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How to rollback / revert from Tahoe to Sequoia?
- Thread starter Aggedor
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You have it basically down.
If you buy a new system now there is a pretty decent chance that it does not come with Tahoe. (I helped a family member purchase an iPad Pro about a month ago, and it came with iPadOS 18.4, which is from like late March.) But if it does, you can go through the steps to "erase" it and put on a fresh Sequoia install before performing any migration.
The easiest way to migrate (IMO) is to use Migration Assistant and just migrate straight from your old system to the new one. Migration Assistant will be invoked automatically on the new system when you are going through the "out of box experience" at the end of your Sequoia install, when it asks you about transferring data from an old device. If your Macs are on the same Wi-Fi network, and you open the Migration Assistant app on your old system and tell it that you want to migrate to a new Mac, then your new system should "find" your old system to use as a source for the migration. You can do it over Wi-Fi, but that can take a while; to speed it up you can connect the systems together with an Ethernet cable (will require a USB/Ethernet dongle), or a Thunderbolt cable (...not sure if that one will be an option for a system as old as yours...).
The next easiest way to migrate is to just make a Time Machine backup from your old system onto an external drive. Have it connected to your new system when going through Sequoia setup, and Migration Assistant will also "find" the Time Machine backup as a migration source.
Thank you for the reply.
I have usually migrated with some sort of cable connection. But yeah, my current computer is in kind of a slow connection gap, because it no longer has Firewire (sniffle), but then the USB is only USB2. That said, I'm in no hurry. I have just under 1TB of data to move.
But..... since my backups are both on (non-SSD) hard drives, maybe it would be faster to transfer from them? I haven't looked at them with this in mind, but I think they have some other options for data transfer cables (not just USB2). Might be faster than connecting directly to the old MBP? I think I would use TM backup for the data source unless there was some reason not to.
I always seem to run into a few challenges because I update computers so infrequently that it's always some gargantuan, complicated leap (which of course makes me wait longer to do it, which makes it more complicated...). Two computers ago I still had a PowerPC and used Target Disc Mode to change over, ha ha. At least I can easily amortize the purchase price!
*******
But the best thing in your reply is that there is a chance I would still get Sequoia. Wow, wouldn't that make my life easier. (Fingers crossed.)
45 mintes ago I rolled back the macbook air 2020 from Tahoe'd to Monterey.
macworld had a really good basic article on hit but we can't choose that usb drive for start up.
so I just pressed the start button until that "option" appeared.
I had to erase the Tahoe ssd 9with pleasure) and now install Monetary apps and documents.
so far everything works much better as my disc space is incredible as I need to keep that under 50GB form 265.
Monterey 12.7.2 (21G1974) has only 1 unrepairable flaws compered to 17 on Tahoe so I'm happy!
macworld had a really good basic article on hit but we can't choose that usb drive for start up.
so I just pressed the start button until that "option" appeared.
I had to erase the Tahoe ssd 9with pleasure) and now install Monetary apps and documents.
so far everything works much better as my disc space is incredible as I need to keep that under 50GB form 265.
Monterey 12.7.2 (21G1974) has only 1 unrepairable flaws compered to 17 on Tahoe so I'm happy!
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If your old machine only has USB2, using Ethernet would be faster than doing a Time Machine backup. Does the old system have Ethernet? (I think it must if it still has "regular" USB ports?) You can get a cheap USB-C Ethernet adapter for your new system, and then just connect the systems together with an Ethernet cable, and use Migration Assistant.
My old computer has no Ethernet port. But as far as the TM backup, I don't have to "make" that as it's one of the ways I have always kept this computer backed up, so it's good to go. Just sitting there on an external hard drive.
I was just thinking that perhaps the TM backup drive would be preferable because it also has USB 3 (the backup drive).
