Apple Selling $20 OS X Lion and Mountain Lion in Online Store - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Apple Selling $20 OS X Lion and Mountain Lion in Online Store

Apple is now offering redemption codes on its online store for both OS X 10.7 Lion and OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion for users of older Macs who have not previously purchased the software, reports TechCrunch.

Lion and Mountain Lion, which are no longer available for download directly from the Mac App Store, can be bought for $19.99 each. Purchasing either one of the older operating systems will result in an email with a content code that can be redeemed within the Mac App Store.

mountainlion

If you need to purchase Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, you may order it from this page.

The most current version of OS X is OS X 10.9 Mavericks. To learn more, please click here.

What do you receive: An email with a content code for the Mac App Store.
Note: Redemption codes are usually delivered within 1 business day but may occasionally take longer.

Previously, users were able to purchase a copy of Lion, but doing so required a phone call to Apple. OS X Mountain Lion was available via the Mac App Store earlier this week, but it has since been removed in favor of Mavericks, leaving the new online purchasing system as the only way to acquire an older Apple OS.

Customers who have previously purchased Lion or Mountain Lion can download the operating systems through the "Purchases" tab of the Mac App Store.

Popular Stories

iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max Feature

'Apple Upgrade' Program Reportedly Launching Next Week

Tuesday July 21, 2026 8:30 am PDT by
Apple and Klarna are partnering on a new "Apple Upgrade" leasing program set to launch in the U.S. on Tuesday, July 28, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The program will allow you to finance most iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models, with a 24-month term for iPhones and Apple Watches and a 36-month term for iPads and Macs. Customers will be able to pay off the device early during...
iPhone 18 Pro Deep Red Feature

iPhone 18 Pro Launching in Two Months With These 12 New Features

Friday July 17, 2026 10:39 am PDT by
It is now mid-July, and that means the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are now just two months away. The devices are expected to look similar to the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, but there will still be many year-over-year changes, with rumored features including a smaller Dynamic Island, 5G via satellite, and more. Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, ...
iPhone 18 Pro Deep Red Feature

iPhone 18 Pro Launching in Two Months With These 12 New Features

Tuesday July 21, 2026 6:22 am PDT by
It is now mid-July, and that means the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are now just two months away. The devices are expected to look similar to the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, but there will still be many year-over-year changes, with rumored features including a smaller Dynamic Island, 5G via satellite, and more. Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, ...

Top Rated Comments

Dewroo Avatar
166 months ago
And the reason they don't just leave it for the public in the Mac App Store along with Mavericks is......?

Costumer confusion. They wouldn't necessarily realize that Mavericks is the better and latest version. they'd see the price tag on mountain lion or lion and think "gee, since it costs more, it must be better!"
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bushido Avatar
166 months ago
perfect for those still buying iPad 2s apparently :p
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
166 months ago
thank u Apple for providing best system for mac computers.

Tim u are great chairman. God bless.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
166 months ago
I get still offering Snow Leopard and Lion, but Mountain Lion and Mavericks share the same system requirements.
There's no reason I can think of to run (let alone spend time and money installing) Mountain Lion, now that Mavericks is out...not to mention FREE.

----------

Is there a Mac that shipped with 10.5 that can run OSXM?
Yes. In fact, there are a few models (Mid 2007 iMac, etc) that originally shipped with 10.4!
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
166 months ago
Glad that Apple cares about legacy hardware. YOU ROCK!!!
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
166 months ago
If my computer could not run Mountain Lion or later, I'd definitely take Snow Leopard over the half-baked Lion.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)