How to Downgrade macOS Sequoia to Sonoma

If you’ve installed Apple’s newest operating system but decided you don’t like it, you might want to go back to an older version of macOS.  

But how do you do that? Unfortunately, you can’t undo installing a new macOS quite as easily as upgrading, but it is still possible.  

In this article, I’ll talk about why you might want to downgrade macOS Sequoia to Sonoma, what you should consider before rolling back, and how to downgrade your macOS.  

Before we start:

If you want to downgrade macOS Sequoia to Sonoma because of performance issues or because you’re running out of storage space, there are some other solutions you could try first. Rather than immediately downgrading your macOS, why not try using a Mac cleaner like MacKeeper’s Safe Cleanup? This could help you free up valuable storage space, enabling your Mac to run more smoothly.

How to use MacKeeper’s Safe Cleanup:

1. Download MacKeeper and follow the on-screen instructions to install it.
2. Open MacKeeper.
3. Choose Safe Cleanup from the sidebar.
4. Click Start Scan.
5. When the scan is complete, select the files you want to remove and choose Clean Junk Files.

Why downgrade from macOS Sequoia to Sonoma

There are several reasons why you might want to revert to macOS Sonoma or macOS 14.  

You might want to downgrade macOS Sequoia to Sonoma because some of your software isn’t compatible with the new system or it doesn’t run well on your MacBook. Additionally, when a new macOS is released, it might have a few glitches at first. If you’re struggling to cope with these, you might want to downgrade. Or you might just prefer Sonoma and want to go back.

I know it can be hard to adjust to updates and changes. However, if you think that you’ll be able to get used to macOS Sequoia in time, it’s worth persevering.  

It’s not always easy to install older macOS on your computer, and it does come with some risks, so you should make sure this is definitely what you want to do before you start.  

If you want to downgrade because your MacBook isn’t running well, it might be easier to try another solution first.  

You can use a Mac cleaner to clean out junk files from your system, freeing up space and potentially allowing your Mac to run more smoothly. MacKeeper’s Safe Cleanup helps you find and remove a variety of junk files, including unneeded language files, logs and caches, and old installation files.

When I ran Safe Cleanup on my MacBook, it found 6.99GB of junk that could be removed!

To clear extra disk space on your Mac:

1. Open MacKeeper and choose Safe Cleanup from the sidebar.
2. Click Start Scan to begin searching for junk files.
3. When the scan is complete, choose the files you want to remove and click Clean Junk Files.

If you’re having other issues with your macOS, you may be able to fix them using Apple’s in-built Recovery Mode. What is Recovery mode on Mac? Check out our article to find out more about how you can fix issues with your Mac.  

Before you downgrade macOS 15 to 14

Downgrading your version of macOS isn’t without risks. You might need to wipe your computer as part of the process. Because of that, there are some precautions you should take:

• Back up your data thoroughly before you begin–using an external drive or cloud backup, rather than Apple’s Time Machine. This is because Time Machine keeps a copy of your entire Mac, and you might end up restoring macOS Sequoia again.
• Make a note of any settings and preferences that you want to keep.
• Save your documents in a format that can be read on an older version of macOS.
• Make sure that your MacBook is connected to a power supply–reverting to an older macOS might take a while, and your MacBook won’t be able to complete the process if it’s not connected.

Make sure your Mac has access to the internet, whether it’s through Wi-Fi or an ethernet connection.  

How to rollback macOS Sequoia to Sonoma

When you’re considering how to downgrade macOS, there are a few different options. Depending on your circumstances, you might prefer one method over the other.  

I’ll explain the steps for each method, and you can decide which is the best for you.  

Ways to downgrade macOS Sequoia to Sonoma:

1. Use Time Machine backup.
2. Via Internet Recovery.
3. Reinstalling macOS Sonoma using a bootable installer.

For some of these methods, you’ll need to know whether your Mac has an Intel Processor or an Apple Silicon chip.

To find out whether your Mac has an Intel Processor or Apple Silicon chip:

1. Go to Apple menu > About This Mac.
2. If it says Chip, your Mac has an Apple Silicon chip. If it says Processor, your Mac has an Intel Processor.

