Did you upgrade to macOS Catalina and decide it’s not for you? Perhaps a favorite app isn’t Catalina compatible, or changes in some of the apps Apple provides are not to your taste. Maybe your Mac just seems to be performing poorly with Catalina, or you experienced issues installing macOS Catalina and would just like to get back to a Mac OS you know works on your Mac.

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If you would like to downgrade from macOS Catalina to a previous version of the Mac operating system it can be done, but it isn’t always an easy or painless process. If you’re downgrading because of macOS Catalina installation problems, be sure to check the Catalina Install Issues section near the end of this article for any special steps you may need to take.

With those caveats in mind, let’s start the downgrade process.

What You Need in Order to Downgrade from macOS Catalina

There are a few different ways to perform the downgrade; here are two of them. You can:

• Reinstall a previous version of the Mac OS using the appropriate Mac OS Installer.
• Use Time Machine to restore from a date when your Mac was using a previous version of the operating system.

With any of the downgrade methods, you’re going to lose all the data currently on your Mac. The volumes that currently house your copy of macOS Catalina will have to be erased in order to convert the two special Catalina volumes (one read-only system volume and one read/write data volume) back to a format that is usable by the earlier versions of the Mac OS.

Back Up Your Current Data

Because of the need to erase your startup drive, the downgrade process should start with backing up all of your data. Time Machine is one option for a backup; just make sure Time Machine has been run shortly before you start the downgrade. The other option is to make a clone of the startup drive. If you go the clone route, make sure the cloning software you use is both APFS and macOS Catalina compatible; Carbon Copy Cloner and SuperDuper are two good possibilities.

If you need storage to house these backups, Other World Computing has a large selection of storage options available to choose from.

Don’t forget that besides having a backup of your data you should also have all your passwords, license keys, and network logins saved where you can easily access them during the installation of your replacement Mac OS.

Pick a Mac OS Installer

Unless you’re planning to use the Mac’s Internet Recovery options to reinstall the original version of the Mac OS that shipped with your Mac, or you’re planning on restoring from a Time Machine backup or a clone you made before you upgraded to macOS Catalina, you’re going to need a bootable version of the Mac OS you wish to install.

We can show you how to create the bootable installer, but first you’ll need to download the macOS installer from the Mac App Store. You can find the installers available at:

• macOS Mojave
• macOS High Sierra
• macOS Sierra

Download the installer of your choice. If the installer starts up automatically, be sure to quit the installer. Do not allow it to start the install process.

Note: You may see a warning about downloading an older version of the operating system. There should be an option available to continue the download.

T2-Equipped Macs

Creating and using the macOS bootable installer requires your Mac to be able to start up from an external drive. Macs equipped with the T2 security chip need to have a security setting altered to allow the use of bootable external devices.

If your Mac is equipped with a T2 chip, and most current Macs are, you’ll need to check the Rocket Yard guide:

How to Clean Install macOS Catalina

Follow the instructions in the T2-Equipped Macs section.

Create the Bootable Installer

You’ll need a USB flash drive with a minimum of 8 GB of storage space and preferably, but not a requirement, a USB 3.0 port.

With the installer downloaded and the USB flash drive in hand, follow the appropriate instructions linked below:

• How to Create a Bootable macOS Mojave Install Drive
• Create a Bootable macOS High Sierra Install Drive
• How to Make a macOS Sierra USB Install Drive

Once you have the bootable installer and a current backup, you’re ready to start the downgrade process.

Erase and Reformat the Startup Drive

Let’s start this section with an important notice:

Warning: This process will completely erase your Mac’s startup drive, destroying all of its content.

Early versions of the Mac OS did not make use of a read-only system volume and a read-write data volume. To ensure earlier versions of the OS can be installed, you need to erase and reformat the startup drive to remove the split volume architecture used in Catalina.

This can be done using the Mac’s Internet Recovery system. You may be tempted to use the normal Recovery volume that Catalina installs on your Mac. The problem is that the Recovery volume is part of the same APFS-formatted drive that houses the system volume and data volume you need to remove. Trying to erase and reformat the drive that also contains the Recovery volume can lead to some interesting error messages that are best to avoid.

Instead, use Internet Recovery, which runs from RAM memory, freeing you to use Disk Utility to completely erase the startup drive. Make sure you have on hand any network or Wi-Fi passwords you may need to make the network connection.

Restart your Mac while holding down the Option + Command + R keys. Continue to hold those keys down until you see a spinning world globe and the words Internet Recovery on the screen. This process takes a while, so be patient.

From the macOS Utilities window that opens, select Disk Utility, then click the Continue button.

In the Disk Utility window, select Show All Devices from the View menu, or use the View button on the toolbar.

