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How to rollback / revert from Tahoe to Sequoia?

Fravin said:
Mike, I'm sorry. But I won't provide you any evidence, because I don't believe I need to. 😉

Regarding to
but you don’t get a choice of which version to install". (my emphasis)
I'm sorry if I wasn't clear enough and caused any confusion.
If your Mac's SSD was wiped using Recovery as mentioned, and you did shut it down after that, it won't have a recovery partition to boot.
So, you will be able to boot using Internet Recovery. That's the core idea behind my suggestion.
Once in Internet Recovery, your Mac will boot the MacOS version that was shipped with it. You can't choose what version to install: it will install the version originally shipped with your Mac.
Click to expand...

There is nothing in any of the links I provided that supports your claim that all you have to do to roll back a silicon Mac from Tahoe to Sequoia is "Shut it down and press Cmd+Opt+R".

As you say, this is so simple that if it was true it would be well known and described in the links.

I dont usually quote AI summaries but in this case it is applicable:

"If an Apple Silicon Mac cannot boot into recovery mode, it typically triggers a "fallback recovery" system automatically. If both primary and fallback systems fail, the Mac may become unresponsive (bricked) and require a DFU mode "Revive" or "Restore" using another Mac and Apple Configurator 2". Been there, got the T shirt after unintentionally erasing Recovery.
 
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I can confirm that on my Mac Mini 4 which originally came with Sequoia all I did to revert from Tahoe a couple of weeks ago was to reset the machine from the general tab in settings, boot into recovery and delete the main drive partitions and then I was prompted to re-install Sequoia. At some point I also had to re-activate the machine but I can't remember at what point I did this. I did prepare a Sequoia install disk but didn't need to use it.
 
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Lyons00 said:
With Tahoe, I lost all of my Safari bookmarks. Did migration assistant went back to the day before and they are still gone. I had some really important things in there. There was nothing in iCloud either.
Any chance anyone knows how I can get them back?
Click to expand...
Same happened to me and my colleague. Do you have Xcode installed by any chance?
 
golfnut1982 said:
Did you read the comment from the senior who was a bit pissed about the instruction for this downgrade? Can't say I blame him. I'm sure there are many more in his shoes...
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OSXDaily did not recommend people to upgrade to Tahoe, as the comment implies. That frustration should be directed publicly at Apple.

“Why I’m Holding Off On Upgrading to MacOS Tahoe 26 For Now”
https://osxdaily.com/2025/09/19/why-im-holding-off-on-upgrading-to-macos-tahoe-26-for-now/
“MacOS Tahoe 26 Feels Slow? Try These 6 Performance Tips”
https://osxdaily.com/2025/09/25/macos-tahoe-26-feels-slow-fix/
“How to Reduce Liquid Glass on macOS Tahoe”
https://osxdaily.com/2025/10/07/how-reduce-liquid-glass-macos-tahoe/
“Stop Overlapping Text & Legibility Issues on macOS Tahoe with “Reduce Transparency””
https://osxdaily.com/2025/10/10/sto...sues-on-macos-tahoe-with-reduce-transparency/
“macOS Tahoe Battery Life Worse? Tips for Battery Issues with MacOS 26”
https://osxdaily.com/2025/10/14/macos-tahoe-battery-life-problems-tips/
 
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golfnut1982 said:
Did you read the comment from the senior who was a bit pissed about the instruction for this downgrade? Can't say I blame him. I'm sure there are many more in his shoes...
Click to expand...
I'm one of them and yes, these instructions are unbelievable. I've watched Apple software become more and more locked down and less user friendly since 1991. It might as well be a Windows product now. Changing your OS never was this ridiculously hard. Never before has any Apple operating system been as big a mess as Tahoe is. I'd love to have Ventura back.
 
PotentPeas said:
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.)
Click to expand...
Would a recent backup from Carbon Copy Clone work instead of Time Machine?
 
PotentPeas said:
I "think so", my understanding is that CCC backups will be detected by macOS migration assistant as a restore source, but I've never actually tried it.
Click to expand...
CCC just clones the ' - Data' part of your boot disk, so there is really no such thing as "CCC backups", CCC just creates and maintains a perfect copy of your ' - Data' volume.

