MacOS 12 on M1 Mac, Can you go back to Big Sur?

[brsilb]

After installing Monteray on M1 Mac, is it possible to reinstall Big Sur? Could not go back on previous betas.

 

[bigjnyc]

Nope doesn’t seem like it. I keep getting a message saying that the disk cannot be downgraded… tried installing from a boot disk too.

 

[Richard Tillard]

You can restore the system via DFU mode, there are no other options to rollback.

 

[mdgm]

You can restore the system via DFU mode, there are no other options to rollback.

Seems a shame that it's made so difficult. And will this still work once Monterey is no longer beta?

 

[Richard Tillard]

Seems a shame that it's made so difficult. And will this still work once Monterey is no longer beta?

The beta version of the software is designed primarily for developers and those who test their software. These system versions are not intended for general use. Even when Monterey goes out of beta, I don't think the rollback actions will change.

 

[mdgm]

But with Intel you could just create a USB Bootable installer and wipe the disk and go back. It seems Apple has intentionally made it more difficult with Apple Silicon.

 

[Brad9893]

Nope doesn’t seem like it. I keep getting a message saying that the disk cannot be downgraded… tried installing from a boot disk too.

Did you try changing the security of the disk from "Full Security" to "Reduced Security" in macOS Recovery? From what I understand, once you upgrade an Apple Silicon Mac to a new version of macOS, it will only allow that version with "Full Security" enabled. To go back to older versions, you have to switch to "Reduced Security" first. Here is some more information:

Booting an M1 Mac: external disks and local boot policy

How an M1 Mac can start up from an external bootable disk, and how that can fail. All about boot security policy, and how that’s applied.

eclecticlight.co

How to boot an M1 Mac into an older version of Big Sur

How changing a volume’s boot policy can let you boot in older macOS, and update, if you wish. For anyone who uses external bootable disks with an M1 Mac.

eclecticlight.co

 

[fisherking]

am asking this: can't you do internet recovery? would that bring you back to the OS that came with your mac? (in this case, big sur). or has this changed?

 

[Dancin-Ted-Danson]

I rolled back but it was a complete wipe.

I had to create a Big Sur install USB drive. I tried to boot into that and wipe/re-install Big Sur, but it would hang on the setup process when it got time to create a user account.

I had to then go into recovery again, open terminal, type resetpassword. launch that tool and from there use the Erase Mac option in the tool bar. That finished up then it booted back into the macOS 12 recovery screen. So I booted back to the USB and installed Big Sur successfully.

I'm going to DFU it when my wife gets home using her laptop though since the firmware is clearly attached to the beta

 

[Dancin-Ted-Danson]

am asking this: can't you do internet recovery? would that bring you back to the OS that came with your mac? (in this case, big sur). or has this changed?

No, the M1 Macs do not support internet recovery. It's a real pain in the ass to restore them properly since it requires another Mac to do so

 

[brsilb]

Would have thought with all the complaints about this in Big Sur that Apple would have fixed this. I know the beta at this point is to get developers started, but in July they are looking at public betas. The only way to find out if a critical process works, is to install the beta. Then if it doesn't work you are stuck until a release comes out to make it work. If Apple expects people to install the public beta to help test for issues, they need to get this fixed. Or else dump Apple Silicon as Intel Macs allow you to downgrade, if necessary.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP wrote:
"Would have thought with all the complaints about this in Big Sur that Apple would have fixed this."

Apple ISN'T going to "fix this".
The reason they won't is because this is WHAT THEY WANT.
(nothing follows)

 

[fisherking]

OP wrote:
"Would have thought with all the complaints about this in Big Sur that Apple would have fixed this."

Apple ISN'T going to "fix this".
The reason they won't is because this is WHAT THEY WANT.
(nothing follows)

ha, thanks for clearing that up; nothing like a good, detailed explanation, from a person-in-the-know...

 

[gilby101]

Would have thought with all the complaints about this in Big Sur that Apple would have fixed this. I know the beta at this point is to get developers started, but in July they are looking at public betas. The only way to find out if a critical process works, is to install the beta. Then if it doesn't work you are stuck until a release comes out to make it work. If Apple expects people to install the public beta to help test for issues, they need to get this fixed. Or else dump Apple Silicon as Intel Macs allow you to downgrade, if necessary.

No, you are not stuck. You can go back. The process is new (to Macs), it needs DFU mode - similar to that with iOS. That should not be too hard as beta testers (including public beta testers) should only install the beta on a non-essential Mac. And that means beta testers have at least two Macs so can do DFU mode.

Compared with Intel Macs, this cleans up the firmware issues which arose with Macs having new firmware installed which was not compatible with an older macOS. Apple have been better recently with firmware. You may have noticed that nearly all Intel Macs which are supported by macOS 12 have had recent firmware updates (either with macOS 11.3 or 11.4) - I suspect/assume that at least part of this is to make sure that Intel Macs have a firmware which is compatible with both macOS 12 and 11.

 

[gilby101]

No, you are not stuck. You can go back. The process is new (to Macs), it needs DFU mode - similar to that with iOS.

I was wrong. You can go back to BS without having to resort to DFU mode. Just need to use a bootable USB BS installer. You will end up with a Monterey recovery, but that works fine with BS.