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
72 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
72 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
72 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
72 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
72 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
72 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)

Popular Stories

iPhone 15 Pro Buttons CAD Leak

iPhone 15 Pro Low-Energy Chip to Allow Solid-State Buttons to Work When Device is Off or Out of Battery

Wednesday March 29, 2023 1:54 am PDT by
The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will use a new ultra-low energy microprocessor allowing certain features like the new capacitive solid-state buttons to remain functional even when the handset is powered off or the battery has run out, according to a source that shared details on the MacRumors forums. CAD-based render of new solid-state buttons on iPhone 15 Pro models The source of this rumor is ...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces WWDC 2023 Event Taking Place June 5 to 9

Wednesday March 29, 2023 9:58 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its 34th annual Worldwide Developers Conference will take place from Monday, June 5 to Friday, June 9. Like WWDC 2020, 2021, and 2022, WWDC 2023 will be an online event for the most part, and it will be open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Apple will provide online sessions and labs, which will allow...
iPhone 15 Pro Multi Purpose button Mute Switch Feature Green 2

iPhone 15 Pro Rumored to Feature Multi-Use Action Button Instead of Mute Switch

Wednesday March 29, 2023 7:28 am PDT by
iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models are rumored to feature a customizable Action button like the Apple Watch Ultra, according to a MacRumors forum member who leaked accurate details about the Dynamic Island on iPhone 14 Pro models last year. The source claimed the Action button will replace the Ring/Silent switch that has been included on every iPhone model since 2007. They did not...
iOS 16

Apple Releases iOS 16.4 With New Emoji, Safari Web Push Notifications, Beta Changes, Voice Isolation for Calls and More

Monday March 27, 2023 10:03 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 16.4, the fourth major update to the iOS 16 operating system that initially came out last September. iOS 16.4 comes two months after the launch of iOS 16.3, an update that added Security Keys for Apple ID. iOS 16‌.4 and iPadOS 16.4 can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. It can take a few minutes...
Apple Music Classical

Apple Explains Why It Launched an iPhone App Dedicated to Classical Music

Monday March 27, 2023 8:54 pm PDT by
Apple today published a support document explaining why it decided to release a standalone Apple Music Classical app for classical music. In short, Apple says the app was designed to support classical music's complex metadata:Classical music is different. It has longer and more detailed titles, multiple artists for each work, and hundreds of recordings of well-known pieces. The Apple Music...
iOS 16

Apple Seeds First Betas of iOS 16.5 and iPadOS 16.5

Tuesday March 28, 2023 10:15 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the first betas of upcoming iOS 16.5 and iPadOS 16.5 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming a day after the launch of iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4. Registered developers can opt in to the betas by opening up the Settings app, going to Software Update, tapping on the "Beta Updates" option and toggling on the iOS 16 Developer Beta. Note that an...
home upgrade available feature

PSA: Apple Has Made Its New Home Architecture Update Available Again

Tuesday March 28, 2023 1:50 am PDT by
Apple has made the option to upgrade to new Home architecture available again with the release of iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4, and macOS Ventura 13.3, after it temporarily pulled the update in December. After updating Apple devices to the latest software, users can once again opt to upgrade any homes set up in the Home app to the new Home architecture, which Apple says brings faster, more reliable ...