Full guide to Downgrade MacOS Sonoma to MacOS Ventura without Losing Data[Fixed]

Solved:How to downgrade macOS Sonoma to macOS Ventura without losing data [100% Work]

In this post you will learn how to downgrade from macOS Sonoma to macOS Ventura without losing data.

Introduced as the successor to macOS Ventura, macOS Sonoma generated a lot of excitement when it was unveiled at WWDC on June 5, 2023. However, as with any beta software, some users have experienced issues and are now seeking a way to revert back to the stable macOS Ventura. Don’t worry! Read on and revert to Ventura from Sonoma easily.

Why do you want to know how to downgrade macOS from Sonoma to Ventura without losing data?

Are you among those who installed the beta version of macOS Sonoma but now regretting the decision? People want to downgrade from macOS Sonoma to macOS Ventura for the following reasons:

• It’s still in the beta version and hence, it is buggy and unstable.
• It often crashes and freezes.
• Some apps are simply refusing to work under Sonoma.
• It’s incompatible with some devices and software.
• For some users, it does not support external devices such as printers, scanners, and cameras.
• Some users are unable to play their favorite games or use their preferred productivity tools.

Consequently, they want to revert to the previous OS, that is, Ventura.

Things to consider before you can downgrade from Sonoma to Ventura

Before learning to downgrade macOS Sonoma to Ventura without losing data, make sure you have backup your data because everything on your disk will be erased and your Mac will be as clean as it comes from the shop.

Another problem might be that if you have an M1 or M2 Mac – an ARM architecture that uses Apple’s own silicon chips instead of Intel’s – a simple reset may not work. The M1 and M2 architecture allows only the existing OS to be reset.

You may have installed applications that work on macOS Sonoma and may refuse to work in Ventura. Find out their technical details before you decide to take the plunge.

Saving your data before downgrading from macOS Sonoma to Ventura

If you save your entire data in the cloud (for example iCloud or Google Drive), you may not need to worry about how to downgrade macOS Sonoma to Ventura without losing data.

Here are the conventional steps of backing up your data using external hard drives:

●Connect an external hard drive (or a USB drive) to your Mac.

●Open the “Time Machine” app from the Applications folder or the menu bar.

●Click “Select Backup Disk” – this should be the external hard drive you have attached to your Mac.

●Decide which folders and files to include or exclude.

● Click “Back Up Now” and allow the process to complete.

Once you have backed up your data, you can start to downgrade macos Sonoma.

What if you forget to backup your data before downgrading? Is all hope lost? No way. 4DDiG Mac Data Recovery comes to your rescue. This is a deleted data recovery tool that can get you back on your feet even in dire situations. Whether you have lost data in a crash, accidental formatting, or some unintentional deletion, you can get your files back in their pristine condition.

Here is how to recover data with 4DDiG Mac Data Recovery:

Step 1:

Once the tool installed, launch the program and select the location from where you want to recover your lost files. You will need to hover your cursor on a particular drive to make the “Scan” icon appear. Then, click the “Scan” icon to proceeding.

Step 2:

After the quick scan is complete, the system will automatically start a deep scan. You can pause or stop the scanning process at any time.

Step 3:

All the scanned files will be displayed. Once you have decided which files to recover, click the “Recover” button and then choose the destination where you would like to save the recovered files.

The earlier you can run 4DDiG Mac data recovery software the better will be your chances of recovering lost files because it means they haven’t been overwritten by other data.

Step-by-step process of downgrading macOS Sonoma to macOS Ventura

We have addressed the main concern: ensuring that no data is lost during the downgrading process. Then, we’ll go through step by step guide on how to downgrade macOS Sonoma to Ventura.

Here are the primary steps below:

1. Download Ventura from the Mac App Store

This is the first step you need to perform. Launch the Mac App Store app on your Mac and search for “Ventura”. Once found, click “GET” to download the operating system.

