- Should I Downgrade from macOS Tahoe 26?<\/a><\/strong><\/li>
- What You Need Before Downgrading<\/a><\/strong><\/li>
- Steps to Downgrade macOS<\/a><\/strong>
- Step One: Make a Backup Using Time Machine<\/a><\/strong><\/li>
- Step Two: Prepare a Bootable Installer<\/a><\/strong><\/li>
- Step Three: Deactivate and Deauthorize Software<\/a><\/strong><\/li>
- Step Four: In Recovery Mode, Use the Bootable Installer to Downgrade Your Mac<\/a><\/strong><\/li>
- Step Five: Use Migration Assistant to Restore Your Data From Your Time Machine Disk<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Ready to Downgrade?<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Should I Downgrade from macOS Tahoe 26?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
It may not actually be necessary for you to downgrade! If you have identified a particular app or plug-ins that are not functioning with Tahoe, first check with the developers to find out if they have new versions that they have verified to be compatible. Installing the latest versions may fix your problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Check the chart at the bottom of Sweetwater\u2019s macOS Tahoe Compatibility Guide<\/a> for links to the latest support information from 215 manufacturers and software developers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>If the developers of your software announce on their website that their products are not compatible with Tahoe at this time, and you can\u2019t wait, then you may need to downgrade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What You Need Before Downgrading<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
NOTE:<\/strong> If your Mac is a new model that came from Apple with macOS Tahoe 26 installed, it is not possible to downgrade that Mac to an earlier version of macOS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If your Mac came with an earlier version and you upgraded it to macOS Tahoe 26, you should be able to downgrade. Before you do, you must make a Time Machine backup of your data to an external hard drive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You will need:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Usernames and passwords, written down:
- The administrator username and password you use to log in to your Mac<\/li><\/ul>
- Your Apple Account email address and password (This was previously known as your Apple ID). This may not be the same as the username and password you use to log in to your Mac.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- An external hard drive, preferably at least double the size of your Mac startup disk, to create a Time Machine backup<\/li>
- A USB flash drive, 32GB or larger, that you can format as a bootable installer. We recommend one that\u2019s rated at USB 3.1 speed or higher.<\/li>
- A reliable Internet connection
- Connecting your Mac to your router with an Ethernet cable (using an appropriate adapter, hub or dock for a MacBook) is preferable for speed and stability.<\/li><\/ul>
- If you use Wi-Fi, position your Mac near the access point. Write down the SSID (the name of your Wi-Fi access point) and the passcode to log into it. You\u2019ll need to enter these while in Recovery mode.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
TIP:<\/strong> If you have a desktop Mac, we recommend that you use a wired keyboard and mouse, connected to your Mac with USB cables. When you boot into Recovery mode, it\u2019s possible to configure a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, but it\u2019s harder to set up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Steps to Downgrade macOS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Step One: Make a Backup Using Time Machine<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
IMPORTANT:<\/strong> You must make a complete Time Machine backup on an external hard drive before downgrading. Downgrading requires completely erasing the partition of your hard drive that holds all your data. Without the backup, you will lose all your data, not to mention you\u2019ll have to reinstall all your apps one at a time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Follow the instructions in Sweetwater\u2019s macOS Time Machine Backup Guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>If you choose to encrypt your backup and protect it with a password, make sure to write that password down, as you will need it during the downgrade process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After you have created the backup, eject the Time Machine external drive from your computer and disconnect the USB cable. When you are in Recovery mode, this will ensure that you don\u2019t erase the Time Machine drive by mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Step Two: Prepare a Bootable Installer<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"macOS](\"https:\/\/www.sweetwater.com\/sweetcare\/media\/2025\/09\/Sequoia-Installer-Icon.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nThe Install macOS Sequoia app<\/em> can be downloaded from the Mac App Store.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
A bootable installer is a USB flash drive that you prepare with the Apple installer app for a previous version of macOS — Sequoia or an earlier version that you know will run on your Mac. You then boot your Mac into Recovery mode and erase the startup disk partition, and install the previous macOS from the bootable installer drive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Follow the instructions in the Apple support article Create a bootable installer for macOS<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s an overview of the steps in the article:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Download the Install macOS Sequoia app (or an earlier version) from the Mac App Store or through your web browser. This app will be around 15GB in size, so the download may take some time.<\/li>
- Connect the USB flash drive to your Mac. Use Disk Utility to format the flash drive in Mac OS Extended<\/strong> format.<\/li>
- Use the Terminal app to run the command that will create the bootable installer. The macOS installer app will be copied from your Applications folder onto the USB drive in a new format that enables your Mac to use the USB drive to install the older macOS.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Step Three: Deactivate and Deauthorize Software<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
After you create the bootable installer, it\u2019s time to prepare your Mac to erase it and start over. Remember: you must have a Time Machine backup!