3 Ways to Downgrade to the Old macOS Version

This guide explains 3 ways to downgrade to the old macOS version with practical context and clear actions. Use the points below to avoid common mistakes and make better decisions.

If you encounter this situation, you can return to the previous version of macOS that the system used to run. Today's article will guide you how to downgrade macOS.

Apple created macOS upgrades with backward compatibility, but there are exceptions. Some types of hardware and software may not work correctly after upgrading.

This is especially true when it comes to hardware and software related to audio, video and graphics.

No matter how downgraded the macOS version is, users must delete everything on the hard drive. To make sure not to miss anything, the best way is to back up the entire hard drive.

You can backup with integrated Time Machine feature (but be careful if using this option). Among the following ways, one way to downgrade macOS is to restore the old Time Machine backup (if available). If you choose this option and then want to restore the backup you just created, make sure to only restore your personal data to not undo the downgrade.

Assuming the Mac does not have the latest macOS version installed, the downgrade is quite easy. Users can use macOS Recovery integrated to downgrade. Just make sure you have Internet access during the installation, as the software will download the macOS version earlier.

This process is similar to reinstalling macOS, but will instead download the original macOS version of the computer. If the computer in use is quite old, it will download the oldest version that is still available.

Make sure you have a full backup, because this method will delete the boot drive:

1. Turn off the Mac completely

2. Turn on the computer and immediately hold down Mac Shift + Option + Command Prompt + R Shortcut key combination. The boot process will take longer than usual when MacOS Recovery Load.

3. When the MacOS Utilities Screen loads, select Reinstall macOS (or Reinstall OS X ) and select Continue.

4. Follow the prompts and select the boot drive. Now select Install.

5. Go through the instructions on the screen to complete the rest of the installation.

6. After the installation is complete, restore the files from the created backup.

Using Time Machine backup is another simple way to install an older version of macOS. Of course, this assumes that the user has created a backup on the old macOS version.

To downgrade using the previous Time Machine backup:

1. Plug in the Time Machine drive into your Mac and power off or restart.

2. During boot process, keep Command Prompt + R To enter MacOS Recovery.

3. When the MacOS Utilities Screen appears, select Restore From Time Machine Backup And select Continue.

4. On the next screen, select Continue Again.

5. Select Restore Source. In this case, it is the backup drive that was previously plugged in.

6. On the following screen, select the backup you want to restore. Users can see which version of macOS was used to create that backup.

7. Follow the prompts to complete the reinstallation process, then restore the files from the created backup.

Before releasing macOS Mojave, you can download old macOS versions via the App Store. With Mojave's updated Mac App Store, this is not possible anymore. However, this is still an option on older macOS versions.

If you have an old Mac, you can download the old operating system version as long as you haven't upgraded it to Mojave. You can login your iCloud account on a Mac by a friend or relative and download the old macOS version. The installer may also be part of a backup.

Remember that older macOS versions are now harder to download. The next time you upgrade, you should make a backup of the previous version installer as a precaution.

This process will need a 16GB USB or higher or an external hard drive.

Prepare an external drive

Before creating the installer, you need to format the drive. If the drive has been formatted, you can skip this section.

1. Plug in the external drive.

3. In the External Section in the list on the left, select the drive and then select the Erase Button at the top of the window.

5. Select Erase, Next, select Done When the process is complete.

Create the installer

Readers need to follow the steps on the machine with the installer for the old macOS version.

sudo /Applications/Install macOS High Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/External --applicationpath /Applications/Install macOS High Sierra.app

This will create the installer and delete the external drive during the creation process.

Use the installer

To finish, to run the installer that created and downgraded the macOS:

1. Turn off the Mac you want to downgrade and plug in the external drive you just created.

2. Power on the Mac and hold the Option + R Key combination.

3. When the MacOS Utilities Screen appears, select Disk Utility.

4. Select Startup Disk And select Erase. Choose the same format as when creating the installer.

5. Reboot the Mac again, this time press Option.Startup Manager Appears.

6. Select the created drive with the installer and select Install macOS.

7. After the installation process has finished, users can restore their files from the backup created.

If you want to downgrade the macOS version just because your computer is slow, users should rethink that decision. Although this may solve the speed problem, it is also possible that the Mac is still slow after performing all these complicated steps.

Before taking any drastic measures to speed up your computer, take a moment to read the article: Old Mac acceleration runs as fast as when you first bought it with these tips. Perhaps one of these simple ways helps you fix the problem.