
This method was verified by using the following configurations. If you are trying to create a USB installation flash drive of use on another Mac computer, then you can still use the downloaded file to create this installer. This version of OS X 10.11 cannot be installed on this computer. However, if the model Mac is too new to allow the installation for El Capitan, then message given below will occur when trying to create the Install OS X El Capitan application. There is a link on the Apple website " How to download macOS" that will download a file that can be used to create the Install OS X El Capitan application. Note: A version of this answer, which uses a Windows to create the USB flash drive OS X El Capitan installer, can be found here. Note: This answer was adapted from Klanomath's answer to a slightly different question. The second alternative answer involves using an older Mac capable of running Snow Leopard (OS X 10.6). Still, I would like know from Apple why they thought such a complex procedure is necessary. So, Apple evidently intends for users of newer model Intel Macs to use this new answer to retrieve the Install OS X El Capitan application. This answer is must less of a complex, because Apple explicitly inserted code into the El Capitan installer to bypass the checking of the model when executed in a "VMware Fusion Player" virtual machine. The first alternative answer involves using a virtual machine. I have posted two alternative answers to this question. Justin reported this answer works for Yosemite.

The USB flash drive was successfully used to do a clean install of OS X El Capitan on a 2007 iMac. This answer was last tested 3 using macOS Ventura on a 2018 Intel Mac mini.