So, if you point Migration Assistant to a volume with a CCC clone on it, it will be recognized and imported.
 
TaylorA said:
Would a recent backup from Carbon Copy Clone work instead of Time Machine?
Click to expand...
CCC clones are fine, but “recent” as in a CCC clone of TAHOE isn’t going to help if you want to return to SEQUOIA. Migration Assistant requires a data source on the same, or earlier OS version as the computer being updated.

If it’s a CCC clone made before you updated to Tahoe, you’ll be fine.
 
FreakinEurekan said:
Migration Assistant requires a data source on the same, or earlier OS version as the computer being updated.
Click to expand...
I stand corrected. This is google ai:

Migration Assistant for macOS does not strictly require the data source (old Mac) to be on the same OS version, but it requires that the destination Mac (new computer) runs the same or a newer version of macOS than the source.
If the source Mac has a newer version of macOS (e.g., you are migrating from a machine running macOS Sequoia to one running Sonoma), the migration will fail with an error stating that the source contains a newer release of macOS and the target requires an upgrade.

Solutions When the Source OS is Newer
If you encounter this restriction, you have a few options to complete the migration:
  • Upgrade the Destination Mac: Skip migration during the initial setup, fully update the new Mac to the latest possible version of macOS, and then run Migration Assistant from the Utilities folder.
  • Migrate from a Time Machine Backup: If the old Mac has already been wiped, you can use a Time Machine backup from that older system. The new computer can often read a newer backup if it is updated, but this is sometimes restricted by the same rules.
  • Manual Transfer: If the OS versions cannot be aligned, you may need to manually move your documents and data using an external hard drive.

Key Migration Assistant Requirements
  • Best Practice: Update both Macs to their respective latest versions of macOS before starting.
  • Connection Method: Direct connections, such as Thunderbolt or Ethernet, are faster and more reliable than Wi-Fi, especially for large migrations.
  • 32-bit Apps: Migration Assistant will not transfer 32-bit applications to a new macOS version that does not support them (macOS Catalina or later).
  • No OS Replacement: Migration Assistant transfers user data, apps, and settings, but it does not replace the macOS operating system on the target computer
Click to expand...
 
I haven't been on Windows in a few years but one thing I miss is how easy MS makes it to install/uninstall/migrate Windows.

When you upgrade to a new version of Windows, you have the option to save the old Windows and you can just uninstall the new Windows like it's any piece of software. Once you have the new version running and everything looks hunky dory, you can "uninstall the uninstall" and reclaim drive space.

Windows has a huge userbase with business and enterprise customers. If a Windows update causes some critical software to stop working, then Windows has got to go (back). MS can't afford to pretend every new version of Windows is perfect so why would you ever want to go backward. They can't tell companies sorry it's on you to check if all your stuff are compatible before you upgrade.

Windows has a migration wizard, too. But it doesn't require you to have 2 machines or a dedicated drive. You can migrate from/to the same machine. Save the data you want to a single file, pop it on a huge flash drive if you want, wipe the disk or just partition and install Windows from scratch, then load the data back in. I usually just save system and program settings and personal folders, and reinstall all apps. It does cut down a whole lot of work.

I've had this Mac (my first) since 2023 and honestly I should probably do a clean install at some point (Tahoe might be running better if I had). I just dread all the hassles. There does not seem to be an easy path that doesn't even involve a ton of work. As mentioned up thread, how do you save everything in the Settings app? That stuff is safe to migrate over without bringing over some undesirable crud. Individual apps' preferences are scattered everywhere. Not to mention all the CLI stuff. I'd be installing and configuring things for weeks afterwards.
 
I tried to rollback to Sequoia today on my 2020 iMac and was successful, but once I tried to reauthorize Apple Music, I got an error. I logged out of Apple Music, then I could no longer login. I didn't get an error or anything, just nothing. Same with Apple TV. Reinstalled Tahoe, everything works again. Guess I'm stuck with it now.
 
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