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Apple made Mac OS X Lion and Mac OS X Mountain Lion available for download for free here in the summer of 2021. This is the first time either version of the software was available for free.

OS X 10.7 Lion was released on July 20, 2011 and made some huge changes to the Mac. Some of these changes were to make it easier for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch users to adapt to the Mac, some to make the two platforms work better together, and some to keep making the Mac better and better.

Lion was only available by purchase and download from the Mac App Store, where it retailed for US$29.99. You must have OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard installed to purchase, download, or install Lion, and the 4 GB download could take some time with slower DSL connections (we don’t even want to think about how long it would take with dial-up). As a convenience, Apple allowed users to bring their Macs to a nearby Apple Store and use Apple’s WiFi to make the download.

Like OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, Lion requires an Intel-based Mac, but it goes two steps beyond that. First of all, Lion is a 64-bit operating system, so it won’t work on those 2006 Macs built around 32-bit Core Solo and Core Duo processors. It requires Core 2 Duo or newer, which leaves the following Macs behind unless you update the firmware and install a Core 2 Duo CPU:

Additionally, Lion is the first version of OS X with no support for PowerPC software. Apple introduced Rosetta, which lets Intel CPUs run PowerPC apps, with OS X 10.4 Tiger for the first Intel Macs in 2006, and it had been part of OS X until now.

The last version of Lion, OS X 10.7.5, was released on October 4, 2012. It was the first version of Mac OS X to be part of the annual upgrade program – ever since Lion, Apple has released a new macOS version every year.

Lion was replaced by OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion on July 25, 2012, just a year after Lion first became available. Lion is no longer available for purchase through normal App Store channels, although you may be able to acquire access to it through Apple Support.

Lion is the oldest version of OS X impacted by the “goto fail” bug. See Apple and the ‘goto fail’ Bug for information on securing Lion.

Installation Tip

You can’t just install Lion on any old Mac that support it. The installer’s certificate has expired, so you need to set your Mac to think it’s operating in the past. Using trial and error, I found that setting a date in 2012 will let the installer function. To change your Mac’s date:

1. Open System Preferences.
2. Open Date & Time.
3. If your Mac is set to Set date and time automatically, which is usually the case, disable it.
4. Click on the year and use the down arrow to the right of it to change the year to 2012.
5. Install Lion and make several rounds of updates.

After you complete the process, be sure to set your Mac to the current date and time. Enabling the Set date and time automatically setting is the easiest way to do it.

Lion Links

• The Implications of Losing Rosetta in OS X 10.7 Lion, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2011.05.09. Rosetta lets PowerPC apps run on Intel Macs, but losing Rosetta means that some installers and updaters will no longer run.
• Mac OS X 10.7 Lion Brings Back Useful Features from Apple’s 1983 Lisa, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2011.06.07. As I read about Resume, Auto Save, and Versions, one thought kept coming to my mind: Lisa lives!
• Already Addicted to OS X Lion, Austin Leeds, Apple Everywhere, 2011.07.21. After just a few hours use, iPad user Austin Leeds says there’s a lot to love with OS X 10.7 Lion on his MacBook Pro.
• Snow Leopard and OS X 10.7 Lion Backlash, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2012.03.05. While OS X and Lion are gaining market share, OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard is also making a bit of a comeback.

Downloadable Updates

Standalone updates let you update to a newer version of Mac OS X from your hard drive instead of using Software Update, which requires an Internet connection. This can be especially helpful if you have more than one Mac that need to have the update installed, since you only have to download it once. Download the one(s) you need and install them after mounting the disk image and launching the Installer program.

There are two types of Standalone Updates: Individual (or Delta) and Combo.

• Individual Updates update one version of Mac OS X to the next version. For example, the Mac OS X 10.7.4 Update updates Mac OS X 10.7.3 to version 10.7.4. Individual Updates are also known as Delta Updates.
• Combo Updates update the base version of a Mac OS X release to the version specified in the Combo Update, including all intermediate updates. For example, the Mac OS X 10.7.4 Combo Update updates any earlier version of Mac OS X 10.7 to Mac OS X 10.7.4 using a single installer, as opposed to installing the individual Mac OS X 10.7.1, 10.7.2, 10.7.3, and 10.7.4 updates.

Apple Mountain Lion

Standalone Updates are generally available 24 to 48 hours after the Update is available through Software Update.

If you burn a Standalone Update to CD, its disk image must be copied to your desktop or another location on your Mac OS X startup disk in order to be installed.

OS X 10.7.1

OS X 10.7.2

OS X 10.7.3

OS X 10.7.4

OS X 10.7.5

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While macOS is currently on version 11 (otherwise known as Big Sur) and macOS 12 Monterey is coming later this year, there are plenty of folks who use old versions of the Mac operating system. Some people are still using OS X 10.7 Lion and OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, and until recently, you had to pay Apple $19.99 to get download codes for those OSes. But there’s good news: Apple is now offering Lion and Mountain Lion for free for anyone who wants them.

To get Lion and Mountain Lion for free, you can visit the support documents for those OSes on Apple’s website:

• Mac OS X Lion installer free download (4.72GB)
• Mac OS X Mountain Lion installer free download (4.45GB)

Strangely, Apple still sells Lion and Mountain Lion for $19.99 each. Apple stopped charging for macOS updates with Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks.

Is my Mac compatible with OSX Lion and Mountain Lion?

Lion runs on Macs that came prior to the launch of Mountain Lion in 2012. Mountain Lion runs on the Macs below, but you may not be able to downgrade to it unless you completely reformat the drive. You can’t install an old OS on top of a newer one. Also, the oldest OS an M1 Mac can run is Big Sur.

• MacBook (Late 2008 to 2010)
• MacBook Air (Late 2008 to mid 2012)
• MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 to mid-2012)
• Mac mini (Early 2009 to 2011)
• iMac (Mid-2007 to 2011)
• Mac Pro (Early 2008 and 2010)

Apple Chevrolet Of Red Lion

If you want to know if your specific Mac can run OS X Lion or Mountain Lion, you can use our complete list of versions of macOS that a Mac can run. We have instructions on how to make a bootable Lion drive or a bootable Mountain Lion drive, in case you want to start from scratch on the Macs you’re working on.

Can I get OS X Snow Leopard?

Apple Lion Software

Apple Lion Os Free Download

Mac OS X 10. 6 Snow Leopard was released in 2009 and introduced the Mac App Store. Apple used to sell Snow Leopard for $19.99, but Apple no longer offers it. You can find downloadable copies of Snow Leopard and Leopard on the Internet Archive and the reviews on the Internet Archive pages have tips on how to create USB installers from the downloads.

Apple Red Lion

Editor’s note: This article was adapted from Macwelt.