Sierra re-download, how? (now High Sierra is just released, it's impossible!)

[jimthing]

How can one re-download Sierra from the Mac App Store now that High Sierra is out?

From Sierra onwards, Apple does not tie these to Apple IDs anymore, so they do not appear under your "Purchased" tab in the Mac App Store. The previous El Capitan is only available under the Purchased tab for those that have previously downloaded it, OR via a direct link from an Apple support document (https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT206886 ), BUT you cannot search and find it directly in the Mac App Store.

Have Apple released a new support document with a link to Sierra in the Mac App Store yet? (or does this mean anyone who doesn't have a copy of the Sierra installer, pre-High Sierra's release, is now out of luck??)

Sure, all Macs running Sierra can also run High Sierra, but the software certainly doesn't.

...This is a very confusing new system for OS releases.

 

[Richdmoore]

How can one re-download Sierra from the Mac App Store now that High Sierra is out?

From Sierra onwards, Apple does not tie these to Apple IDs anymore, so they do not appear under your "Purchased" tab in the Mac App Store. The previous El Capitan is only available under the Purchased tab for those that have previously downloaded it, OR via a direct link from an Apple support document (https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT206886 ), BUT you cannot search and find it directly in the Mac App Store.

Have Apple released a new support document with a link to Sierra in the Mac App Store yet? (or does this mean anyone who doesn't have a copy of the Sierra installer, pre-High Sierra's release, is now out of luck??)

Sure, all Macs running Sierra can also run High Sierra, but the software certainly doesn't.

...This is a very confusing new system for OS releases.

I was just wondering what was going on as I couldn't seem to get High Sierra to add to my purchased list on the Mac App store. I am glad I made a USB drive before the changeover, although I have never moved backwards in operating systems so far, and with the firmware upgrades needed for High Sierra, I don't know if it would introduce problems or not.

 

[msephton]

Sierra download is listed on my Purchased tab on the Mac App Store

And also previous versions of OS X

 

[jbarley]

Sierra download is listed on my Purchased tab on the Mac App Store

Same here...

 

[Richdmoore]

Same here...

I just checked mine, I do not have Sierra or High Sierra in my purchased tab, although I have downloaded and installed both since the day they were available. (Not in the Beta program either.)

 

[CoastalOR]

I do not have Sierra in my Purchased section of the App Store. I have downloaded the full installer app multiple times (every point release), but it is still does not show in Purchased. Here is a thread I posted about the issue with a few responses:
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ability-when-high-sierra-is-released.2064634/

There did not seem to be much concern about the change from the forum members.

 

[TokMok3]

I don't have it in my purchased list!

 

[Apple_Robert]

I am in the same boat as Rich. I don't see Sierra or High Sierra in my purchased list. Downloaded High Sierra and copied the installer to an external drive. I then made a USB installer of High Sierra with the following terminal command...

sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/USB --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app --nointeraction

 

[AZhappyjack]

Sierra download is listed on my Purchased tab on the Mac App Store

And also previous versions of OS X

The actual general release or one of the beta versions? I have both the dev and public betas, but no general release of Sierra on my Purchases tab.

 

[msephton]

The actual general release or one of the beta versions? I have both the dev and public betas, but no general release of Sierra on my Purchases tab.

I just checked again and you're correct, just the developer releases. Apologies.

Probably gone because they won't install on APFS?

 

[jun180]

If you had a mac with Sierra installed originally, hold the CMD + SHFIT + ALT + R buttons when powering on to startup 'secondary internet recovery'. This is different to the normal internet recovery, which will download the High Sierra recovery. The secondary recovery will download the original version of OSX installed on you mac.

Hope this helps. High Sierra installation completed stuffed my MBP and the SSD, and this was the only method to recover it.

 

[jimthing]

If you had a mac with Sierra installed originally, hold the CMD + SHFIT + ALT + R buttons when powering on to startup 'secondary internet recovery'. This is different to the normal internet recovery, which will download the High Sierra recovery. The secondary recovery will download the original version of OSX installed on you mac.

Hope this helps. High Sierra installation completed stuffed my MBP and the SSD, and this was the only method to recover it.

And if you didn't: then what?

BTW, some beta users might have a finished GM copy in their Purchased section on MAS –though most have unfinished betas only– but the general user certainly does not, as these are not tied to any Apple ID anymore – as I said in my thread opener.

Surely Apple have a support article linking to it, like this one for El Capitan before it:
"How to download OS X El Capitan": https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT206886
(with this link on it: "get El Capitan from the App Store", where for the UK store, one can copy this link: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/os-x-el-capitan/id1147835434?mt=12 )

Come on Apple, are you for real?!

