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How to get Mojave onto a High Sierra Mac?

No one understands I cannot download Mojave from the App store. This is what happens if I try:

No one has explained that if I cannot download Mojave from the app store then how can I "make a bootable installer for Mojave" given that I wasn't able to download it in the first place?
 
Go into your Applications folder and see if the installer had been downloaded there. If it says “Open” in the App Store then it means it’s been downloaded.

If it is there delete it and try to download it again.

Also check the file size to see if it was fully downloaded.
 
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kathyricks said:
No one understands I cannot download Mojave from the App store. This is what happens if I try:

No one has explained that if I cannot download Mojave from the app store then how can I "make a bootable installer for Mojave" given that I wasn't able to download it in the first place?
Click to expand...
As the post above mine says, and as I’ve written a couple of times, you need to delete any already downloaded copy of the Mojave installer on your computer. This is probably in the Applications folder but could be elsewhere. Once you’ve done that quit the App Store app and click on the link to Mojave. The button that now says “Open” should switch to say either “Get” or “Download.” Click on it and you’ll get a new, functional installer.
 
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The Mojave installer will be about 6.05 GB. It would be downloaded into your Applications folder. I agree with spikeymike (and others?) that if the App Store shows "Open", then something with the name "Install macOS Mojave" is already on your Mac, and would usually be in your Applications folder. Check the size of that app. If it is much less than 6GB, then delete that "app", and try downloading again.

Finally, you do NOT have to use the Apple link from the support article. There are other methods to get the Mojave installer. Easiest is the "gibmacos" terminal script -- https://github.com/corpnewt/gibMacOS
Download (Click the green CODE button. then choose Download Zip), unzip the file you just downloaded, then run the gibMacOS.command from your terminal. Choose the Mojave (10.14.6) by typing the letter for that choice, press enter, and 10.14.6 installer app downloads. (that command doesn't care if another copy of the installer is present, it just downloads to a folder inside the gibmacos folder. Run the BuildmacOSInstallApp.command, do the step where you drag the downloaded folder into the terminal window (just one step here), then the Mojave installer app is ready to go-- ) And, use that to make your USB installer.
 
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Open the DosDude1 app. Click tools. Download Mojave. Close Mojave Patcher. Install Mojave. Enjoy the greatest macOS ever.
 

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@Jack Neill - I agree, but so far, OP has not been able to get that to work, for unknown reasons.
And, I would not run the downloaded Mojave installer, but use that to make an external bootable installer. That would install more quickly that way, and you don't have to download the installer app again, in case something doesn't work quite right. (The installer still deletes itself when the install completes. A bootable installer avoids that little "challenge" :)
 
Do you want to upgrade your system to Mojave or do you want to run a Mojave Virtual Machine on High Sierra? I ran into the same issue some time ago and upgraded to Mojave last year I believe. Setting up a virtual machine is considerably more work than just upgrading but you will need the Mojave installation kit for either approach.

Try this link which should open the App Store on your Mac and allow you to download the Mojave kit. Use Safari to open it.


I have Sierra, High Sierra, El Capitan, Mojave and Big Sur kits on one of my systems and have installed macOS Virtual Machines for all of these versions and went through the same headaches in getting old macOS versions. So let's try to get the Mojave kit and then move on from there. If you just want to upgrade to Mojave, then that is relatively simple - do a backup and then just run the installer.

If you want to set up a Virtual Machine, we can go through that. You could also install Mojave on an external hard disk or SSD and have both operating systems available.

When you begin the installation, it actually doesn't do the install. It just downloads the installation kit to the Applications folder.
 
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DeltaMac said:
@Jack Neill - I agree, but so far, OP has not been able to get that to work, for unknown reasons.
And, I would not run the downloaded Mojave installer, but use that to make an external bootable installer. That would install more quickly that way, and you don't have to download the installer app again, in case something doesn't work quite right. (The installer still deletes itself when the install completes. A bootable installer avoids that little "challenge" :)
Click to expand...
Agreed, but OP doesn’t seem very tech savvy.
 
pshufd said:
Do you want to upgrade your system to Mojave or do you want to run a Mojave Virtual Machine on High Sierra? I ran into the same issue some time ago and upgraded to Mojave last year I believe. Setting up a virtual machine is considerably more work than just upgrading but you will need the Mojave installation kit for either approach.

Try this link which should open the App Store on your Mac and allow you to download the Mojave kit. Use Safari to open it.


I have Sierra, High Sierra, El Capitan, Mojave and Big Sur kits on one of my systems and have installed macOS Virtual Machines for all of these versions and went through the same headaches in getting old macOS versions. So let's try to get the Mojave kit and then move on from there. If you just want to upgrade to Mojave, then that is relatively simple - do a backup and then just run the installer.

If you want to set up a Virtual Machine, we can go through that. You could also install Mojave on an external hard disk or SSD and have both operating systems available.

When you begin the installation, it actually doesn't do the install. It just downloads the installation kit to the Applications folder.
Click to expand...
If you read through the couple of pages of this thread - you will see that redirect idea also does not work for the OP, because (apparently) there is already a copy of the installer on the OP's system - which may or may not be a good download. So, OP does not have a "GET" button, but an "OPEN" button. If you had reviewed the previous posts in this thread, you would see that the OP has posted that result a couple of times already. Oh, and the few that have posted here (hopefully) want to offer a simple solution, not more challenges that WOULD happen with a virtualized setup.
 
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Jack Neill said:
Isn’t Turbo Tax web based anyways? Lol.
Click to expand...

