How to Downgrade from macOS 12 Monterey to macOS Big Sur

Jun. 11, 2021



To take the all-new macOS 12 features for a test drive, you installed themacOS 12 betasoftware on your Mac device. However, a boatload of bugs and unexpected issues may have dampened your excitement, and you are now looking for a way to downgrade from macOS 12 Monterey to macOS Big Sur. Take a breath! In this guide, we will walk you through the step-by-step process to downgrade from macOS 12 Monterey and go back to macOS 11 Big Sur.

Bear in mind that downgrading your Mac will entirely erase macOS 12 from your hard drive. Therefore, make sure to back up your Mac if you don’t want to lose your files, programs, documents, and other important data. You can use an external hard drive or acloud storage service like DropBox, iCloud, or OneDrive to save your files. Once you have secured your data, let’s move ahead with the guide!

  1. Now, hold downCommand+R keyswhen the Apple logo appears on the screen. It will put your Mac into Recovery Mode.

  2. Next, click “Utilities” in the Menu Bar and chooseStartup Security Utility.

  3. Next up, you need to enter your firmware credentials and then check the box toAllow booting from external media.

Note:The firmware password is different from the administrative password and Apple ID password. Make sure you remember the correct password to access the Startup Security Utility.

Before downgrading your Mac and erasing macOS 12, you will need to download macOS 11 from the App Store. Ensure that you have a copy of macOS Big Sur on an external hard drive for the easiest way to downgrade. To get it done,follow our complete guide tocreate a bootable macOS Big Sur USB installer drive.

Now, it’s time to erase the hard drive before reinstalling macOS Big Sur. Again, I would remind you of backing up your Mac before performing this radical step.

  1. Next, hold downCommand+R keys. Make sure to press down the keys until your computer reboots. It will put your computer into Recovery Mode.

  2. Next up, click on “Disk Utility” in the OS X Utilities selector. After that, click onContinueto proceed further.

  3. Choose yourStartup Diskand thenclick on the “Erase” buttonat the top of the window.

  4. Now,input a new name for the hard drivesuch as Macintosh HD. Once the drive has been erased, its name will change to the one you have just chosen. If your Mac is using HFS+, make sure to choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled) from the format list.

However, if your Mac is using APFS, be sure tochoose APFSfrom the format list. If Scheme is available, choose GUID Partition Map. Finally, click on “Erase“.

When the process is complete, you can quit the Disk Utility from the drop-down menu in the upper left corner of the screen to return to the OS X Utilities selector.

It’s worth pointing out that if your Mac device came with macOS Big Sur pre-installed, you can install macOS Big Sur with ease. Simply restart your Mac while holding down theShift+Option+Command+Rcombo to enter Internet Recovery Mode and then install the macOS 11.

If your Mac device didn’t come with macOS Big Sur, follow the steps below:

  1. Now, hold down theOption/alt keywhile your computer restarts (keep pressing the Option key until the Apple logo disappears after rebooting).

  2. Next, you will get the option to select a startup disk. Choose your bootable USB drive with macOS Big Sur from the list of startup disk options.

  3. Next up, click on “Continue” in the installation window.

macOS Big Sur will install like a standard update. Do note that you will need to agree to the licensing terms before the software reboots on your Mac.

Using a recent backup of your Mac saved to Time Machine, you can bring back the saved settings with ease. Follow the steps below to restore a recent Time Machine backup after you downgrade from macOS 12 Monterey to macOS Big Sur.

  1. Now, hold downCommand+R keysas soon as you hear the startup chime. Make sure to keep holding the keys until your computer reboots.

  2. Next, choose “Restore from Time Machine Backup” in the OS X Utilities selector and click on “Continue“.

  3. Next, click onContinueagain. Then, choose theBackupsource for where your Time Machine backup is stored.

  4. Next up, click onContinueand then choose the most recent macOS Big Sur backup on the drive. After that, click onContinue.

That’s it! Your Mac will now start restoring from the Time Machine backup and then reboot. As the whole process will take a while, you will need to wait patiently.

Downgrade from macOS 12 Monterey and Go Back to macOS Big Sur Safely

Downgrade from macOS 12 Monterey and Go Back to macOS Big Sur Safely

So, that’s how you can downgrade from macOS 12 Monterey and go back to macOS 11 Big Sur. Beta versions of software generally come with bugs and unexpected issues. That’s why it’s always better to install them on a secondary device. This way, even if you run into any unexpected issues, your work doesn’t get affected. Anyway, let me know your thoughts on macOS 12 beta and what sort of issues you faced.

An old school bibliophile who turned a tech nerd out of obsession. When he is not digging into hacks and tracking down stories that are breaking the internet, you may find him reciting poems.

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