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Im writing to consult how to install OSX EL Capitan on a new brand 21.5 iMac. I tried everything, since yesterday with no luck. I changed successfully the date on Terminal (in boot recovery), but after that it gives only the option to reinstall Catalina. I have a carbon copy image of El Capitan from another older iMac, and, the installer, but this last is impossible to execute. and doesn't appear in Boot recovery.

Any help and assistance will be greatly appreciated. I feel very frustrate, cause I contacted Apple before buying to make sure it is possible to downgrade to OSX 10.11. and the assured it was no problem..

This would never had happened with Steve Jobs.. Planned Obsolescence is getting worst every year!!

If you have any tips for installing an OSX before Catalina it will save ma day! and the return of the iMac. Thanks in advance!

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  • This will probably be a better place to ask this: apple.stackexchange.com (Not saying it's not welcome here, just that you might get more answers there.)
    – ispiro
    Commented Jan 11, 2021 at 21:25

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Golden Rule… You cannot install any macOS older than the Mac.

The oldest macOS a 2020 iMac can run is Catalina, 10.15.6

You will need to look at Virtual Machine software to be able to run a legacy OS - Parallels, VMWare Fusion etc

BTW, this has been the case since the very earliest Macs, Steve Jobs himself set up the rule - you can't install any OS on hardware for which the drivers haven't yet been invented.

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  • Hi! Thank you for the prompt response&info! What about all the comments and posts about changing the clock ( ifixit.com/Answers/View/280708/…)? I will try VM or parallels.. But nevertheless on Apple (and on Amazon thjat they are advertising that the new iMac is delivered with OSX 10.11 instead of Catalina... that's false and misleading advertising
    – Nirmalam Music
    Commented Jan 11, 2021 at 20:11
  • .. I have been a mac customer for the last 2 decades, and the first iMac was able to install previous OSX despite it came with OSX10.6 (I managed with no effort to install 10.4 and 10.5)-- planned obsolesce is getting worst every year.
    – Nirmalam Music
    Commented Jan 11, 2021 at 20:20
  • The new Macs come with macOS 11 Big Sur, not 10.11 The date reset came about when the Certification for old installers ran out. This has now been fixed, but still doesn't apply to a Mac that couldn't run that OS natively anyway. You link is for an 09 Macbook.
    – Tetsujin
    Commented Jan 12, 2021 at 7:20

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