 

[jun180]

And if you didn't: then what?

BTW, some beta might users have it in their Purchased section on MAS, but the general user certainly does not, as these are not tied to any Apple ID anymore – as I said in my thread opener.

Surely Apple have a support article linking to it, like this one for El Capitan before it:
"How to download OS X El Capitan": https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT206886
(with this link on it: "get El Capitan from the App Store", where for the UK store, one can copy this link: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/os-x-el-capitan/id1147835434?mt=12 )

Come on Apple, are you for real?!

Sorry but the only way I know how to get Sierra is through the method I mentioned above. I can't find any install DMG download links for 10.12.

At least the ctrl + shift + alt + r provides an option.

 

[jimthing]

At least the ctrl + shift + alt + r provides an option.

..."an option" only for the Macs with it on originally, sure. But the problem still persists for the majority who haven't bought a machine in the last 12 months.

 

[AZhappyjack]

I just checked again and you're correct, just the developer releases. Apologies.

Probably gone because they won't install on APFS?

I'm not sure about the APFS angle, as wouldn't that also preclude the ability to install El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks, etc. ... yet they remain on the Purchases tab. It really appears to be some arbitrary move by Apple.

 

[chrfr]

I just checked again and you're correct, just the developer releases. Apologies.

Probably gone because they won't install on APFS?

It's got nothing to do with APFS. When Apple released Sierra, they changed the "purchase" process such that the Sierra installer was not attached to an account the way older versions were. Even on a Mac that's still running Sierra, it's no longer possible to redownload the installer.

 

[zepfhyr]

I created a bootable backup flash drive and also have the installer stored in a few other locations. However, previous versions of OS X installers have had an inherent time limit before they will no longer work, as there is a security certificate embedded in them that will eventually expire. When that happens, the installer will no longer function. It stands to reason this will happen to Sierra, as well. As a result, making a backup is still a good practice, but it will not permanently solve this problem. As it stands right now, I can still re-download Lion through El Capitan and get a new version of the installer with a current certificate to reinstall. That can no longer be accomplished with Sierra, unless Apple makes a direct link to it on the App Store that can be used to access it in the future.

 

[jimthing]

It's got nothing to do with APFS. When Apple released Sierra, they changed the "purchase" process such that the Sierra installer was not attached to an account the way older versions were. Even on a Mac that's still running Sierra, it's no longer possible to redownload the installer.

^Yeah, we know that already (read my thread opener).

I created a bootable backup flash drive and also have the installer stored in a few other locations. However, previous versions of OS X installers have had an inherent time limit before they will no longer work, as there is a security certificate embedded in them that will eventually expire. When that happens, the installer will no longer function. It stands to reason this will happen to Sierra, as well. As a result, making a backup is still a good practice, but it will not permanently solve this problem. As it stands right now, I can still re-download Lion through El Capitan and get a new version of the installer with a current certificate to reinstall. That can no longer be accomplished with Sierra, unless Apple makes a direct link to it on the App Store that can be used to access it in the future.

Really? Then that makes it an even worse issue.

Has anyone tried contacting Apple about this; either via phone or online? I tend not to bother as AppleCare staff are clueless on most things non-obvious, making dealing with them torturous.
[doublepost=1506439767][/doublepost]...on the phone right now (god are they clueless!), she told me first to google "Sierra download", which gave me an (old?) link to it in the MAS:
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/macos-sierra/id1127487414?mt=12

Hence warning "Item Not Available - The item you've requested is not currently available in the UK Store." and I bet it's not in the US or any other international store now, either love!

...then she emailed me this link for the 10.12.6 Combo update, which is not it either:
https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1931

...and we continue on hold...

...then passed to Senior Advisor, a 'difficult' man, who seems to be implying everyone can use High Sierra with no other software issues, and/or it's my fault for not upgrading sooner (erm, WTF has that got to do with it?!), and/or he doesn't have a clue, so is saying anything to get rid of me?!

...now on hold while he's checking my Apple ID (waste of time, comes to mind, given I've explained to his thick head that this is an issue for EVERYONE and not me personally!)...

...and we continue on hold...
[doublepost=1506441245][/doublepost]...and we continue on hold...

 

[jimthing]

...now the Senior Adviser –'difficult' man– "Ricardo Bernardino" has apparently "escalated this to engineering" under case ID "100302927798". But given it was entirely unclear whether he actually understood the support article (https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT201272 ) saying quite clearly "macOS Sierra or later doesn't appear in the Purchased tab. [...]" I doubt this will go anywhere at all!

