This video will show you how to downgrade from macOS Tahoe to an older macOS like Sequoia, Sonoma, Ventura, Monterey, or Big Sur on your Apple silicon computer (Macbook Pro, Air, iMac, Mac Mini, Mac Pro, etc). Please backup your files before you begin. This process will erase your computer and downgrade and install a different macOS. I am using a Mac Mini M1 and will be downgrading from macOS Tahoe to macOS Sequoia in this tutorial. The process is the same if you’re downgrading to a different macOS. You will need an empty flash drive with at least 16gb of storage to create a bootable installer.
Full text tutorial instructions: https://techmogulchannel.com/tutorial-how-to-downgrade-macos-tahoe-to-older-macos-sequoia-sonoma-etc/
Download links:
macOS Sequoia: https://apps.apple.com/app/macos-sequoia/id6596773750
macOS Sonoma: https://apps.apple.com/app/macos-sonoma/id6450717509
macOS Ventura: https://apps.apple.com/app/macos-ventura/id1638787999
macOS Monterey: https://apps.apple.com/app/macos-monterey/id1576738294
macOS Big Sur: https://apps.apple.com/app/macos-big-sur/id1526878132
Terminal code:
macOS Sequoia:
sudo /Applications/Install macOS Sequoia.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia –volume /Volumes/boot
macOS Sonoma:
sudo /Applications/Install macOS Sonoma.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia –volume /Volumes/boot
macOS Ventura:
sudo /Applications/Install macOS Ventura.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia –volume /Volumes/boot
macOS Monterey:
sudo /Applications/Install macOS Monterey.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia –volume /Volumes/boot
macOS Big Sur:
sudo /Applications/Install macOS Big Sur.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia –volume /Volumes/boot
Wait please tell me I can somehow get all my files and information back.
I do not think this will work – if I try the app store (and terminal) while on Tahoe and try to obtain Sequoia it will state the installer cannot be used and there is no button for downloading. It basically skips directly to "this installer cannot be used" – you do not get the option just before that of downloading the image
Do i really need a flash drive??
Mac OS 26 is a piece of shit and it's ruining my life
Totally agree—Tahoe 26.1 was a mess. I spent two days trying to get my DJ software installed. With Sequoia, everything worked perfectly. Thanks a lot for the video!
I would like to ask, what happens if my laptop M4 arrives with TAHOE pre-installed?? Can I downgrade using USB installer with SEQUOIA? Please 😢
Huge problem with this, the Time Machine backup you create while in iOS 26 will not work once you downgrade to Sequoia!
So I have to rebuild my files from scratch…NOT MENTIONED!
hey man !! i downgraded to Sequoia from tahoe i took a time machine backup of tahoe, and now i am in Sequoia can i get my files back from my time machine drive of tahoe???
my daws started creating beat distorted sounds… what a pain this tahoe. I hope my plugins will migrate with no casualties.
muy buen dato el de no borrar el disk0, y con la termina, funciona muy bien arrastrando y soltando las carpetas….asi no tienes que poner boot al archivo siempre.saludos
Great tutorial. Easy to follow and concise. I had to downgrade because PowerPoint was showing animations and transitions choppy. I have panels to present in a couple weeks and I wanted them to look good. Happy to stay on Sequoia until Microsoft and/or Apple fix that issue.
my installation failed, what could be the problem?
After upgrading all my Macs to macOS Tahoe, I was deeply disappointed by the direction Apple seems to be taking. I eventually decided to “upgrade” back to Sequoia—and since then, my systems have been running smoothly again.
From the moment I installed Tahoe, I was shocked. The new Liquid Glass design feels more like a toy interface than a professional workspace—bright, glossy, and simplified to the point of distraction. The removal of Launchpad as a central app hub is frustrating; not everyone can remember every app name or search command.
The new version of Safari is another letdown. The once-efficient Compact Tabs view is gone, and overall performance feels slower and less intuitive. Even my M3 Pro Macs suffered from noticeable battery drain and lag under Tahoe, issues that disappeared once I returned to Sequoia.
At this point, I’m committed to staying on Sequoia for as long as possible. I’ve started to lose faith in Apple’s current design philosophy—too much focus on visual gimmicks, not enough on functionality. If Apple continues down this path without listening to user feedback, many long-time customers may start looking toward Linux as a more practical and user-respecting alternative.
That’s why I’m grateful for the recent video guiding users through the downgrade process—it’s a lifeline for those who still value stability, usability, and a truly professional macOS experience.
Bye bye Tahoe. My first downgrade since I bought the first Macbook in 2013.
the only thig ive noticed is the screen looks more contrast…
Tahoe is trash , thanks for video
3:28 Internet needed to do this? xD There is a lot of stuff that renders shmupple's solutions bad and intrusive. For starters: You can't downgrade below the system your mac shipped with. Say what? Maybe I would like M8 with Ventura? apple's a joke. You don't own either the machine nor the system. You just pay a license fee to use it. It just proves that I knew very well how it will all turn out in the end for customers, when I switched to Linux over 20 years ago. Fk ms and apple.
OMG my laptop now is constantly hot and laggy, OS 26 really sucks, but I can't format now and lose al my data and apps and leicenses etc
Thanks man ,after wasting 3 hours to this buggy Tahoe ,finally I came back to Sequioa and disabled auto upgrades .New OS is a torture for Mac users.
if i downgraded tahoe OS to Sequioa OS can i still get update to tahoe OS in the future if i want to?
Gotta to admit that MacOS 26 screw my air m1, going back to sequoia for peace of mind
Guys, can you please tell me if I can roll back from this new update if I have a Mac with an Intel processor?(Pro 16 2019)
Will it retain my settings
I paid premium for 120hz screen with PROMOTION and Tahoe takes that away with choppy low fps animations. That's unacceptable
Very helpful video! Tahoe sucks. If you have a newly produced M4 compute device after September 2025 or an M5 compute device, you cannot move off of it.
For those with an M1-M4 compute device before September 2025, you can change the MacOS version to previous iterations. Just follow this video's instructions.
This is absolutely great! I was so sad about having updated to this shitty os. now I`m happy with my Mac once again. you're a life saver!!!
Is it working on intel also?