In the Disk Utility sidebar, select the Mac’s startup drive (not the volume or the container, but the top-most item in the startup drive hierarchy).

Click or tap the Erase button.

In the sheet that drops down, give the drive a name, set the format to Mac OS Extended (Journaled), and the Scheme to GUID Partition Map.

Note: I’m suggesting Mac OS Extended (Journaled) because it can be used to install Mojave, High Sierra, and Sierra, though Mojave may convert the format to APFS during the installation process.

Click or tap the Erase button.

Once the erase is complete, you can quit Disk Utility.

Tip: If you don’t have a reliable Internet connection, you can use a bootable macOS High Sierra, Mojave, or Catalina installer. Boot from the installer then follow the steps above starting at: “From the macOS Utilities window that opens…”

Install Mac OS

With the startup drive erased, you’re ready to install the earlier version of the macOS.

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Connect the bootable macOS installer you made earlier to your Mac.

If your Mac is still booted into recovery mode, quit recovery by selecting Quit macOS Utilities from the macOS Utilities menu.

Restart your Mac while holding down the option key.

Continue to hold the option key down until you see the Mac’s Boot Manager appear.

The Boot Manager will display a list of connected bootable devices. Use the arrow button to select the USB flash drive that contains the macOS installer. Hit the return key to boot from the installer.

Booting from the USB flash drive may take a while; eventually, the macOS Utilities window will be displayed. Select the option to Install macOS and then click the Continue button. The macOS installer will start up and walk you through the installation of the version of the Mac OS contained on the installer.

Use Time Machine to Downgrade

If you’ve been using Time Machine for your backups, it may be possible to restore from an earlier backup, when you were using an older operating system on your Mac.

The advantage to this method is that not only will you end up with an earlier version of the Mac OS, but you will also have all your data from that time restored as well. (You won’t have any data newer than that date.)

To Use Time Machine to restore from a previous backup point, you still need to erase and format the Catalina startup drive to remove the split system volume and the APFS formatting. Perform the steps outlined in Erase and Restore the Startup Drive, listed above.

When you get to where you quit Disk Utility, jump back to this point and continue from here.

The macOS Utility window should be open. If not, restart your Mac using the recovery partition, as outlined above.

Make sure your Time Machine backup drive is connected to your Mac.

In the macOS Utility window, select Restore From Time Machine Backup, and then click the Continue button.

The Restore from Time Machine Backup option will present some basic information; once you’ve read it, click the Continue button.

A list of restore sources will be displayed. Select your Time Machine drive and click Continue.

A list of restore points will be displayed, organized by date as well as the OS version that was in use. Select the restore point you wish to use, and then click Continue.

Time Machine will display a list of drives currently connected to your Mac. Select the drive you wish to use as the destination for the restore; this will normally be the startup drive you erased earlier. When you’re ready, click the Restore button.

The restore process will start. This can take a while; when it’s complete, your Mac will restart.

Catalina Install Issues

There have been a number of macOS Catalina install issues that may make it more difficult to downgrade to an earlier version of the Mac OS. We hope one or more of these tips will allow you to perform the downgrade and install an earlier version of the operating system.

Stuck at Setting Up: When your Mac is stuck at the Setting Up point, there’s some good news. The Catalina installation has actually finished, and if you could get past the Setting Up message, you could use your Mac.

The easiest way around this problem is to just shut down your Mac and restart it. Even if you have to force the power off, either by holding the power button in or unplugging your Mac via the power cord, your Mac should restart and either finish the setup process or, more likely, bring you to the login screen.

Even if you find yourself still stuck at Setting Up, you can force restart the Mac and then enter Recovery mode, as outlined above.

Can’t Download a Version of macOS or Create a Bootable Installer: You may not be able to download or create a bootable installer because your Mac is still not functional due to an install error with Catalina. You don’t have to use your Mac to download or create the bootable installer; it can be done on any Mac, such as the Mac of a friend, family member, or coworker.

Once you have the bootable installer, you can force restart your Mac and start the downgrade process as outlined above.

Can’t Log In: Make sure you’ve tried restarting, as well as the steps outlined in:

How to Fix macOS Catalina Installation Issues

specifically, the Activation Lock Prevents Access to Your Mac section.

In previous versions of the Mac OS, you could use Single User mode to remove a system file that would force the Mac to run the setup process again, giving you the opportunity to create a new administrator account. Unfortunately, the read-only system volume in Catalina prevents the removal of the file.

If you still can’t gain access, you should consider using the Recovery mode to erase the drive and either reinstall Catalina, or an earlier version of the Mac OS.

Damaged Startup Drive: If the Catalina installation resulted in the startup drive being damaged, you may not be able to make use of the Recovery mode to use Disk Utility to repair the drive.

