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I have a Mac that was using macOS High Sierra

It appears from my reading that it is too old (27-inch, Late 2013) to install anything other than High Sierra. At this point I have erased the OS from the HD disk and would like to re-install it. When following the steps after it has been erased, it says to close utility and then choose the option to re-install. When I choose to re-install macOS I get a window that pops up that says "The recovery server could not be contacted." I have checked my internet connection and it is fully operational.

Posted on Sep 15, 2023 1:26 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Sep 15, 2023 2:39 PM

Please refer to Use macOS Recovery on an Intel-based Mac - Apple Support. In Step 2 under Start up your Intel-based Mac in macOS Recovery, availability of the first option "... to reinstall the latest macOS that was installed on your system" appears to have been removed by Apple.


Choose one of the two remaining startup options: "upgrade to the latest version of macOS that’s compatible with your Mac" or "reinstall the version of macOS that came with your Mac or the closest version that’s still available" respectively.


You ought to be able to install macOS Catalina on that Mac, which — should — still be available on Apple's Recovery servers.


As for High Sierra, it appears to be gone.


Time Machine backups of it, assuming you have been maintaining them, are another option.

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Sep 15, 2023 2:39 PM in response to Wmellick

Please refer to Use macOS Recovery on an Intel-based Mac - Apple Support. In Step 2 under Start up your Intel-based Mac in macOS Recovery, availability of the first option "... to reinstall the latest macOS that was installed on your system" appears to have been removed by Apple.


Choose one of the two remaining startup options: "upgrade to the latest version of macOS that’s compatible with your Mac" or "reinstall the version of macOS that came with your Mac or the closest version that’s still available" respectively.


You ought to be able to install macOS Catalina on that Mac, which — should — still be available on Apple's Recovery servers.


As for High Sierra, it appears to be gone.


Time Machine backups of it, assuming you have been maintaining them, are another option.

Sep 15, 2023 1:37 PM in response to Wmellick

I can't help with the recovery server error message, but be aware of the following.


A 2013 iMac can be updated to the latest version of macOS 10.15 Catalina. See the following from Identify your iMac model - Apple Support

iMac (27-inch, Late 2013)

Model Identifier: iMac14,2

Part Number: ME086xx/A, ME088xx/A

Newest compatible operating system: macOS Catalina


To upgrade, see: How to download and install macOS - Apple Support


Be aware that if you upgrade to Catalina 10.15 or later you will also need to update any non-Apple 32-bit apps. See: https://www.stclairsoft.com/Go64/

or

 https://www.macworld.com/article/232735/how-to-check-if-mac-software-is-32-or-64-bit.html

 

If you can't or don't want to upgrade your macOS, for security reasons you should consider using a 3rd party internet browser that supports their current version with your older macOS. One example is Chrome if you have macOS 10.13 or higher. See: https://www.google.com/chrome/

I have a Mac that was using macOS High Sierra

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