macOS Sequoia arrived on Macs in September 2024 . Many people have instal Sequoia and love it , while others have set up the updated only to regret it later . Perhaps you ’ve expose that an app you rely on no longer works or is buggy ? mayhap you hate one of the newfangled features ? Or you are frustrated that your Mac ca n’t take advantage of all the new feature . The good newsworthiness is that it is possible to revert to a previous macOS version .
Another issue is that sometimes when Apple update the Mac operating scheme with new features , exploiter encounterproblems with the latest versionand call for to revert back to the previous macOS . Our advice is usually to hold back a few days or week before instal a major update for this reason ( although sometimes it ’s recommended you install it straightaway if the update is necessary for protection reasons . )
fortunately it is potential to return to the previous translation of macOS from before the update , but , unfortunately , it is n’t as simple as finding the older version of the Mac operating system and reinstalling it – and it can mean you lose some of your data .
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Maybe you need to lam an old version of the macOS on a Mac you are using to test apps as part of your job . We have a disjoined article that reckon at variousways to downgrade to older interlingual rendition of macOS . You may also want to look at other ways to add the quondam version of macOS , such asinstalling it on a freestanding volume(also know as double booting ) orrunning it on a separate drive .
Below , we ’ll run through the dance step to downgrade your Mac from the latest version of macOS Sequoia to an older one , or from Sequoia to Sonoma . If you want to downgrade from a beta variation of macOS we have a separate article sell withdowngrading from a beta version of macOS .
If it ’s Io you want to roll back it ’s not so round-eyed because Apple stops quondam reading of iOS being uncommitted . Read abouthow to downgrade from iOS 18 to iOS 17 .
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How to revert a macOS update
It ’s not always a entirely new version of macOS you want to turn back from . Apple issue multiple point update throughout the class and if something breaks on your Mac following that update you may need to go back to the previous version . This could be from Sequoia 15.1 to 15.0 , or it could be from macOS Sonoma 14.7 to 14.6 . At the fourth dimension of write Sequoia has n’t been updated beyond 15.0 , but when it is it will be potential to drop back to the previous version of Sequoia .
So , if there is something in an update to Sequoia that is causing problem for you , you may regress to an older version of macOS , but you will need to pass over your Mac to do so . The method will be make up one’s mind by whether of not you already have a stand-in ( and how old that backup is ) .
With a backup man from before your update : If you have a backup , all you need to do iswipe your Macand then recover your backup with the older interlingual rendition of the championship from before your update to the novel macOS .
Without a reliever : If you do n’t already have a backup , you will need to backup the information on your Mac because the cognitive process involves wiping your Mac and then doing aclean installof the macOS you want . For your reliever you should expend a backup tool other than Time Machine * .
You ’ll find more detail on how to use both of these method to return to an older adaptation of macOS below .
- Why you should n’t use Time Machine for this relief : Apple ’s Time Machine is no beneficial here because when it back up your Mac it will back up the current rendering of macOS as well , and when you recover your Mac from the stand-in you ’ll recover that version too . You could use a tool likeCarbon Copy Cloner(which has a costless 30 - mean solar day trial or cost £ 52/$49.99 ) , and does n’t make you back up the operating organization . contain out our recommendations here : Best backup software for Macs . We also have advice aboutHow to back up a Mac .
How to downgrade from Sequoia to Sonoma
opportunity are you arrived on this clause because you have updated to Sequoia and repent it . The appendage is just the same as if you are revert from a minor update to macOS .
With a backup from before your update : If you have a Time Machine backup from before the update , you’re able to regress to that , but you will lose any new data point , so check that you back up ( but not with Time Machine , as explained above ) .
Without a patronage : If you do n’t have a reliever you will need to make one and then convalesce your data to your Mac after wipe your Mac and doing a clean install of macOS Sonoma .
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We ’ll look at the various options and how you’re able to downgrade from macOS Sequoia to Sonoma below .
Option 1: Downgrade macOS using a Time Machine backup
If you have an olderTime Machinebackup frombeforeyou upgrade the downgrade mental process is a band comfortable . With your pre - Sequoia Time Machine backup in hired hand , you may go back your machine from before the update and then imitate back any files you created after you installed Sequoia .
This is our preferred method acting because Time Machine backs up your configurations and apps so that when you recuperate from that backup everything is on the dot the fashion you are used to it being , which can be comforting . As long as you have old backups you should be able to go back to a appointment before your ascent and recover that version of your Mac . Just recollect that anything you have done since then will be lost because you ’ll pass over everything on your Mac as part of the operation , so you will need to make a non - Time Machine backup of those file .
Here ’s how to recoup the onetime interlingual rendition of macOS using Time Machine :
Once you have rejuvenate the senior version of macOS from your Time Machine backup , you could regain the files you create since from your non - Time Machine backup .
But what if you do n’t have a Time Machine accompaniment ? …
Option 2: Wipe your Mac and do a clean install of the older macOS
Note that this method acting will score out your Mac , so do make certain you have a musical accompaniment of authoritative files .
If you do n’t have a Time Machine backup from before you refresh your Mac , all is not recede . you may put in an older version of macOS on your Mac , but you will need to pass over your Mac first . Wiping your Mac mean you will lose your data if you do n’t back it up . recall second it up with Time Machine wo n’t be utile here as you would recoup Sequoia along with your data . Take a feel at our good word in : Best championship software for Macs . We also have advice aboutHow to back up a Mac .
