Upgrade Yosemite 10.10.5 on early 2015 MacBook Pro

I'm going to create a bootable drive and install the upgrade OS that way but need to know if I can go straight to Catalina, or do I need to install El Capitan first, then Catalina?

You can try upgrading Catalina directly, but according to my normally infallible memory you need to install El Capitan as an interim step first.

If you need to do that start by downloading the El Capitan .dmg according to How to download and install macOS - Apple Support using any browser that still functions with Yosemite. After installing El Cap you ought to be able to use the Catalina 10.15 link in that same document to summon the App Store through Safari.

But try Catalina first.

Another option: refer to How to reinstall macOS - Apple Support, and scroll down to the section titled If you're using any other Mac.

• Shift-Option-Command-R: When you press and hold these four keys at startup, macOS Recovery might offer the macOS that came with your Mac, or the closest version still available. 

The "closest version still available" ought to be Catalina.

Hey ToughLilGirl...

Easb to be confused, Updates are like from 10.10.4 to 10.10.5, or 10.13.1 to 10.13.6, Upgrades is what your're looking for.)

You need to first install 10.13 at least...

See if you can upgrade to 10.11, 10.12, 10.13, 10.14, or 10.15, see sys requirements...

How to download and install macOS - Apple Support

https://itunes.apple.com/app/os-x-el-capitan/id1147835434?ls=1&mt=12

http://updates-http.cdn-apple.com/2019/cert/061-41424-20191024-218af9ec-cf50-4516-9011-228c78eda3d2/InstallMacOSX.dmg

but you can edit the domain part of the URL and change the "/cert/" to "/macos/" to still be able to download it:

https://updates.cdn-apple.com/2019/macos/061-41424-20191024-218af9ec-cf50-4516-9011-228c78eda3d2/InstallMacOSX.dmg

macOS Sierra - Technical Specifications

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/macos-sierra/id1127487414?ls=1&mt=12

Fix for 10.12 createinstallmedia "not a v… - Apple Community

Fix for 10.12 createinstallmedia "not a v… - Apple Community

macOS High Sierra - Technical Specifications

General Requirements

• OS X 10.8 or later
• 2GB of memory
• 14.3GB of available storage to perform upgrade*
• Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply.
• Some features require a compatible Internet service provider; fees may apply.

Mac Hardware Requirements

For details about your Mac model, click the Apple icon at the top left of your screen, choose About This Mac. These Mac models are compatible with macOS High Sierra:

• MacBook (Late 2009 or newer)
• MacBook Pro (Mid 2010 or newer)
• MacBook Air (Late 2010 or newer)
• Mac mini (Mid 2010 or newer)
• iMac (Late 2009 or newer)
• Mac Pro (Mid 2010 or newer)

macOS High Sierra - Technical Specifications

General Requirements

• OS X 10.8 or later
• 2GB of memory
• 14.3GB of available storage to perform upgrade*
• Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply.
• Some features require a compatible Internet service provider; fees may apply.

Mac Hardware Requirements

For details about your Mac model, click the Apple icon at the top left of your screen, choose About This Mac. These Mac models are compatible with macOS High Sierra:

• MacBook (Late 2009 or newer)
• MacBook Pro (Mid 2010 or newer)
• MacBook Air (Late 2010 or newer)
• Mac mini (Mid 2010 or newer)
• iMac (Late 2009 or newer)
• Mac Pro (Mid 2010 or newer)

macOS High Sierra - Technical Specifications

https://itunes.apple.com/app/macos-high-sierra/id1246284741?mt=12

macappstores://apps.apple.com/app/macos-high-sierra/id1246284741?mt=12

Thanks to Arty on setting full installer…

Looking for High Sierra installer - Apple Community

macOS Mojave 10.14.6 - Technical Specifications

General Requirements

OS X 10.8 or later

2GB of memory

12.5GB of available storage (OS X El Capitan 10.11.5 or later)*

Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply.

Some features require a compatible Internet service provider; fees may apply.

Mac Hardware Requirements

For details about your Mac model, click the Apple icon at the top left of your screen and choose About This Mac. These Mac models are compatible with macOS Mojave:

MacBook (Early 2015 or newer)

MacBook Air (Mid 2012 or newer)

MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 or newer)

Mac mini (Late 2012 or newer)

iMac (Late 2012 or newer)

iMac Pro (2017)

Mac Pro (Late 2013; Mid 2010 and Mid 2012 models with recommended Metal-capable graphics cards)

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/macos-mojave/id1398502828?mt=12

Thanks to MartinR Terminal command…

softwareupdate --fetch-full-installer --full-installer-version 10.14.6

It will place a copy of the installer in your Applications folder and you can use that to create a bootable installer.

