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mojave

Have you recently upgraded your macOS to Mojave? Are you regretting the decision, and wanting to go back to High Sierra, Sierra, or an older version? Apple doesn’t necessarily make it easy to downgrade, but it is possible.

In this article, we’ll share the downgrading process – so you can revert back to your favourite Mac operating system. But before we jump into the step-by-step, let’s take a look at a few reasons why you might like to downgrade macOS to an older version.

Why downgrade macOS to an older version?

Mojave is, overall, a good upgrade to the Mac operating system. It comes with a number of handy features and inspired changes. That being said, it may take a while before these new features reach their full potential. And in the meantime, users could experience bugs, vulnerabilities, and other issues with the new software.

This is just one of the reasons you may want to downgrade your software. Perhaps an app you rely on for work no longer works properly. For example, some users have reported issues with Photoshop.

Or, maybe you need to test apps on older versions on macOS for your job. If this is the case, it may be worth setting up multiple OS on the one machine rather than downgrading completely.

Finally, you may just find Mojave unfamiliar and more difficult to use. This is another valid reason to revert back to an OS you’re more comfortable with.

Before you downgrade macOS

downgrade macOS

Before you downgrade macOS to an older version, you must back up your computer – and not using Time Machine. If you just use Time Machine, when you restore your data you will restore Mojave, too, and you’ll be back to square one.

The downgrading process will wipe your hard drive. All of your data will be deleted. If there is anything you want to keep, back it up using a cloud-based backup app or an external hard drive, or both.

How to downgrade from Mojave

Mojave, the latest macOS (as of December 2018), brought with it a whole host of new features. It did, however, come with a few omissions too. One of these omissions is the capacity to download older versions of the Mac operating system from the App Store.

Accordingly, there are two ways to grab hold of the High Sierra Installer, which you’ll probably need, to install that version of macOS:

  1. Before you upgrade to Mojave, download the High Sierra installer from the App Store. You can download the installer without installing it by quitting the installer when it’s finished downloading. This solution does require some forethought – so if you’ve already upgraded to Mojave and want to go back, try the next option.
  2. Try to find someone you know that has a Mac running an older OS. Use your login details to access the App Store, and download the High Sierra installer using that account.

Once you’ve got the installer, you can follow these instructions. The process is a little complicated, so before you jump in, we suggest opting to downgrade your Mac to the OS it shipped with.

How to downgrade Mojave to the OS that shipped with your Mac

downgrade macOS

Although a lot simpler than the process outlined above, it’s not as reliable. Some users report that this method doesn’t work at all, while others have had success with it. So, if you’re looking to revert back to the OS that was installed on your device when you bought it, try the following:

  1. Shut down your computer. Start it up again while holding Shift-Option-Command-R. Note that on some Macs, the Option key is called the Alt key.
  2. The macOS Utilities should appear. Select the Reinstall macOS option.
  3. Click Continue and work through the on-screen instructions.
  4. Select your startup disk and click Install.
  5. Your computer will restart when the installation is complete.

Please note that this process will wipe your Mac. Make sure you’ve backed up all important data.

Get help with your Mac

One mistake when reverting to an older macOS could result in lost data. Let the professionals do it for you. Get in touch with our team of Mac experts on 1300 553 166 or fill out the form on this page and we’ll be in contact soon. Read more about our Apple Mac Repairs Services.

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