"escalated this to engineering" being euphemism for "request going into the bin, as soon as it's received", of course!

C O M P L E T E - W A S T E - O F - T I M E. -- as per usual with AppleDon'tCare.

 

[chrfr]

...now the "Senior Adviser" snotty man "Ricardo Bernardino" has apparently "escalated this to engineering" under case ID "100302927798". But given it was entirely unclear whether he actually understood the support article (https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT201272 ) saying quite clearly "macOS Sierra or later doesn't appear in the Purchased tab. [...]" I doubt this will go anywhere at all!

"escalated this to engineering" being euphemism for "request going into the bin, as soon as it's received", of course!

C O M P L E T E - W A S T E - O F - T I M E. -- as per usual with AppleDon'tCare.

Engineering is good when it's an engineering problem, but this is almost definitely a marketing decision.

 

[jimthing]

Engineering is good when it's an engineering problem, but this is almost definitely a marketing decision.

haha, you clearly haven't contacted AppleCare before, as I have countless times, and 9/10 times nothing worthwhile comes of it.

If I could have a £ for the number of times I've been told they will "escalated this to engineering" regardless of the issue; I'd surely be able to buy at least a round of drinks in an expensive London bar by now (not quite a multi-millionaire though!).

 

[jimthing]

I created a bootable backup flash drive and also have the installer stored in a few other locations. However, previous versions of OS X installers have had an inherent time limit before they will no longer work, as there is a security certificate embedded in them that will eventually expire. When that happens, the installer will no longer function. It stands to reason this will happen to Sierra, as well. As a result, making a backup is still a good practice, but it will not permanently solve this problem. As it stands right now, I can still re-download Lion through El Capitan and get a new version of the installer with a current certificate to reinstall. That can no longer be accomplished with Sierra, unless Apple makes a direct link to it on the App Store that can be used to access it in the future.

Can someone confirm that these OSX/macOS installers do not go out of date (certificate issues, or similar)? I thought they were reusable indefinitely?

 

[rgilvert]

If you had a mac with Sierra installed originally, hold the CMD + SHFIT + ALT + R buttons when powering on to startup 'secondary internet recovery'. This is different to the normal internet recovery, which will download the High Sierra recovery. The secondary recovery will download the original version of OSX installed on you mac.

Hope this helps. High Sierra installation completed stuffed my MBP and the SSD, and this was the only method to recover it.

Was a great tip....BUT it does not show a disk to install to...assume this is because of the new file system?

 

[jimthing]

If someone wants a copy of the last 10.12.6 Sierra installer, just realised that I still have the full 5.03GB Sierra installer in my applications (now copied to desktop!). Anywhere I can upload it...?

Sure this does NOT solve the direct download issue from Apple, but may help others around here wanting it in the meantime...

 

[Bob-K]

...now the "Senior Adviser" snotty man "Ricardo Bernardino" has apparently "escalated this to engineering" under case ID "100302927798". But given it was entirely unclear whether he actually understood the support article (https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT201272 ) saying quite clearly "macOS Sierra or later doesn't appear in the Purchased tab. [...]" I doubt this will go anywhere at all!

"escalated this to engineering" being euphemism for "request going into the bin, as soon as it's received", of course!

C O M P L E T E - W A S T E - O F - T I M E. -- as per usual with AppleDon'tCare.

Had a similar experience today. I'm trying to download the Sierra installer for my MacBook Pro, which currently is running Sierra.

Sierra does NOT appear in my "Purchased" list. Ditto for a friend and for one of the three Apple "Advisors" I web-chatted with today - the only one who thought to check on their computer.

I tried logging out and logging back in to the App Store. Didn't help.

Previous OS-es DO appear in the "Purchased" list as available to download: El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks, Lion.

(The second advisor said two ridiculous things that caused me to end the chat: 1. "There's no reason to NOT install High Sierra." As soon as he said that, I knew he was clueless and it was time to move on. 2. "High Sierra can run on any computer 2009 and newer, so there's no reason for Apple to keep Sierra in the App Store." First off, it doesn't run on 2009 Mac Pros (without a firmware hack), so he was wrong about that. And in any case, if he didn't realize there are reasons to install older OS-es, he shouldn't be doing tech support.)

I tried chat a third time. This person seemed to understand the issue, but after a half hour, I was cut off.

Then I requested a call-back. This guy, like the previous "Advisor", consulted a "Senior Advisor", but they didn't have a solution.

I tried multiple times yesterday and today to download the installer via Recovery mode, but I got the error message "This item is temporarily unavailable. Try again later."

What a mess.