Following the release of macOS High Sierra, Mac users have discovered that Apple is no longer listing previous operating system updates in a user's Purchased tab in the Mac App Store.

Neither macOS Sierra nor macOS High Sierra show up in the Purchased list, suggesting the updates are no longer tied to an Apple ID account. Previous Mac software updates were linked to an Apple ID account and updating required an Apple ID and password, something that could be a hassle when a Mac changed ownership.

012 macos sierra 970 80
An Apple support document on reinstalling apps confirms that the change to remove macOS Sierra and High Sierra from the Purchased tab was intentional.

"macOS Sierra or later doesn't appear in the Purchased tab," reads the document.

In the case of macOS Sierra, the change means that there's no way for Mac users to download macOS Sierra should they want to downgrade from High Sierra for some reason.

OS X El Capitan, OS X Yosemite, OS X Mavericks, and earlier updates are all tied to a user account and listed in the Mac App Store. Apple has also made a link to the OS X El Capitan update available through a support document, but no similar support document is available for macOS Sierra.

Related Forum: macOS High Sierra

Top Rated Comments

garirry Avatar
garirry
107 months ago
This is why people were complaining so much about OS X becoming download-only since Lion. If I wanted to install an older OS, whether it'd be for compatibility or testing, I want to be able to download it, especially when I don't have the space for dozens of OS installers "just in case". I was still fine with the older OS X installers being redownloadable, and even purchasable when the next OS was already released, but since Yosemite you can't get Mavericks unless you already owned it and now you can't even download Sierra, even if you downloaded it previously. This makes it seem like Apple is heading towards the forced upgrades and downgrade lockout from iOS, and that seriously concerns me.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
farewelwilliams Avatar
farewelwilliams
107 months ago
This is why people were complaining so much about OS X becoming download-only since Lion. If I wanted to install an older OS, whether it'd be for compatibility or testing, I want to be able to download it, especially when I don't have the space for dozens of OS installers "just in case". I was still fine with the older OS X installers being redownloadable, and even purchasable when the next OS was already released, but since Yosemite you can't get Mavericks unless you already owned it and now you can't even download Sierra, even if you downloaded it previously. This makes it seem like Apple is heading towards the forced upgrades and downgrade lockout from iOS, and that seriously concerns me.
not a big deal. it's still available, just hidden from users. here's a direct link to Sierra
http://osxapps.itunes.apple.com/apple-assets-us-std-000001/Purple62/v4/af/5f/9d/af5f9d8e-cf9c-8147-c51c-c3c1fececb99/jze1425880974225146329.pkg
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jasminetroll Avatar
jasminetroll
107 months ago
Mission accomplished: after installing this command-line tool ('https://github.com/mas-cli/mas'), the command
mas install 1127487414
purchased*, downloaded, and installed version 10.12.6 of



which then verified

[jtm@socrates ~]$ codesign -dv /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Sierra.app
Executable=/Applications/Install macOS Sierra.app/Contents/MacOS/InstallAssistant_springboard
Identifier=com.apple.InstallAssistant.Sierra
Format=app bundle with Mach-O thin (x86_64)
CodeDirectory v=20200 size=321 flags=0x2200(kill,library-validation) hashes=4+3 location=embedded
Signature size=4605
Info.plist entries=30
TeamIdentifier=K36BKF7T3D
Sealed Resources version=2 rules=7 files=137
Internal requirements count=1 size=124

and worked



correctly.

* By which I mean, the program not only downloaded Sierra, it did so using the Apple-supplied App Store frameworks in /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks, resulting in an application bundle containing a properly-signed MAS receipt linked to my Apple ID.

Attachment Image

Attachment Image
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PBG4 Dude Avatar
PBG4 Dude
107 months ago
It makes a bit of sense if this only affects High Sierra users as a downgrade requires reformatting your drive back to HFS+ from APFS. If you upgrade to High Sierra and you don’t have a Sierra Time Machine backup, you’re basically hosed.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jimthing Avatar
jimthing
107 months ago
I have downloaded every point update full installer since Lion. Once the 10.x reaches the final point, I keep only that. I have never trusted Apple (or Microsoft) not to pull something like this, so I protect myself.
Can everyone stop repeating this. OK we get it, you were all really really clever and have a copy. Well done. Especially after 5 people have said the same thing. And I'd love to see one of you still so excited, if you happen to lose said copy, only to realise you also then can't get another via downloading it again directly from Apple, just as other users here cannot now.

