This article explains how to perform a clean install of OS X El Capitan to your Mac's startup drive or another drive. It includes information about the choices you have when performing a clean installation.
How to Clean Install OS X El Capitan
OS X El Capitan (OS X 10.11) offers two installation methods. This guide will focus on the "clean install" method. When you install El Capitan to your current startup drive using the clean install method, you will erase everything on the drive. That includes OS X, your user data, and personal files. Before you begin, make sure to back up your data.
After backing up your data, download El Capitan from the Mac App Store. Copy the installer to a USB drive to create a bootable drive if you are installing to the startup drive.
If you are performing the clean installation on an empty volume, you can skip straight to the section titled "Performing a Clean Install of OS X El Capitan." You do not need a bootable USB drive.
