macOS Sonoma Operating System Downgrade Guide
IMPORTANT! Apple released macOS Sonoma, also known as macOS 14, on September 26, 2023. We will update this article based on our experience with the release version of macOS Sonoma.
If you are a content creator who has upgraded to macOS Sonoma only to discover that you have music and audio software or hardware that no longer function correctly, it’s possible to downgrade (revert or roll back) your Mac to the previous version of macOS you were using. This allows you to get back to work.
Here’s an overview of how to:
- Use Time Machine to back up your data to an external hard drive
- Use a USB flash drive to create a bootable installer to install the earlier version of macOS
- Use Recovery Mode to erase your Mac’s startup disk partition and install the earlier version of macOS
- Use Migration Assistant to restore your data and apps to your Mac from your Time Machine backup
The specific steps you must go through depend on which model of Mac you have and to which earlier version of macOS you want to revert.
IMPORTANT! Read through all instructions before you start. Write down your passwords beforehand. Print out the instructions you need. If you get stuck in a place where you cannot restore your Mac, contact Apple’s tech support at https://support.apple.com/mac.
- Should I Downgrade from macOS Sonoma?
- What You Need Before Downgrading
- Overview of How to Downgrade
- Ready to Downgrade: Follow Apple’s Instructions
- macOS Sonoma Support Resources
Should I Downgrade from macOS Sonoma?
Don’t panic – it may not be necessary to downgrade. First, check with the developers of the problematic software to find out if they have new versions that are compatible with macOS Sonoma available. Installing the updates may fix your problems.
Visit Sweetwater’s macOS Sonoma Compatibility Guide. It contains updated information from 175 developers and manufacturers and links to their support pages.
If the developers of the software you need don’t have new versions yet, you may need to downgrade from macOS Sonoma.
What You Need Before Downgrading
If your Mac is a new model that shipped with macOS Sonoma, it is not possible to downgrade to an earlier version.
If your Mac came with an earlier version of macOS, you can downgrade. Before you do, you must make a Time Machine backup of your data and save it to an external hard drive.
You will need:
- Your Mac
- Usernames and passwords, written down
- The administrator username and password you use to log in to your Mac
- Your Apple ID, email address, and password. This is your account with Apple and is not the same as the username and password above.
- An external hard drive, preferably at least double the size of your Mac’s startup disk, to create a Time Machine backup
- An external device you can format as a bootable installer. We recommend a 32GB or larger USB flash drive that operates at USB 3.0 speed.
- A reliable Internet connection
- Connecting your Mac to your router with an Ethernet cable is preferred.
- If you use Wi-Fi, you need to know the network name and password to log in from your Mac after you have started the downgrade process.
TIP: If you have a desktop Mac rather than a MacBook, it is recommended that you use a wired keyboard and mouse connected to your Mac to use Recovery Mode. Working with a Bluetooth or other kind of wireless keyboard and mouse connection is possible, but it’s difficult to set up in Recovery Mode.
Overview of How to Downgrade
Step One: Make a Backup Using Time Machine
IMPORTANT! Do not downgrade your Mac without first making a complete Time Machine backup on an external hard drive. Downgrading requires completely erasing your startup disk. Without the backup, you will lose all your data, not to mention having to reinstall all your apps separately.
Follow Sweetwater’s macOS Time Machine Backup Guide.
After you have created a backup, return to this article to continue the downgrading process.
Unplug the Time Machine external drive from your computer for the time being. During the Recovery procedure, you don’t want to risk erasing the Time Machine drive by mistake.
Step Two: Prepare a Bootable Installer
Using a bootable installer is the most straightforward way to downgrade.
A bootable installer is a USB flash drive that you prepare with macOS installation software so that the Mac can boot up from the flash drive rather than booting from its internal hard drive. Having booted from the installer, you can erase the internal hard drive, then install the earlier version of macOS onto the internal hard drive.
To create the bootable installer:
- Attach the flash drive to your Mac. Use Disk Utility to format the flash drive as Mac OS Extended.
- Download Apple’s installer for the version of macOS you are reverting to. The installer will be about 14GB in size. In macOS, pull down the Apple menu and open the App Store. Search for the installer file for the version of macOS you want to revert to. Download it to your Applications folder on your Mac, but do not run the installer. It is also possible to download earlier versions of macOS from the Apple website; this is explained on Apple’s support page below.
- In the Terminal app, run the specific command provided by Apple for the version of macOS you will be installing. You must enter the password for your user account with administrator privileges to run the command. The procedure will set up the USB flash drive with the necessary files, copy the macOS installer to the drive, and let you know when it’s finished.
After creating the bootable installer, go to System Settings. Log out of your Apple ID account to disconnect your Mac from all your iCloud services.
TIP: Software licenses, authorization, and activation.
Your DAW, plug-ins, and audio apps may require license authorization or activation to your startup disk. After you downgrade macOS, these apps may see your new installation as a whole new computer, and you may need to reactivate each app. Before you downgrade, you should find out if you can deactivate or deauthorize each piece of software so you can use the license code to reactivate the software after your downgrade. Visit the developers’ support pages for instructions.
Step Three: Use the Bootable Installer to Downgrade Your Mac
With the bootable installer connected and your Mac connected to the Internet, shut down your Mac.
The procedure to start your Mac in Recovery Mode depends on whether you have an Intel-based Mac or a Mac with Apple silicon. Learn more at Apple Support’s article.
- On an Intel-based Mac, power on the Mac and hold the Option (Alt) key.
- On a Mac with Apple silicon, turn on the Mac and continue to hold the power button until you see the Startup Options window.
Select the volume containing the bootable installer.
If you don’t have an Ethernet connection to the Internet, you will be prompted to connect to your Wi-Fi router. The bootable installer needs to connect to Apple’s servers for authentication.
In Recovery Mode, accept the prompt to erase your Mac, or use Disk Utility to erase your internal hard drive.
After the hard drive has been erased, select the option to Reinstall the version of macOS that is on this bootable installer.
Step Four: Use Migration Assistant to Restore Your Data from Your Time Machine Volume
When your bootable installer finishes installing a fresh copy of the earlier version of macOS, it will boot to the Migration Assistant with a screen that prompts you to restore your data from a Time Machine backup.
Connect your Time Machine disk to your Mac. Follow the prompts.
Select the data from your user account on the Time Machine disk. Depending on how much data you have to restore, it may take hours to complete and could even take all night.
Upon logging back in after your data is restored, Migration Assistant will prompt you to input your Apple ID and password to reconnect your iCloud services.
TIP: macOS Audio Optimization
You can continue to use your Time Machine backup disk to make incremental backups of your data from this point forward. But you need to turn off Time Machine backups while recording and mixing audio. Learn more in Sweetwater’s Audio Optimization Guide.
You may need to reactivate or transfer licenses for your DAW, plug-ins, and apps. Log in to your accounts at the developers’ websites, follow their activation instructions, and contact their tech support if necessary.
Ready to Downgrade: Follow Apple’s Instructions
Now that you understand the steps, follow the instructions in Apple Support: Create a bootable installer for macOS.
Learn more about restoring data from your Time Machine backup in Apple Support: Transfer to a new Mac with Migration Assistant.
Learn more about using Recovery Mode in our Sweetwater article macOS Recovery Explained.
macOS Sonoma Support Resources
Sweetwater has a comprehensive series of support pages for macOS and Microsoft Windows.
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