2. Get hold of a USB flash drive

It should be at least 16 GB. Additionally, It should be a USB type-C flash drive. Make sure you use the flash drive from a reputed company so that it doesn’t easily get corrupted during the downgrading process and leaves you hanging (the existing OS will be unusable, and the previous OS will not be installed).

3. Create a bootable drive

Step 1:

To create a bootable drive so that you can install macOS Ventura, you need to launch “Disk Utility” and then choose your USB-C drive on the left-hand side of the window. What if your USB is not showing? Read this.

 

Step 2:

After selecting the drive that you want to make bootable, choose “Erase” to make it into a compatible format.

Step 3:

In the ensuing pop-up window, choose the format type as “Mac OS Extended (Journaled)” and Scheme as “GUID Partition Map”. Then, click “Erase”.

No, formatting doesn’t mean the USB drive has become bootable. For that, you need to transfer all the Ventura system files onto it.

Step 4:

Press “Cmd+Spacebar” to open Spotlight Search. Then, type “Terminal” and press Enter. This opens the Terminal window.

Copy/paste the following command at the prompt:

“sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Ventura.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia –volume /Volumes/Bootable”

Note:Replace “Bootable” with the name of your USB drive.

Step 5:

You will be prompted to enter the password. Enter your Mac login password.

If you haven’t previously cleared the disk, the system will prompt you to enter “Y” to erase it.

The process of creating a bootable drive will start. Once the process is over, you will get the “Done” message at the prompt, and you can close the Terminal window.

4. Downgrade to macOS Ventura from macOS Sonoma

You need to instruct your system to boot from your USB drive before it reaches the main operating system and starts booting from there.

Step 1:

Restart your Mac and insert the bootable USB to your mac.

If you have an Apple Silicon-based Mac, you need to long press the Power button to access the boot menu. For your Intel-based Mac, press the Power button and then press “Cmd+R” without releasing the power button.

Step 2:

Choose “Install macOS Ventura” in the middle.

Step 3:

The proceeding screen will show you the macOS Ventura installation screen. You can click “Continue” to proceed.

Step 4:

The system asks you where to boot from. Select the bootable USB drive you have created for the purpose.

Step 5:

The next screen will ask you to choose the partition on which you want to install macOS Ventura.

That’s it. Your installation of macOS Ventura begins. Everything after that is led by the system installation process that is quite intuitive.

Once the process is over, you have successfully downgraded to macOS Ventura from macOS Sonoma. The sanity is back!

What can go wrong when downgrading from Sonoma to Ventura?

We don’t live in a perfect world. Things can go wrong.

Some users encounter the terrifying message “The Volume cannot be Downgraded…” when they attempt to downgrade macos sonoma to Ventura from the bootable drive. There may be some technical issues or compatibility issues or something totally unknown.

If this happens, do the following:

Step 1:

Click “Install macOS Ventura” on the top-left corner.

Step 2:

Click “Quite Install macOS” from the drop-down menu.

Step 3:

In the following window, choose “Disk Utility”. You will be prompted to select the partition on which you want to install macOS venture. Click “Erase”.

Step 4:

You will be met with a pop-up window. In the name, ideally, it should be “macOS Ventura”. For Format, choose “APFS” and click “Erase”.

This should allow you to follow the same procedure and install macOS Ventura instead of Sonoma.

Once your macOS Ventura installation is up and running, you can restore your data from the backup.

Conclusion

Listed below is a quick summary of the steps described above to enable you to downgrade macOS Sonoma to Ventura without losing data.

1.Backup your data.

2.Create a bootable USB flash drive for macOS Ventura.

3.Restart your Mac into recovery mode.

4.Revert to Ventura from Sonoma using the bootable installer.

5.Use the reliable data recovery tool like 4DDiG Mac data recovery in case you accidentally lost important files.

Remember that if you don’t backup your data, the downgrade process well erase everything from your system and restore it in its original form. Additionally, the downgrade process may take some time so be prepared to be patient.