Once you’ve done that, here’s how to install, reinstall, or upgrade to El Capitan, step by step: Boot from your Recovery HD partition by restarting your Mac while holding down the Command+R keys. The OS X Utilities window appears. Select Reinstall OS X, and click Continue. The OS X El Capitan splash screen appears. Find out how to install Apple's new Mac OS X El Capitan operating system. Follow the onscreen instructions, which will guide you through the steps necessary to install. Begin installation. After installation of the installer is complete, open the Applications folder on your Mac, then double-click the file named Install OS X El Capitan.
On this page:
- Reinstall El Capitan on a computer alreadyrunning it
Upgrade from previous versions to OS X 10.11 (El Capitan)
- From the Apple menu, select App Store....
- When the App Store opens, search for and download El Capitan. If you don't already have an Apple ID, you'll need to create one. You can monitor the download process in the 'Purchased' section of the App Store.
- Once the download is complete, the installer should automatically open.
If it doesn't, or you don't want to complete the installation at this time, you can come back later and double-click Install OS X El Capitan in your
Applications
folder.Within the installer, click Continue, agree to the license agreement, and then choose the disk where you want to install El Capitan.
After you begin the installation, your computer may need to restart more than once before finishing, and then you may be asked to enter basic information.
- From the Apple menu, select App Store..., and then install any available updates.
Reinstall El Capitan on a computer already running it
Apple Install El Capitan Update
Reinstall while keeping files, applications, and settings
- Restart your computer, and immediately hold down
command-r
until the gray Apple logo appears. - If prompted, select your main language and then click the arrow.
- Click Reinstall OS X, and then Continue. Follow the instructions on the screen, and then choose your hard disk. Click Install, and enter your Apple ID information if prompted.
- When the installation is complete, select App Store... from the Apple menu, and install any available updates.
Reinstall while erasing everything on your computer
Apple El Capitan Install Disk
Restart your computer, and immediately hold down
command-r
until the gray Apple logo appears.- If you see a screen asking you to select your main language, choose it, and then click the arrow.
- Click Disk Utility, and then Continue.
- In Disk Utility:
- Click your hard disk in the left column, and then click the Erase tab.
- Next to 'Format:', make sure OS X Extended (Journaled) is selected. In the 'Name:' field, give your disk a name. Click Erase.
- Once it's completed, quit Disk Utility.
- Click Reinstall OS X, and then Continue:
- Follow the instructions on the screen, and then choose your hard disk.
- Click Install. If prompted, enter your Apple ID information.
- Once the installation is complete, you'll be asked to enter basic information, and have the option to transfer data from another computer or backup.
- From the Apple menu, select App Store, and then install any available updates.