Is It Worth It to Install macOS Monterey and How to Downgrade It

Many users are enjoying the new macOS version called Monterey. This is a successor of the Big Sur. macOS Monterey was released on October, 25. Everyone who has a Mac computer can upgrade their operating system to the newest 12 version. It is available for downloading through your Mac’s menu or using the App Store.

macOS Monterey Features

The new system has several features:

• Universal Control. This is a useful feature that allows a user to have a single keyboard and a mouse to switch between two devices: your iPad and Mac. You will need to place them next to each other and try to move the cursor between devices to use this feature.
• FaceTime. Nowadays, we all use video calls very often, so Apple has provided some new features to the FaceTime app in the Monterey system, like eliminating the background noise and creating a clearer sound.
• Airplay. It means the Mac computer or MacBook can be used as video output or as a speaker.
• Shortcuts. All your everyday tasks can be simplified and automated. You can make simple commands even without involving your hands. Yes, Apple makes everything for your comfort!
• Safari browser. For the new operating system, the browser’s tabs appear more compact, and you can use tab groups to surf the Internet simpler, faster, and hopefully more secure.
• Notes. This app was improved significantly to make it simpler. Now you can write notes from various sites or applications, or even add various links from your browser.
• Focus. With this feature, you can set your current status for those people, so they will see you don’t want to be interrupted.

Maybe it doesn’t seem like huge changes and improvements, but some users are still interested if they will be able to downgrade to the Big Sur if they don’t like something in the new operating system. Sure, it’s always possible to downgrade, but you will need to follow easy steps to do everything properly without losing any important data.

Downgrading from macOS Monterey to Big Sur

1. At the start, you have to understand if you have any important information on the computer. Of course, most people save a lot of data on their devices. If you don’t want to lose something, then you will have to copy all the important files to the external drive, or to the Cloud storage. You can also create a backup of your computer using Time Machine. It may take some time, but this will be very helpful to restore all the needed files without any problems.
2. Now, you need to make sure your Mac supports the needed operating system you want to install instead of the Monterey. You will also need a USB drive for about 16Gb capacity or more, to create a bootable installation drive. Do not save any important files on this drive because the system will erase everything on it before creating an installation disk.
3. You can go to the App Store and download the installing file of the needed system on your computer. It will be used to create an installation disk for your Mac.
4. Then, use the USB drive to create an installation disk for the new operating system (it’s logical to install the Big Sur, but if you wish, you can choose any other OS supported on your device).
5. After this, you will need to install the new system from the USB drive. All the information from your device’s hard drive will be removed. Of course, be patient because it will take some time.
6. After the new system is installed, you will need to set up some data, like your country, region, Apple ID, etc. And now, it’s time to restore the needed data you have backed up earlier. Depending on the volume of your files, it may take from several minutes to several hours.

So, if you have a big temptation to install and try the new OS Monterey, you can do it without any worries. Of course, some applications can stop working on the new system due to bad compatibility or even security issues. If it’s vital to use any app that is incompatible with Monterey, you can easily downgrade to the Big Sur using our simple guide. Just keep in mind that you have to backup all the important data and format your USB drive or the device’s hard drive only when all the needed information is copied to the Cloud storage or saved with Time Machine backup. This is the only way to do everything correctly without losing any important files.