Mostly you just need a more modern Browser than Safari on Mojave, or High Sierra like Firefox or Brave.

https://brave.com/

https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/83.0/system-requirements/

Firefox 83.0 System Requirements (mozilla.org)

Opera…Thanks

https://www.opera.com/download/requirements

Opera system requirements | Opera

Thanks to dialabrain…

Firefox 115 is now the current version. runs in High Sierra.

https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/

Thanks to A Brody, Browsers by Mac operating system…

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-250003586

MacOS Catalina 10.15.7 - Technical Specifications

General Requirements

OS X 10.9 or later

4GB of memory

12.5GB of available storage (OS X El Capitan 10.11.5 or later)*

Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply.

Some features require a compatible internet service provider; fees may apply.

Mac Hardware Requirements

For details about your Mac model, click the Apple icon at the top left of your screen and choose About This Mac. These Mac models are compatible with macOS Catalina:

MacBook (Early 2015 or newer)

MacBook Air (Mid 2012 or newer)

MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 or newer)

Mac mini (Late 2012 or newer)

iMac (Late 2012 or newer)

iMac Pro (2017)

Mac Pro (Late 2013 or newer)

How to download and install macOS - Apple Support

https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/macos-catalina/id1466841314?ls=1&mt=12

macappstores://apps.apple.com/app/macos-catalina/id1466841314?ls=1&mt=12

How to upgrade to macOS Catalina – Apple Support

And caution on 10.15 or higher, to see which Apps will no longer work in 10.15 get Go64...

https://www.stclairsoft.com/Go64/

macOS Big Sur - Technical Specifications

General Requirements

OS X 10.9 or later

4GB of memory

35.5GB available storage on macOS Sierra or later*

Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply.

Some features require a compatible internet service provider; fees may apply.

Mac Hardware Requirements

For details about your Mac model, click the Apple icon at the top left of your screen and choose About This Mac. These Mac models are compatible with macOS Big Sur:

MacBook (2015 or later)

MacBook Air (2013 or later)

MacBook Pro (Late 2013 or later)

Mac mini (2014 or later)

iMac (2014 or later)

iMac Pro (2017 or later)

Mac Pro (2013 or later)

Learn about compatibility and how to identify your specific Mac model

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/macos-big-sur/id1526878132?ls=1&mt=12

And caution on 10.15 or higher, to see which Apps will no longer work in 10.15 get Go64...

https://www.stclairsoft.com/Go64/

Monterey…

macOS Monterey is compatible with these computers - Apple Support

• iMac – all models from late 2015, iMac 16,1 – 20,2
• iMac Pro – all models, iMac Pro 1,1
• MacBook & MacBook Retina – all models from early 2016, MacBook 9,1 – 10,1
• MacBook Pro – all models from early 2015, MacBook Pro 12,1 – 17,1
• MacBookAir – all models from early 2015, MacBook Air 7,1 – 10,1
• Mac Mini – all models from 2014, Mac Mini 7,1 – 9,1
• Mac Pro – all models from 2013, Mac Pro 6,1 – 7,1

https://wpbeaches.com/apple-minimum-system-requirements-for-macos-monterey-12/

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/macos-monterey/id1576738294

macOS Monterey on the App Store (apple.com)

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/macos-monterey/id1576738294?mt=12

What is the system firmware version (may be called BootROM)? You can get this information from the Apple System Profiler by clicking the Apple menu & holding the Option key, then selecting the first item. The system firmware version may be able to tell us if this laptop has ever had macOS 10.13+ installed at some point in the past.

If macOS 10.10 is the only OS ever installed on this laptop, then you may need to install macOS 10.11 and/or 10.13 before I would try to upgrade any further just in case a particular system firmware is needed.

I personally would suggest creating a bootable macOS USB installer for 10.11, 10.13, and 10.15 just to be safe. If the USB stick is large enough, you can actually have multiple bootable macOS installer on it each within their own partition...you just need to adjust the command.

You can try booting into Internet Recovery Mode using Command + Option + R to see if you can access the online macOS 12.x Monterey installer. If macOS 12.x is an option when booting into Internet Recovery Mode, then you can just create a bootable macOS 10.15 Catalina USB installer if that is the OS you want.

Even if Internet Recovery Mode appears to be available, do not trust that it will actually work. Many people have been reporting that Internet Recovery Mode is no longer working for older versions of macOS and/or older hardware. We are suspecting Apple has disabled the older online servers. I don't know the details on whether it is the old hardware, or just older macOS online installers since I have not personally tested it recently. I would highly recommend having at least one bootable macOS USB installer handy before you erase the laptop since the only reliable way to create a bootable macOS USB installer is by using another compatible Mac which for you would require a Mac from 2007 to mid-2022.

Good job!

FYI, your laptop can run up to macOS 12.x Monterey which is still receiving security updates from Apple.