How to downgrade from macOS Ventura (version 13)

macOS Ventura is not perfect: a complete guide to downgrade to Monterey

For some users, macOS Ventura is undoubtedly a disappointment. Errors and performance issues such as slow Mac running may make you want to downgrade from Ventura to Monterey. This is completely understandable. Let us guide you through this process.

Preparation before downgrade

Before explaining how to downgrade macOS, you need to know the following:

• Have you checked out the most common problems with Ventura? This is a very important step, especially if you have specific problems such as some applications that don't work or Bluetooth can't connect to the device. Maybe there is an easy solution! You can find solutions to all known Ventura problems here.

• Have you tried optimizing Ventura's performance? If your Mac runs very slowly or frozen on macOS 13, downgrade is not the only solution. You can use CleanMyMac X to update outdated applications, clear cluttered files, and run some maintenance tasks. This will most likely optimize your Mac performance!

• Have you accumulated any new data on Ventura? If you still decide to downgrade from Ventura and you want to bring the files to the old system, take a moment to back up the files. You can upload it to the cloud using Dropshare, or create a backup on an external hard drive using Get Backup Pro.

Three main ways to downgrade from Ventura

Once you weigh all the options and decide you want to downgrade macOS, it's time to choose how to downgrade. There are three options:

• Time Machine Backup
• macOS recovery mode
• Start the installer

View each process and choose the method that best suits your current situation.

Note: You will notice that the instructions for downgrading from Ventura on an Intel Mac are different from the instructions for downgrading from Ventura on an Apple Silicon Mac. We will cover all the steps in both cases.

Downgrade to Monterey using Time Machine backup

Please tell us if you have backed up your Mac before installing Ventura. If you have backed up, you don't need to worry, as all data is safe, waiting to be migrated to your new macOS. By the way, Time Machine setup looks pretty concise on macOS Ventura!

Although Time Machine is not the best way to do backups and we prefer Get Backup Pro, Time Machine users have a big benefit – they can downgrade to previous versions of macOS using this backup utility. Here is how it works:

1. Connect Time Machine Drive to Mac
2. Restart your Mac
3. Go to the startup screen:

On Intel Mac: Hold down the Command R key until you see the Apple logo

On an Apple Silicon Mac: Press and hold the power button until you see the boot screen. Then, select Options > Continue

1. Select "Restore from Time Machine Backup" > "Continue"
2. Select Backup Source > Continue
3. Select your Monterey backup > Continue
4. Wait for the downgrade process to be completed. This can take a while.

How to uninstall macOS Ventura using recovery mode

It doesn't matter if you don't want to restore the backup when you downgrade. You can still roll back to Monterey or any other macOS you used before. macOS recovery mode is best for this situation. Before you begin, make sure you have a stable internet connection.

Downgrade from Ventura using macOS recovery mode:

1. Close your Mac
2. Press the power button to turn on your Mac, and then press and hold one of the following key combinations:

Command R returns to macOS before you installed Ventura

Option Command R Install the latest version that is compatible with your Mac

Shift Option Command R Install the macOS or the latest available version that comes with your Mac

1. Enter your password and click Continue
2. Select Next > Reinstall macOS.

As usual, you can have a cup of coffee as it takes some time for your Mac to finish it.

How to use the bootable installer to return to previous macOS

Senior users who like to try beta often take precautions. One of the precautions is to keep a USB around you with a bootable macOS installer. If any issues occur, they can always install their previous stable version of macOS from this USB.

Good news: Even if you didn't do this before installing Ventura, you can create a bootable Monterey installer. This process involves the following steps:

1. Download the macOS Monterey installer
2. Format your drive
3. Create a bootable installer drive
4. Install macOS Monterey using the bootable installer.

If you're ready to install the program, that's great! You can skip the first three steps and start installing Monterey now. Here is a complete step-by-step guide.

Step 1. Download the macOS Monterey installer

1. Open the Mac App Store and enter Monterey
2. Click "Get" next to macOS Monterey
3. Find the installer in your application folder. But don't open it now!

Step 2. Format your drive

Next, you need to format the external drive that will be used as a bootable installer. This means you should erase it completely. Likewise, if your external drive has been formatted, you can skip this step. Otherwise, continue reading:

1. Connect your external drive to your Mac
2. Open the Disk Utility and find the drive in the list of devices under External
3. Select the drive and click "Erase"
4. Set Format to Mac OS Extended and Set Scheme to GUID Partition Map (if Scheme is available)
5. Make sure you want to erase the drive.

Step 3. Create a bootable installer drive

It's time to add some terminal magic to the process! Let's create our bootable installer:

1. Open the terminal on your Mac
2. Paste the following command: sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Monterey.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/USB
3. Press Enter
4. When prompted, enter your password and press Enter again
5. If the terminal asks you to allow you to continue, please press Y
6. If the terminal requires you to allow access to your external drive, click OK.

When your terminal copy the Monterey installer to an external drive, you will have a minute or two to check the Setapp and find the tools you may be missing on Monterey. For example, Setapp gives you access to Mission Control Plus, Yoink, Workspaces, and Mosaic, which will make up for the lack of Stage Manager on Monterey!

Step 4. Install macOS Monterey using the bootable installer

OK, let's go to the final stage. We will now downgrade from Ventura to Monterey using our bootable installer.

Note: You may need to erase the boot drive first, because some drives cannot be downgraded unless formatted first. If you have saved any important files on Ventura, now is the best time to put them in Get Backup Pro and create a secure backup, saving them to any external drive.

Is everything safe? Let's install Monterey now:

1. Insert a drive with a bootable installer into your Mac
2. Enter recovery mode:

On an Apple Silicon Mac: Press and hold the power button until you see the boot options screen. Click Options > Continue

On Intel Mac: Hold down the Command R key until you see the Apple logo

1. Select Disk Utility, then select your boot disk and click Erase. Set Format to APFS and Set Scheme to GUID Partition Map. Click "Erase"
2. Once the process is complete, exit the Disk Utility and close your Mac

On Apple Silicon Mac: Press and hold the power button to boot your Mac

On Intel Mac: Hold down the Option key to start your Mac

1. Select your bootable drive from the available options and click Continue
2. Select the drive where Monterey should be installed and click Next
3. Confirm that you want to install macOS Monterey.

After a few cups of tea, you can enjoy your old Monterey again!

Safe macOS updates

Get the Setapp toolkit to update or downgrade your macOS without losing any data.

Try the necessary tools for free and safely downgrade to Monterey

Now that you know how to downgrade from Ventura, let's applaud the tools that make this process so smooth—Get Backup Pro, Dropshare, and CleanMyMac X mentioned in this article can help you back up important files, free up disk space, and check your Mac's performance at any stage. All three apps are part of a single app subscription Setapp and offer a 7-day free trial.

After downgrading to Monterey, these apps are still very useful! For example, after the downgrade is complete, open CleanMyMac X and run a comprehensive check of the system—from malware threats to CPU load to disk activity. This will help you understand if Monterey is really better than Ventura.

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