Get the installer
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The first leg of this method is to get the installer for the variation of macOS you ask , with the prerequisite that your Mac necessitate to be able to run it . See : macOS compatibility – the variant your Mac can run .
We have links to some recent versions of macOS below so you could download the one you require .
Create a bootable installer
You wo n’t just be able-bodied to install Sonoma over Sequoia , or any old version of macOS over a newfangled one . for instal an sure-enough version of macOS on your Mac you have to make a bootable installer that includes the induction files .
To make a bootable installer , from which you may reinstall the old macOS , you will need a remembering stick with at least 15 GB space but we ’d recommend more . You ’ll demand to reformat that tug and machinate it in Disk Utility and then apply Terminal to input the createinstallmedia command for the version of macOS you are installing .
In the case of Sonoma this is :
sudo /Applications / Install\ macOS\ Sonoma.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia – volume /Volumes / MyVolume
You will demand to replace MyVolume with the name you have given to the drive you are using as the bootable installer .
We recommend that you follow the steps delineate in this article : How to create a bootable installer of macOSto create your bootable installer . You will bump all the createinstallmedia commands in that article .
Use the bootable installer to downgrade your Mac
Now you have your bootable installer you should be capable to instal the aged version of macOS on your Mac using it .
Set up your Mac as new and recover your backed-up files
Now that you have wiped your Mac and installed the version of macOS you want you will need to operate through the set - up process . SeeHow to typeset up a new Mac for help with that .
Once your Mac is up and running you could recover the datum you gage up .
How to fix problems downgrading a Mac
These things do n’t always go swimmingly . Here are a few issues you might encounter :
Wiping an older Mac
If your Mac is old than the last few Intel Macs , or you are n’t run Monterey , you will want to erase your Mac take after the footmark in our tutorial onwiping a MacBook or Mac . We advocate that you abide by that tutorial as there are a lot of pace you should take to assure that you do n’t create more problem for yourself .
What to do if booting from external media doesn’t work
If you are using a Mac with a T2 Chip then you involve to ensure that you enable booting from external media or this will not work . To do this you need to get at Recovery Mode and then take Startup Security Utility from the menu . Here you will see a number of options admit those for Secure Boot and those for Allowed Boot Media . It is in this second section that you will observe Allow booting from outside or obliterable medium . You will need this selected to reboot from a bootable drive .
What to do if the old macOS won’t install
If the above does n’t act you may need to wholly pass over your Mac before reinstalling macOS from the bootable crusade .
We explain in detail how to erase a Mac in this clause : How to wipe out a MacBook or Mac : restore to factory settingsand we advise that you follow that tutorial . If you have a Mac with T2 poker chip , or an M - serial Mac wipe off your Mac is very simple thanks to the Erase All Content And configurations option . This scene used to be establish in the menu of System Preferences but with the comer of System configurations it ’s now locate in System configurations > world-wide > Transfer or Reset .
Reinstalling an older macOS via Recovery mode
depend on the age of your Mac there might be an choice to retrieve the original variation of macOS it ship with using macOS Recovery .
You wo n’t be capable to revert to something older than the macOS your Mac shipped with .
Thismayallow you to instal the operating system that your Mac ship with . regrettably , when we try this method we were unable to recuperate an older variant of macOS , it seems that it solve only for some Macs .
How to avoid problems when you downgrade macOS
overthrow an raise carry with it a number of wrinkles and pitfall .
Most of these are due to changes in file cabinet formats and configurations between version of the oculus sinister . So , for example , if you make a document or cultivate on a Indian file in a new edition , whether it ’s a genus Beta or full release , of macOS and then test and open it in an older version , it may not ferment .
To palliate this , it ’s judicious to export any documents you ’ve create or forge on in the newer OS in a received filing cabinet format . So , for illustration , if you use Scrivener or Ulysses , exportation documents as RTF file cabinet . That manner , if the aboriginal files do n’t live the reverse rising slope , you ’ll be able to re - import the RTF files .
Take screenshots of preferences and settings
Whenever you perform a clean install of macOS , which is what you ’re doing here , it ’s a good idea to take screenshots of any custom mount you ’ve created in apps or in System preferences ( or System Preferences ) . That gain it light to re - create them later .
You should also make a annotation of substance abuser account and word details for anything you ’ve go down up while launch the new version of the o . If you do n’t expend iCloud or Chrome to contemporise bookmarker , it ’s a good mind to export those and make a transcript .
And unless you ’re using the migrate datum alternative outlined above , you ’ll also demand installers and license codes for apps you employ . If those are downloads from the Mac App Store , you’re able to just re - download them from the Purchased incision in the App Store . If not , make indisputable you could download them from the vendor ’s website . If you do n’t use a word manager to store permission code , make certain you ’ve got a copy of them before you start .
Synchronize
If you apply Dropbox , OneDrive , Google Drive or any other flesh of cloud storage , verify your datum is in sync before you start the process of invert an upgrade . It ’s easy to forget that the Indian file that live in your Dropbox booklet , for example , are local single file and that while synchronising is frequent , the loss of an internet connection will prevent it and you could have file in your local folder that have n’t yet been copied to the swarm .
Clicking on the cloud service ’s logo in your card measure should tell you whether synchronism nail successfully and file are up to date .
If you use Gmail , iCloud mail or any other IMAP server for your email , check that it ’s up to date and any drafts you ’ve composed recently have been synchronized . If you use a POP3 account you ’ll have to manually back up the mail database and reestablish it after you lift the upgrade . Or , if you only have a few messages you postulate to keep , forward them to a Gmail write up – you could set one up especially for that role .
