Can't downgrade from Monterey Beta?

[Technerd108]

I wanted to see if Safari was updated to use Promotion on the 12.3 beta for Monterey. So I installed the Beta without making a backup. I figured since my Mac was new I could just re-install Monterey.

Well I can't downgrade. I have tried by erasing and reinstalling but it will only download Beta even after I got rid of the Beta profile. I tried to use a bootable disk and I can't install again because it won't let me install on the SSD saying it can't downgrade??

I have tried everything?? I guess I just have to wait for the next update??

Any help would be great.

 

[Apple_Robert]

If you have another Mac, try using the Configurator app. That should work.

‎Apple Configurator

‎Apple Configurator makes it easy to deploy iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, and Apple TV devices in your school or business. Use Apple Configurator to quickly configure large numbers of devices connected to your Mac via USB with the settings, apps, and data you specify for your students, employees...

apps.apple.com

 

[Technerd108]

Okay I figured out a solution. First go to App Store and get Monterey. Then quit the installer. Go to Apple.com for Terminal commands to create a usb bootable disk. You may get an error that your usb drive can't be formatted in APFS and quits. Just make sure Monterey is downloaded and try again.

Once it creates your bootable disk you can't use it yet. First shut down and then hold power button until in recovery. Wipe the drive. Then shut down. Then put the bootable usb drive in the Mac and power on and hold until you have several choices. Choose install Monterey. Then install as normal from there.

If you try to downgrade from Beta it won't work. So if you want to try Beta and get in trouble like me maybe this will help. If you need any help. Let me know!

 

[Technerd108]

If you have another Mac, try using the Configurator app. That should work.

‎Apple Configurator

‎Apple Configurator makes it easy to deploy iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, and Apple TV devices in your school or business. Use Apple Configurator to quickly configure large numbers of devices connected to your Mac via USB with the settings, apps, and data you specify for your students, employees...

apps.apple.com

No extra Mac but thanks!

 

[Mike Boreham]

Okay I figured out a solution. First go to App Store and get Monterey. Then quit the installer. Go to Apple.com for Terminal commands to create a usb bootable disk. You may get an error that your usb drive can't be formatted in APFS and quits. Just make sure Monterey is downloaded and try again.

Once it creates your bootable disk you can't use it yet. First shut down and then hold power button until in recovery. Wipe the drive. Then shut down. Then put the bootable usb drive in the Mac and power on and hold until you have several choices. Choose install Monterey. Then install as normal from there.

If you try to downgrade from Beta it won't work. So if you want to try Beta and get in trouble like me maybe this will help. If you need any help. Let me know!

Glad you worked out a way. This is all business as usual for Silicon Macs.

When you installed the beta you updated the internal hidden Recovery volume (and firmware) to the beta. (This would be true even if you had only installed the beta onto an external). After that, booting to Recovery will only install the beta. There is no Internet Recovery to go back to an earlier OS as with Intel Macs. Installing the release version from a bootable USB as you did will put the installed OS back to release version, but your hidden Recovery and firmware are still on the beta. So if you reinstall again you will need to use the bootable USB, as a normal reinstall from Recovery will still install the beta.

As Robert says, Apple Configurator 2 is only way to roll back the hidden recovery and firmware to the Release version.

More on this link and other articles on that site.

 

[Technerd108]

Thank you for the information!

So I just booted into recovery and went into reinstall Mac OS and it is NOT the Beta version but the regular Monterey.

This makes sense to me that the bootable recovery usb would install the normal recovery after it has been recovered from the usb disk. Like it recovered the Mac from an unbeatable state it would have to reinstall the recovery as well because if I could not restore my Mac without a usb disk then the recovery could be corrupt as well.

So it looks like once you create a bootable usb disk and wipe the original Beta installation you can properly recover the Mac to it's original state!!