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I am running macOS 10.14 Mojave on a MacBook Pro with a single APFS volume. For testing I would like to intall macOS 10.13 High Sierra on a second volume / partition to be able to switch between the two versions.

I found a lot of tutorials how how to add Mojave when using High Sierra. However, the other way round (adding the older High Sierra to the newer Mojave) seems to be not that easy.

Luckily I still have a the old High Sierra installer file, so this problem is already solved. However, when trying to run the installer I only get a waring, that this file is too old to run on the current os (Mojave). So I cannot even start the installation.

Any idea how to solve this?

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  • If it is a 2018 MacBook Pro your installer may not work. There was a special version of High Sierra that shipped on my 2018 MacBook Pro that is more recent than the version on the App store.
    – Ɱark Ƭ
    Apr 15, 2019 at 19:29
  • @Ɱark Ƭ: Are you suggesting that if the Mac is a 2018 model, then the OP would be better off using Internet Recovery to install High Sierra?
    – David Anderson
    Apr 15, 2019 at 21:33
  • It's a late 2016 13-inch MacBook Pro. I tried install High Sierra from USB as @zaslon suggested in his answer but the installer is not loaded, only a stop sign without any further information is show. Is it possible to install High Sierra on an AFPS volume? Any idea where to get the High Sierra version which is compatible to the latest Mac Books?
    – Andrei Herford
    Apr 16, 2019 at 8:01

1 Answer 1

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There is a simple solution.

  1. Using Disk Utility create a second Partition for the High Sierra:

Probably your disk is in APFS, so simply use "+ Volume" button at the top left of Disk Utility app, give new Volume a name (for example "Test HD").

If there is a need to install OS that can't be installed on APFS (for example Sierra and earlier) use "Partition" button to create separate HFS+ Volume.

  1. Then, create a USB flash installation disk of High Sierra using terminal:

USB disk needs to be formatted with a GUID partition table (GPT). Use Disk Utility to erase the USB disk and choose GPT for the partition scheme.

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

Where

  • /Applications/ - path to the Installation of High Sierra

  • Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app - Name of the distributive

  • Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia - Command for installation

  • --volume /Volumes/MyVolume - USB flash drive path

Information from Apple: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201372

  1. Now install High Sierra:

Turn off your Mac. Hold down option and turn on Mac. Choose your USB Installation Media (it will have High Sierra Icon). Follow the instructions. Choose High Sierra Volume ("Test HD"), that you previously created in the 1st step and finish installation of High Sierra.

Switch between systems using option on startup.

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    You do realize Mojave can only be install on APFS volumes. So there have to be an APFS container. There probably would not be an HFS+ (Mac OS Extended (Journaled)) volume.
    – David Anderson
    Apr 15, 2019 at 21:29
  • Thanks for the detailed answer! Everything worked perfectly till the point where the installation should start (after booting and selecting the High Sierra installation). Once the installation is fully loaded only a stop sign is shown without any further information or option. I can only shut down the MacBook and re-start to Mojave... Any idea how to solve this?
    – Andrei Herford
    Apr 16, 2019 at 7:56
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    @AndreiHerford Probably your USB disk needs to be formatted with a GUID partition table (GPT). Try to use Disk Utility to erase the USB disk first, and choose GPT for the partition scheme.
    – bkamuz
    Apr 16, 2019 at 9:47
  • Thanks @zaslon The stick already was formatted using a GPT. However, re-formatting the stick did the trick. The installation now worked without any problem.
    – Andrei Herford
    Apr 16, 2019 at 12:42

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