1. Use Time Machine backup

If you have a Time Machine backup from before you upgraded to macOS Sequoia, this will be the quickest and easiest way to restore macOS Sonoma.  

To downgrade macOS Sequoia to Sonoma using Time Machine:

1. Turn your Mac off.
2. Connect the external drive containing your Time Machine backup to your Mac.
3. If your Mac has an Intel Processor, turn on your Mac and immediately hold down Command+R until you see the Apple logo. If your Mac has an Apple Silicon chip, hold down the Power button until you see the Loading Startup Options screen.
4. When the Utilities option appear, choose Restore from Time Machine Backup.
5. Follow the on-screen instructions to select the source of your Time Machine backup, and choose the correct backup.

2. Via Internet Recovery

Apple’s Internet Recovery is available for all Macs, but you can only use it to downgrade macOS Sequoia to Sonoma if your Mac has an Intel Processor. If your Mac has an Apple Silicon chip, Internet Recovery will only let you install the latest version of the most recent macOS installed on your system.  

However, for Macs running an Intel Processor, you can use Internet Recovery to reinstall the macOS that shipped with your Mac, or the oldest version still available.  

To downgrade macOS Sequoia to Sonoma using Internet Recovery, if your Mac has an Intel Processor:

1. Restart your Mac, and immediately hold down Command+Shift+Option+R until you see the Apple logo.
2. Select a Wi-Fi network or connect your Ethernet cable when prompted.
3. You may be asked for a username and password–enter the password for an admin user on your Mac.
4. Select the option to Reinstall macOS and choose to continue.
5. Follow the on-screen instructions to reinstall an older version of macOS.

Our expert’s tip: You can’t use Internet Recovery to revert to a version of macOS that’s older than the one your Mac shipped with.  

3. Reinstalling macOS Sonoma using a bootable installer

If you can’t use either of the previous two methods, you could downgrade macOS Sequoia to Sonoma by wiping your Mac and reinstalling macOS Sonoma. To do this, you’ll use a bootable installer.

A bootable installer is an external device that stores the macOS and lets you install it–if you’re a veteran tech user, it’s similar to installation disks or CD-ROMs.  

If you already have a bootable installer created, you can skip the first few steps here. But if not, don’t worry–I’ll explain how to create the bootable installer as well.  

A hint from our team: To create a bootable installer for macOS, you’ll need an external storage device such as an external hard drive or USB flash drive. Make sure you’re okay with erasing the contents from it, and that it has enough storage space to hold the macOS installer.

To create a bootable installer:

1. Attach your external storage device and open the Disk Utility app–you can do this by going to Launchpad and searching for Disk Utility.
2. Select your external device and choose Erase.
3. Click Erase again to confirm that you want to erase the contents.
4. Then, using the App Store or Apple’s website, download the installation file for macOS Sonoma. You can do this by opening the App Store and searching for Sonoma. Then, click Get to download it–but don’t install it.
5. Open Terminal–you can do this by going to Launchpad and searching for Terminal.
6. Type or paste the command sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Sonoma.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume and press Return. You may be asked for your password–if so, enter it and press Return again.

Now you’ve created your bootable installer, it’s time to use it.

To downgrade macOS Sequoia to Sonoma using a bootable installer:

1. Turn off your Mac, and connect your bootable installer.
2. If you have an Intel Processor, turn on your Mac and immediately hold down the Option key until you see a screen with the available disks. If you have a silicon chip, hold down the Power button until you see the Startup Options screen.
3. Select the bootable installer.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to reinstall macOS Sonoma.

Conclusion

If you want to downgrade macOS Sequoia to Sonoma, there are several methods you can try. However, because it’s quite a time-consuming process, you might want to consider if there are other options before you try and revert your macOS.  

If you’ve decided to reinstall Sonoma to fix performance issues or deal with a lack of storage space, it might be easier to try other solutions first. MacKeeper’s Safe Cleanup can help clear out junk files and free up space on your computer, without needing to undo a major macOS upgrade.