If you can’t restart into Recovery mode, you can try using Internet Recovery, which doesn’t require a working recovery partition. You’ll find instructions above, in the Erase and Reformat the Startup Drive section.

Once the macOS Utilities window is present, select Disk Utility, and then try the First Aid option.

Video Not Working: There have been a few reports of monitors attached to Macs via an HDMI port not working with Catalina. One workaround is to use a Thunderbolt to HDMI cable so that you can connect the monitor to one of the Mac’s Thunderbolt ports. This should get the display working, and allow you to perform the downgrade or continue to use Catalina.

Now What?

Now that you’ve reinstalled an earlier version of the Mac OS, the hard part begins: deciding which files you want to restore from a backup. You can use the Migration Assistant app to restore files from a clone, another Mac, or a Time Machine backup. Or, you can use Time Machine directly to restore selected files.

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If OS X Yosemite came preinstalled on your new Mac, you’ll probably never need this article. In this article, you discover all you need to know to install or reinstall OS X, if you should have to.

If you’re thinking about reinstalling because something has gone wrong with your Mac, know that an OS X reinstallation should be your last resort. If nothing else fixes your Mac, reinstalling OS X could well be your final option before invasive surgery (that is, trundling your Mac to a repair shop).

You don’t want to reinstall OS X if something easier can correct the problem. So if you have to do a reinstallation, realize that this is more or less your last hope (this side of the dreaded screwdriver, anyway).

Reinstalling is a hassle because although you won’t lose the contents of your Home folder, applications you’ve installed, or the stuff in your Documents folder (unless something goes horribly wrong or you have to reformat your hard drive), you might lose the settings for some System Preferences, which means you’ll have to manually reconfigure those panes after you reinstall. And you might have to reinstall drivers for third-party hardware such as mice, keyboards, printers, tablets, and the like. Finally, you might have to reregister or reinstall some of your software.

It’s not the end of the world, but it’s almost always inconvenient. That said, reinstalling OS X almost always corrects all but the most horrifying and malignant of problems. The process in Yosemite is (compared with root-canal work, income taxes, or previous versions of OS X) relatively painless.

How to install (or reinstall) OS X

In theory, you should have to install Yosemite only once, or never if your Mac came with Yosemite preinstalled. And in a perfect world, that would be the case. But you might find occasion to install, reinstall, or use it to upgrade, such as

• If your Mac is currently running any version of OS X except Yosemite

• If you have a catastrophic hard-drive crash that requires you to initialize (format) or replace your boot drive

• If you buy an external hard drive and want it to be capable of being your Mac’s startup disk (that is, a bootable disk)

• If you replace your internal hard drive with a larger, faster, or solid state drive

• If any essential OS X files become damaged or corrupted or are deleted or renamed

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The following instructions do triple duty: Of course they’re what you do to install OS X for the first time on a Mac or a freshly formatted hard or solid-state disk. But they’re also what you do if something really bad happens to the copy of OS X that you boot your Mac from, or if the version of OS X on your Mac is earlier than 10.10 Yosemite. In other words, these instructions describe the process for installing, reinstalling, or upgrading OS X Yosemite.

If you’ve never had Yosemite on this Mac, the first thing to do is visit the Mac App Store, download Yosemite, and install it. Once you’ve done that, here’s how to install, reinstall, or upgrade Yosemite, step by step:

1. Boot from your Recovery HD partition by restarting your Mac while holding down the Command+R keys.

   The OS X Utilities window appears. Select Reinstall OS X, and click Continue. The OS X Yosemite splash screen appears. Click Continue.

   A sheet appears informing you that your computer’s eligibility needs to be verified by Apple. Click Continue to begin the process of installing or reinstalling OS X.

   If you’re not connected to the Internet, you’ll be asked to choose a Wi-Fi network from the AirPort menu in the top-right corner.

2. The Yosemite software license agreement screen appears. Read it and click Agree.

   A sheet drops down, asking whether you agree to the terms of the license agreement. Yes, you did just click Agree; this time you’re being asked to confirm that you indeed clicked the Agree button.

   If you don’t click Agree, you can’t go any farther.

3. Choose the disk on which you want to reinstall OS X by clicking its icon once in the pane where you select a disk.

   If only one suitable disk is available, you won’t have to choose; it will be selected for you automatically.

4. Click the Install button.

5. A sheet asks for your Apple ID and password. Type them in the appropriate fields; click Sign In, and your Yosemite installation (or reinstallation) begins.

   The operating system takes 30 to 60 minutes to install, so now might be a good time to take a coffee break. When the install is finished, your Mac restarts itself.

If you were reinstalling Yosemite on the hard disk that it was originally installed on, or upgrading from Mavericks, you’re done now. Your Mac will reboot, and in a few moments you can begin using your new, freshly installed (and ideally trouble-free) copy of OS X Yosemite.

