How to downgrade from macOS Monterey to macOS Big Sur

More recently, macOS Monterey came out for everyone. Many were satisfied with the update and have already appreciated the new chips of the operating system. Nevertheless, there are users who are not very happy with the innovations. Some have increased battery consumption, while others freeze or do not open applications. Fortunately, it is possible to roll back your Mac to the stable Big Sur. Today I propose to talk about how to install a previous version of macOS on your Mac, and discuss the most common problems encountered during the installation process.

Here you will find a detailed description of rollback from macOS Monterey to Big Sur.

We have already talked about how to install macOS Monterey , where we offered detailed instructions, talked about the main features of the system. In my opinion, there are not many new features to be upset about rollback. Overall, macOS 12 increasingly resembles the iOS mobile operating system. Every year, the border between smartphone and computer is increasingly blurred.

Стоит ли сдавать старый iPhone в трейд-ин.

Content

  • 1How to back up on Mac
  • 2Installing macOS to an external hard drive
  • 3Rollback macOS Monterey
  • 4MacOS backup

How to back up on Mac

It is important to understand that when you roll back to a previous version, macOS 12 will be completely removed from your computer. Whenever you update your operating system, Apple recommends making a backup. If you have any valuable information stored on your Mac, don’t skip this point. If something goes wrong during the installation process, you can go back.

There are many third-party solutions available to create a copy, however, in my opinion, it is best to use the Time Machine utility and an external hard drive. To create a backup on a Mac , you need:

  • Connect an external hard drive to your Mac. It is important that the storage capacity is at least as large as the built-in SSD.
  • Open System Preferences, then Time Machine.
  • Click Select system drive.
  • Then select your hard drive.
  • The system will prompt you to format it. Agree and click the Erase button.
  • Then macOS will start backing up your data.

The backup is an important part of the procedure. Don’t ignore her.

Next, you need to enable loading the operating system from an external drive. For this:

  • Reboot your Mac.
  • When the Apple logo appears, press and hold Command + R. This will enter recovery mode.
  • After that, the menu bar will be highlighted, where you will select Utilities, then Security Utility at startup.
  • Next, you need to enter your credentials and check the box Allow booting from external media.

Before you switch back to macOS 12, you need to download macOS Big Sur from the App Store and install a copy of the operating system to your external hard drive. You can do this by following the link .

Interestingly, macOS Big Sur weighs more than Monterey.

Installing macOS to an external hard drive

Booting from an external drive requires a complete wipe before installing macOS. Please note that it is better to use hard drives with a capacity of at least 16 GB. Despite the fact that Big Sur firmware weighs only 12 GB, the declared size of a flash drive or disk is almost always less than what is indicated on the box.

To clean the external drive for installing macOS , follow the instructions:

  • Make sure your computer is connected to the internet.
  • Now click on the apple icon in the upper left corner and select Restart.
  • Hold down the Command + R combination while starting the system. This will enter recovery mode.
  • Next click on Disk Utility, Continue.
  • Select the boot disk and click the Erase button.
  • Next, enter a new name for the hard drive.
  • Select the file system that is installed on your Mac and click erase.
  • When the download is complete, you can exit Disk Utility to proceed to the next step.

Don’t forget to specify the type of filesystem. It is important.

Rollback macOS Monterey

Now directly rollback. To migrate from macOS Monterey to a previous version of the Apple operating system, you need:

  • Make sure your Mac is connected to the internet.
  • Connect the boot disk to your Mac. After that, click on the apple icon in the upper left corner, then Restart.
  • Then hold down the Option key while the Apple logo is lit.
  • Next, select the macOS Big Sur bootable USB drive from the list of drive options.
  • Then click Continue.
  • Then macOS Big Sur will start downloading.

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MacOS backup

By using the last Time Machine backup of your Mac, you can easily revert to your previous settings. Follow these steps to restore your latest Time Machine backup after upgrading from macOS 12 Monterey to macOS Big Sur.

  • Make sure your Mac is connected to the internet.
  • After that, click on the apple icon in the upper left corner and select Restart.
  • Next, hold down the Command + R keys until the computer restarts.
  • Click Restore from Time Machine Backup, Continue.
  • Then Continue again and select the backup source.
  • Next, click Continue and select the latest macOS Big Sur backup.
  • After that, your Mac will start recovery and then reboot. This may take some time.

The procedure for restoring data using Time Machine.

In general, the rollback procedure is not as complicated as it might seem at first glance. Moreover, if you make a copy, the computer settings can always be restored without problems. In case of difficulties, feel free to contact our Telegram chat . There, together with the readers, we discuss popular problems and try to find their solution.