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To make things go smoothly you need to sign out of a number of relevant accounts. When you restore your system to its earlier version, various apps and services may see your new installation as a whole new computer. If you haven\u2019t signed out of the relevant accounts first, setting them up on your new computer will require some extra steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Turn off Find My Mac and sign out of your Apple Account<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Go to System Settings > Apple Account > iCloud > Find My Mac <\/strong>and toggle Find My to Off<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Click the back button to return to System Settings > Apple Account<\/strong> and click Sign Out<\/strong> to temporarily remove your computer from its connection to iCloud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Deactivate your DAW, plug-ins and music apps<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Your third-party DAW, plug-ins, and other music and audio apps may require license authorization or activation on your Mac. After you downgrade macOS, these apps may treat your new Mac as if it\u2019s a second computer to which you want to activate duplicate copies of their software. This may not be a problem, as many apps let you authorize on multiple machines, but it\u2019s best if you go into each app, or the manufacturer\u2019s \u201cproduct portal\u201d or installer app, and deauthorize<\/strong> or deactivate<\/strong> each app. Visit the support pages for each manufacturer of your software for instructions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After you downgrade, the first time you run each of these apps, you\u2019ll be prompted to activate them anew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Step Four: In Recovery Mode, Use the Bootable Installer to Downgrade Your Mac<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Connect the USB flash drive with the bootable installer to your Mac. With your Mac connected to your router via Ethernet or with an available Wi-Fi connection, shut down your Mac. Next, you will boot into Recovery Mode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On a Mac with Apple silicon<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
- Press and hold the power button until you see the Startup Options<\/strong> window.<\/li>
- Select Options<\/strong>.<\/li>
- If you don\u2019t have an Ethernet connection, you will be prompted to connect to your Wi-Fi router. Enter the name of the router and the passcode.<\/li>
- In Recovery mode, use Disk Utility<\/strong> to erase your internal hard drive. Be sure you are ready to do this, and you have your Time Machine backup at hand! In Disk Utility, be sure to select the Volume Group that contains your startup disk (\u201cMacintosh HD\u201d) and not just \u201cMacintosh HD\u201d within the volume group. Keep the Format the same as the default. Click Erase<\/strong>. When the erasure is complete, quit Disk Utility.<\/li>
- Still in Recovery mode, in the Options view, click to select<\/strong> the bootable installer flash drive with the earlier version of macOS on it. Click Continue<\/strong>, and follow the prompts to sign in to your Apple Account and to select the startup disk that you have erased. Indicate that you wish to install the previous version of macOS onto this volume, and proceed.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
On an Intel-based Mac with the T2 security chip<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
- Power on the Mac and hold the Option (Alt) key down on your keyboard.<\/li>
- Select Options.<\/li>
- If you don\u2019t have an Ethernet connection, you will be prompted to connect to your Wi-Fi router. Enter the name of the router and the passcode.<\/li>
- In Recovery mode, use Startup Security Utility to configure your Mac to allow booting from external or removable media. But before you get to this stage, review the instruction in Apple\u2019s support article About Startup Security Utility on a Mac with the Apple T2 Security Chip<\/a>.<\/li>
- In Recovery mode, use Disk Utility<\/strong> to erase your internal hard drive. Be sure you are ready to do this, and you have your Time Machine backup at hand! In Disk Utility, be sure to select the Volume Group that contains your startup disk (\u201cMacintosh HD\u201d) and not just \u201cMacintosh HD\u201d within the volume group. Keep the Format the same as the default. Click Erase<\/strong>. When the erasure is complete, quit Disk Utility.<\/li>
- Still in Recovery mode, in the Options view, click to select<\/strong> the bootable installer flash drive. Click Continue<\/strong>, and follow the prompts to sign in to your Apple Account and to select the startup disk that you have erased. Indicate that you wish to install the previous version of macOS onto this volume, and proceed.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Learn more about working in Recovery mode in our SweetCare article macOS Recovery Explained<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Step Five: Use Migration Assistant to Restore Your Data From Your Time Machine Disk<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
When your Mac reboots, it will start up with a fresh copy of macOS Sequoia (or the other previous version you chose).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Migration Assistant<\/strong> will present a dialog, Transfer Your Data to This Mac<\/strong>. Connect your Time Machine backup disk, and choose \u201cFrom a Mac, Time Machine, or startup disk.\u201d Click Continue<\/strong>. Follow the prompts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Depending on how much data you have and the speed of the backup disk, it may take hours to complete the restore. If you have a MacBook, make sure it\u2019s plugged in. Don\u2019t shut it down until the restore is complete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learn more in the Apple support article Transfer to a new Mac with Migration Assistant<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Upon logging back in, you will be prompted to input your Apple Account username and password to reconnect to your iCloud services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For your music and audio software, the first time you launch each of these apps you may need to active its license again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TIP:<\/strong> Continue to use your Time machine backup disk to make incremental backups of your data hourly and daily from this port forward. But you must turn off Time Machine, iCloud and any other backup services while recording and mixing audio. Learn more in Sweetwater\u2019s macOS Audio Optimization Guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ready to Downgrade?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
As we said at the start, we hope you don\u2019t find yourself in this position, but now you know the series of steps to downgrade. It will take some time and effort, but it\u2019s doable. You can restore your system to how it was before Tahoe, and get back to work.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":1787565,"template":"","categories":[350442],"tags":[69150,34717,530577,576332],"storecat":[],"itemids":[],"manufacturers":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n
- In Recovery mode, use Disk Utility<\/strong> to erase your internal hard drive. Be sure you are ready to do this, and you have your Time Machine backup at hand! In Disk Utility, be sure to select the Volume Group that contains your startup disk (\u201cMacintosh HD\u201d) and not just \u201cMacintosh HD\u201d within the volume group. Keep the Format the same as the default. Click Erase<\/strong>. When the erasure is complete, quit Disk Utility.<\/li>
- Select Options<\/strong>.<\/li>
- Use the Terminal app to run the command that will create the bootable installer. The macOS installer app will be copied from your Applications folder onto the USB drive in a new format that enables your Mac to use the USB drive to install the older macOS.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- If you use Wi-Fi, position your Mac near the access point. Write down the SSID (the name of your Wi-Fi access point) and the passcode to log into it. You\u2019ll need to enter these while in Recovery mode.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- Connecting your Mac to your router with an Ethernet cable (using an appropriate adapter, hub or dock for a MacBook) is preferable for speed and stability.<\/li><\/ul>
- The administrator username and password you use to log in to your Mac<\/li><\/ul>
- Step Two: Prepare a Bootable Installer<\/a><\/strong><\/li>
- What You Need Before Downgrading<\/a><\/strong><\/li>