If, on the other hand, you’re installing Yosemite on a hard disk for the first time, you still have one last step to complete. After your Mac reboots, the Setup Assistant window appears. You need to work your way through the Setup Assistant’s screens as described below.

Getting set up with the Setup Assistant

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Assuming that your installation process goes well and your Mac restarts itself, the next thing you should see (and hear) is a short, colorful movie that ends by transforming into the first Setup Assistant screen (Apple Assistants such as this are like wizards in Windows, only smarter), fetchingly named Welcome.

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To tiptoe through the Setup Assistant, follow these steps:

1. When the Welcome screen appears, choose your country from the list by clicking it once, and then click the Continue button.

   If your country doesn’t appear in the list, select the Show All check box, which causes a bunch of additional countries to appear.

   After you click Continue, the Select Your Keyboard screen appears.

2. Choose a keyboard layout from the list by clicking it once; then click Continue.

   If you want to use a U.S. keyboard setup, click the U.S. listing. If you prefer a different country’s keyboard layout, select the Show All check box, and a bunch of additional countries’ keyboards (as well as a pair of Dvorak keyboard layouts) appear in the list. Choose the one you prefer by clicking it — and then click Continue.

   The Select Your Wi-Fi Network screen appears.

3. Click the name of the wireless network you use to connect to the Internet, type in its password, and then click Continue.

   If you don’t see the network you want to use, click Rescan. If you don’t use a wireless network, click Other Network Setup, and then choose one of the available options, or choose My Computer Does Not Connect to the Internet. Click Continue.

   The Migration Assistant (also known as the Transfer Information to This Mac) screen appears.

4. Choose to transfer data, then click Continue, or choose not to transfer data, then click Continue.

   If this is a brand-new Mac or you’re installing OS X Yosemite on a Mac and have another Mac or Time Machine backup disk nearby, you can transfer all of your important files and settings by following the onscreen instructions and connecting the new and old Macs via FireWire or Ethernet cable.

   Transferring data can take hours — that’s the bad news.

   The good news is that once the data transfer finishes, you’re finished, too. In other words, you can ignore the steps that follow (which are only for brand new installations with no data to transfer).

   Goodbye and good luck.

   Assuming you chose not to transfer data, the Sign In With Your Apple ID screen appears.

5. If you want to use your Apple ID with this Mac, type it (such as tcook@me.com) and your password in the appropriate fields, and then click Continue. Or, if you don’t have an Apple ID or prefer not to use one with this Mac, click Don’t Sign In, and then click Continue.

   To learn more about getting an Apple ID, click the blue “Learn More” link. In a nutshell, it lets you make one-click purchases at the iTunes Store, iPhoto, or the Apple Store, and includes free iCloud membership.

   The Allow iCloud to Use the Location of This Mac for Find My Mac sheet appears.

6. Click Allow or Not Now.

   The Terms and Conditions screen appears.

7. Read the Terms and Conditions and click Agree. A dialog confirms your agreement. Click Agree again.

   The Create A Computer Account screen appears.

8. Fill in the Full Name, Account Name (sometimes called Short Name), Password, Verify Password, and Hint fields, and then click Continue. Or, check the Use my iCloud Account to Log In checkbox. Then fill in the Account Name (sometimes called Short Name), and click Continue.

   This first account that you create will automatically have administrator privileges for this Mac. You can’t easily delete or change the name you choose for this account, so think it through before you click Continue.

   You can’t click the Continue button until you’ve filled in the first two fields. Because a password is optional, you can choose to leave both password fields blank if you like. If you do, your Mac warns you that without a password, your Mac won’t be secure. If that’s okay, click OK. If you change your mind and want to have a password, click Cancel.

   Click on the little picture to the right of your name (it’s labeled “edit”) if you want to choose a different picture or take a picture of yourself with your Mac’s built-in camera.

   If you choose to take a picture, click the Take Photo Snapshot button. When the picture appears, you can change its size by using the slider control directly below the image and/or move it around in the frame by clicking your face and dragging. If you’re not happy with this snapshot, click Retake a Video Snapshot. When you’re happy with it, click Continue.

   If you choose to select a picture from the Picture library, click the picture you want to represent you — the butterfly, dog, parrot, flower, or whatever — and then click Continue.

   The iCloud Keychain screen appears.

9. Click Set Up iCloud Keychain or Set Up Later.

   If you choose Set Up iCloud Keychain, a screen requesting your passcode appears. Type your four digit passcode, and click Continue.

   If you’ve forgotten your passcode or don’t have one, click Forgot Code to reset iCloud Keychain.

   In either case, a verification code is sent to your iPhone or other Apple device; type it in, and click Continue.

   The OS X Finder’s Desktop appears.

And that’s all there is to it. You’re done.