They sell packaged software and they have a web version. The reasons to use the packaged software:
  • The packaged software comes with Windows and macOS kits so you can install on one, the other, or both. It gives you some flexibility.
  • Your data isn't stored on their servers. At least that's what they say. Some people are concerned about their tax data on the cloud.
  • The Cloud can be slow near April 15. A lot of people procrastinate on taxes or do it at certain times and cloud servers can be slow at periods of high demand.
  • You might want to work on your taxes where you don't have an internet connection. You might be in the mountains or on a lake for a week without reliable internet service and want to work on your taxes.
 
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To delete an existing damaged installation kit, open Finder and navigate to the Applications directory:


Screen Shot 2020-11-26 at 9.27.41 AM.png


Delete "Install macOS Mojave.app"

Screen Shot 2020-11-26 at 9.34.47 AM.png


You will be asked to verify with your Admin password:

Screen Shot 2020-11-26 at 9.35.04 AM.png


Then try downloading the Mojave installation kit again. You may need to empty your trash if you don't have a large amount of SSD space left on your system.
 

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pshufd said:
They sell packaged software and they have a web version. The reasons to use the packaged software:
  • The packaged software comes with Windows and macOS kits so you can install on one, the other, or both. It gives you some flexibility.
  • Your data isn't stored on their servers. At least that's what they say. Some people are concerned about their tax data on the cloud.
  • The Cloud can be slow near April 15. A lot of people procrastinate on taxes or do it at certain times and cloud servers can be slow at periods of high demand.
  • You might want to work on your taxes where you don't have an internet connection. You might be in the mountains or on a lake for a week without reliable internet service and want to work on your taxes.
Click to expand...
I looked on their site for system requirements but didn’t find any. OPs machine can run 11. Maybe just skip Mojave and just Big Sur it up with SU
 
Jack Neill said:
I looked on their site for system requirements but didn’t find any. OPs machine can run 11. Maybe just skip Mojave and just Big Sur it up with SU
Click to expand...

I went through the same thing last year. Catalina wasn't supported on our corporate network when I was doing taxes for 2018 so I upgraded from High Sierra to Mojave and things worked fine.


Screen Shot 2020-11-26 at 9.47.03 AM.png
 
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chrfr said:
As the post above mine says, and as I’ve written a couple of times, you need to delete any already downloaded copy of the Mojave installer on your computer. This is probably in the Applications folder but could be elsewhere. Once you’ve done that quit the App Store app and click on the link to Mojave. The button that now says “Open” should switch to say either “Get” or “Download.” Click on it and you’ll get a new, functional installer.
Click to expand...
I did as you said - I deleted the previously downloaded copy of the Mojave installer. Then I went to the App store and clicked on the link for Mojave. The button now said download so I downloaded the Mojave Installer file successfully. But when I clicked on the downloaded installer I got the same message as before: "This copy of the Install macOS is damaged and can't be used..."

I have used Macs since 1993 but am not tech savvy...I know nothing about "terminal script", "Run the BuildmacOSInstallApp.command", etc. It was previously unnecessary for ordinary Mac users like me to learn all that geek stuff in order to install a more modern Mac operating system.
 
It's possible that this is the Expired Certificate problem.

There is a support article at https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8561304 with directions that may fix it.

Step 1. Go to your applications folder.
Step 2. Find the installer for macOS Mojave.
Step 3. Right click on the installer and click "Show Package Contents".
Step 4. Click on folder named "Contents".
Step 5. Click on the folder named "SharedSupport".
Step 6. Delete the file named "InstallInfo.plist".
Step 7. Enter your administer password to confirm.
Step 8. Now open the installer.

This solution is also seen at an the article at https://osxdaily.com/2019/10/24/fix-install-macos-application-damaged-cant-be-used-error-mac/
 
Right clicking the Installers doesn't give me the "Show Package Contents" choice. It gives me this:
install.jpg
 
Do you have a friend or family member with a Mac that can download Mojave and put it on a flash drive? Or do you live or work near an Apple Store? This may be a faster way to upgrade to Mojave. Another option would be to try installing Big Sur which is the latest version of macOS.

You're having quite a bit of difficulty getting a kit and maybe it would just be easier if someone else got a kit that you could install. The Apple Store should have installation kits for all versions of macOS in the past decade at least.
 
Interestingly enough I ran into this exact problem though I was trying to go from Snow Leopard to High Sierra. I tried the same things that I and others suggested here and nothing worked. I wound up creating a bootable installer on an external drive and it's installing now and the installation is almost done.

So, at this time, I would suggest trying to create a bootable installer as was suggested earlier. You do need to use the terminal window but I think that it's only one command (though a long one).
 
You can check what version of the Mojave installer you have...
Get Info on that installer app.
Latest installer app version is 14.6.06
If you want to use the installer app that you now have to upgrade, and it is not that latest version, you could still install with your existing app, then update the installed system through your System Preferences/Software Update pane --- Or, you could download the latest version. Apple support has the download link, then use that to upgrade your system.
Either should work just fine, and you will end up at the same updated system. I prefer upgrading with the latest installer version, but you can use what you have now. Make a backup of the installer app on another drive, as the final step for running that upgrade will delete the installer app, removing it from your boot drive.
This link will get the latest Mojave full installer app directly from Apple -
apps.apple.com

‎macOS Mojave

‎MacOS Mojave delivers new features inspired by its most powerful users, but designed for everyone. Stay focused on your work using Dark Mode. Organize your desktop using Stacks. Experience four new built-in apps. And discover new apps in the reimagined Mac App Store.
 Dark Mode • Experience a...
apps.apple.com apps.apple.com
 
kathyricks said:
No one gets it. ALL the suggested installers for Mojave generate this message: View attachment 1679831
Click to expand...
All you need to do is turn your wifi off, then switch the year in 'date & time" to 2018.
Them it'll work.
Once Mojave is installed you obviously can turn internet back on, and if your mac is set to get date and time automatically, the correct date will come back. (Or you can correct the date manually)
 
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