This thread is about why Apple have completely removed it from download, without any previous notice or comment as to why, post-High Sierra's release. Rather than how clever you are in having a copy already.

Thanks!
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jonnycot Avatar
Jonnycot
107 months ago
This is so depressing. Apple, why do you fight your users like this? Being able to install older OS's is essential for many reasons, not least running old machines or older applications. First signing on iOS and now this move?!

E.g. I have a mission critical business app on iOS which is 32 bit. Yes it would be nice if it were updated to 64 bit but it's not going to happen in this case, yet it's the backbone of my
business. So I'm stuck at iOS 10. And if I have to restore my phone from a backup I'm screwed :-/.

Equally our desktop machines run a vastly complicated set of audio and video plugins. Just one of them not being compatible with high sierra means I can't load up older work.

For professional work we need an option to maintain a system with an older OS. Please rethink your philosophy here.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features on Your iPhone

Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon. Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week. iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
Read Full Article • 81 comments
Google maps feaure

Google Maps Quietly Added This Long-Overdue Feature for Drivers

Wednesday December 10, 2025 2:52 am PST by
Google Maps on iOS quietly gained a new feature recently that automatically recognizes where you've parked your vehicle and saves the location for you. Announced on LinkedIn by Rio Akasaka, Google Maps' senior product manager, the new feature auto-detects your parked location even if you don't use the parking pin function, saves it for up to 48 hours, and then automatically removes it once...
Read Full Article • 42 comments
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3

Thursday December 11, 2025 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3 and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B30, up from 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 firmware is 8B28, up from 8B21. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 are getting expanded support for Live Translation in the European Union in iOS...
Read Full Article • 64 comments
iOS 26

iOS 26.4 and iOS 27 Features Revealed in New Leak

Friday December 12, 2025 10:56 am PST by
Macworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28. The report said the features are referenced within the code for a leaked internal build of iOS 26 that is not meant to be seen by the public. However, it appears that Espósito and/or his sources managed to gain access to it, providing us with a sneak peek...
Read Full Article • 56 comments
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

Apple to Make More Foldable iPhones Than Expected [Updated]

Tuesday December 9, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple has ordered 22 million OLED panels from Samsung Display for the first foldable iPhone, signaling a significantly larger production target than the display industry had previously anticipated, ET News reports. In the now-seemingly deleted report, ET News claimed that Samsung plans to mass-produce 11 million inward-folding OLED displays for Apple next year, as well as 11 million...
Read Full Article • 113 comments
AirTag 2 Mock Feature

Apple AirTag 2: Four New Features Found in iOS 26 Code

Thursday December 11, 2025 10:31 am PST by
The AirTag 2 will include a handful of new features that will improve tracking capabilities, according to a new report from Macworld. The site says that it was able to access an internal build of iOS 26, which includes references to multiple unreleased products. Here's what's supposedly coming: An improved pairing process, though no details were provided. AirTag pairing is already...
Read Full Article • 38 comments
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.2 With Alarms for Reminders, Lock Screen Changes, Enhanced Safety Alerts and More

Friday December 12, 2025 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.2, the second major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.2 comes a little over a month after iOS 26.1 launched. ‌iOS 26‌.2 is compatible with the ‌iPhone‌ 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings >...
Read Full Article • 99 comments
iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Read Full Article • 54 comments
maxresdefault

iOS 26 Code Leak Reveals Apple Smart Home Hub Details

Thursday December 11, 2025 4:02 pm PST by
Apple is working on a smart home hub that will rely heavily on the more capable version of Siri that's coming next year. We've heard quite a bit about the hub over the last two years, but a recent iOS 26 code leak provides additional insight into what we can expect and confirms rumored features. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Macworld claims to have access to an ...
Read Full Article • 117 comments