Capable in iOS 27.3
14 hours ago
iOS 27.3 Adds Vertical Tabs and Adaptive Dark Mode to Safari
iOS 27.3 Adds Vertical Tabs and Adaptive Dark Mode to Safari
14 hours ago
watchOS 27.3 Brings Live Rewind and Siri Recap to Apple Watch
watchOS 27.3 Brings Live Rewind and Siri Recap to Apple Watch
15 hours ago
iOS 27.3 Beta Brings Back Apple's Redesigned Health App
iOS 27.3 Beta Brings Back Apple's Redesigned Health App
15 hours ago
Apple Releases First macOS Golden Gate 27.3 Beta
Apple Releases First macOS Golden Gate 27.3 Beta
15 hours ago
Apple Seeds First iOS 27.3 Beta
Apple Seeds First iOS 27.3 Beta
15 hours ago
Apple Releases First watchOS 27.3, tvOS 27.3 and visionOS 27.3 Betas
Apple Releases First watchOS 27.3, tvOS 27.3 and visionOS 27.3 Betas
15 hours ago
iPad Mini 8 Reviewer Dissatisfied With Apple's Excuse for Lack of 120Hz Display
iPad Mini 8 Reviewer Dissatisfied With Apple's Excuse for Lack of 120Hz Display
15 hours ago
iPad Mini 8 Review Claims Battery Life is Way Better Than Apple Says
iPad Mini 8 Review Claims Battery Life is Way Better Than Apple Says
16 hours ago
B&H Photo Launches Early Black Friday Sale With Discounts on Macs and Accessories
B&H Photo Launches Early Black Friday Sale With Discounts on Macs and Accessories
16 hours ago
iPhone Duo Could Take Nearly 30% of Foldable Market in 2027
iPhone Duo Could Take Nearly 30% of Foldable Market in 2027
16 hours ago
Apple Watch Automatically Identifies Songs Playing Around You
Apple Watch Automatically Identifies Songs Playing Around You
17 hours ago
iPhone 18 Rumored to Get Larger Battery and Potential Price Increase
iPhone 18 Rumored to Get Larger Battery and Potential Price Increase
17 hours ago
Apple Store in UK Permanently Closing Later This Month
Apple Store in UK Permanently Closing Later This Month
18 hours ago
Apple's Annual R&D Spending Jumps by More Than $11 Billion
Apple's Annual R&D Spending Jumps by More Than $11 Billion
19 hours ago
Will Apple Ever Merge iPadOS and macOS? John Ternus Responds
Will Apple Ever Merge iPadOS and macOS? John Ternus Responds
19 hours ago
MacBook Neo Gets Rare $30 Amazon Discount
MacBook Neo Gets Rare $30 Amazon Discount
19 hours ago
Hands-On: The OLED iPad Mini is Almost an iPad Pro Mini
Hands-On: The OLED iPad Mini is Almost an iPad Pro Mini
19 hours ago
tvOS 27.2.1 and macOS 27.2.1 Likely Coming Soon
tvOS 27.2.1 and macOS 27.2.1 Likely Coming Soon
20 hours ago