I guess there might be a Thunderbolt2 (old computer) to USB C adapter but I don't think I want to even go there. Doesn't seem worth buying a weird cable for one use is the reason.
apple should, with each new OS release, have an option to 'Pretend to upgrade but don't. Keep me on the current system, as I will want to go back immediately anyway'; this would make life simpler for everyone (as we see this same post every single time a new mac OS drops) 🤔
Ha ha. I guess there is a way to try it in a "sandbox," though right? I've never done that so have not figured out all the details.
I use another method which is stay on an older OS for as long as I can stand it 😅 I'm here now just because I need to buy a new computer (my decade interval is up) and it may very well come with Tahoe. I looked at many screen shots of Tahoe and I just don't see it working for my eyes. Even with this and that turned off or modified. Plus, I'm just not an early OS adopter. Let it mellow for a couple years, LOL.
well, if you go for a new mac and it's running tahoe, that's where you'd be (i love it, but that's just me). or go to an apple store, buy a mac there, confirming with your salesperson that it's running sequoia... just a thought
Doesn't seem that way according to this thread (and other articles). But I guess I'll find out.
I can't buy at an Apple store because 1) They are too far away; and 2) They don't have the build I would buy.
I also don't know if they would have any way to tell. At least you can't tell by serial number, from what I could see.
Anyway, if it comes with Sequoia, great. If it comes with Tahoe, then I'll change it to Sequoia following the instructions in this thread (and other places, so it's not just some whack theory)
If you already have a Time Machine backup then that should be fine, just plug the drive into your new system and select it as the migration source.
You are right, if the system comes with Tahoe, you can still get Sequoia on there if you want. Unless you are thinking about buying a 14" M5 MacBook Pro. That will be stuck with Tahoe, because they never added support for that model to Sequoia. (I think you said MacBook Air, and all of those can still run Sequoia.)
are you buying direct from apple? you could ask them about the OS. and... you could try running tahoe if that's installed; despite the naysayers on macrumors (which happens with every new mac OS), lots of macusers in the real world are running tahoe & are fine.
I did ask Apple (customer service on the phone). They had no way to tell me. Even a Serial number reveals no info on installed OS. From what I can tell you have to open the computer and fire it up.
I don't want to run Tahoe. I may change my mind in future, but now I want to run Sequoia. Personal choice.
Thanks 👍
Yes, I'll be buying an M4 MBA 13". Normally I might try to wait juuuuust a little bit longer for the M5 MBA that's supposed to come out around Marchish. But in this case I think that would be a bad idea because perhaps that would lock me out of Sequoia (as you are saying about the M5 MBP. Ha, this is the first time I had a really good reason to just "buy now" without the nagging feeling that maybe I should wait a couple of months.
Actually, this will be my first MBA. I've always had either the iBook, Macbook, or MBP (as time moved along). But because of how long I stick with one laptop, by the time I buy the next one they are always a little bit smaller and lighter. The M4 MBP would have been about the same size and weight as my current MBP, so I decided to try the Air this time. Looking forward to it (albeit with a couple of dongles). Tough choice as some things about the MBP are nice (wanted the matte screen), but I carry my laptop around a lot so....
Glad I know not to wait for M5
Thanks for your helpful info.
i live on my M2 air, and am able to work in logic pro & final cut, something i never would have tried earlier (even with an M1 air); i always had macbook pros or desktops.
occasionally, i have to accomodate the mac (ie reboot & open only logic), or increase the buffer. but small price to pay for what i can do. your M4 will be even better 👍
You can easily roll back to Sequoia from Tahoe BUT your Photos, Music and possibly some other stuff will not work in Tahoe, and from what I can work out Apple deliberately makes it impossible to import or use those libraries without major losses or compromise, thus forcing you back to Tahoe. When you have music (and photos) that were imported into your library in 2001 and songs that have 1500 or more plays, starting again is not an option. What is an option however is that I was waiting to upgrade my M1 MacBook Pro to the new M5 but %$#@ you Apple I no longer care too.
I've just had a look and my first post to this forum was on: Jul 21, 2002
I've just had a look and my first post to this forum was on: Jul 21, 2002
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