How do I download Xcode 9 on a mac running 10.11.6 (El Capitan)?

Question

I am taking a course on programming with flutter, and it needs Xcode 9 or higher. My mac is currently running 10.11.6 and it can't update any more. I was wondering if there was any way to get Xcode 9 on my mac?

Solution

Xcode9 needs OS X 10.12.6 or higher. The latest Xcode you can install on OS X 10.11.6 is Xcode8 (version 8.2.1). Here you can check which minimal OS version is required by which version of Xcode: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xcode#Version_comparison_table

Also for downloading any older version of Xcode you need a developer account (free account is enough) and you can download from here: https://developer.apple.com/download/more/

Unfortunately I don't see older than Xcode9 there but I found Xcode 8.2.1 here

Comments

[Cœur]

1. You can't build any iOS app for the AppStore without at least Xcode 9. 2. You can't install Xcode 9 on anything older than macOS 10.12.6. Conclusion: I encourage you to get a Mac where you can install at least macOS 10.12 (Sierra), 10.13 (High Sierra) or 10.14 (Mojave). Note that macOS Sierra can run on any mac from Late 2010 or newer!

[Gergely]

Unfortunately no. I quick checked their web and it seems Flutter1.0 really needs Xcode9 or Xcode10 so it seems you have no other choice just to try some version prior to 1.0 or to upgrade your Mac HW :(

[Gergely]

What kind of Mac you have? Click on the apple icon in top-left corner and choose "About This Mac". The line above processor description tells the HW type.