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I have installed El Captain on my MacBook Pro and I want to make a bootable Yosemite Drive. Could anyone help me with that?

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  • Could you be a bit more clear on what you try to achieve, please? I mean, if you use any media (e.g. USB drive) your system allows you to boot from, you install or clone OS X onto it and you can boot from it thereafter (holding down Alt at boot time to get the boot options). The same (formatting) requirements like using the internal drive apply. So, I am confused on what the purpose of your question is.
    – Phoenix
    Dec 19, 2015 at 10:57
  • I was asking for an option inside El Capitan
    – Dani
    Dec 19, 2015 at 12:36

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You can't simply open Install OS X Yosemite.app and install Yosemite somewhere if your Mac is booted to OS X El Capitan. The installer app will obstruct this. You have to use a detour:

Download the Install OS X Yosemite.app from the App Store. The Yosemite installer must be "purchased" previously. You will find it in your purchase list then and you can re-download it. Create a bootable installer thumb drive:

sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Yosemite.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Yosemite.app

You may have to replace the proper path to Install OS X Yosemite.app and the name of your thumb drive in /Volumes/MyVolume in the above command.

Reboot to the bootable installer thumb drive. After starting the installation you will be asked where to install Yosemite. Choose an empty partition which mustn't contain an El Capitan operating system. You may also install to a second thumb drive (> 16 GB).

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  • The Yosemite installer is no longer available on the App Store. You need a pre-downloaded copy to do this.
    – Arc676
    Dec 19, 2015 at 12:30
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    I had it already downloaded from App Store and I was able to make the installation drive boot
    – Dani
    Dec 19, 2015 at 12:31
  • I was wondering for a solution That doesn't involve leaving El Capitan cause opening the Yosemite installer inside El Capitan is not possible.
    – Dani
    Dec 19, 2015 at 12:39
  • @Dani There is method to install Yosemite booted to El Capitan. It's dangerous though: You have to boot to Recovery HD and disable SIP on the main volume. Then you have to reboot, temporarily modify /System/Library/CoreServices/SystemVersion.plist and replace the 10.11.x entries by 10.9.x. I don't recommend this at all!
    – klanomath
    Dec 19, 2015 at 12:57

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