How to downgrade your macOS version to an earlier one?

New macOS releases may not be immediately compatible with every Caldera product version. If you upgrade macOS before confirming compatibility, you may experience unexpected software behavior.

In this case, you may need to downgrade macOS to a supported version until a compatible version of your Caldera product is available.

Before you begin

• Make sure you have access to another computer and an external drive or secure network location for your backups.
• Document the Caldera products installed on the computer, their versions, license information, and any printer or network settings that you will need after the reinstallation.

Back up Caldera products before downgrading macOS

Before downgrading macOS, back up your Caldera product data and configuration. The recommended backup method depends on the product installed on the computer.

Backups help protect production-critical data if something goes wrong during an operating system downgrade, update, or system recovery.

CalderaRIP

1. First, create a Caldera Snapshot in CalderaDock.

     Important

   For complex CalderaRIP production setups, do not rely solely on Caldera Snapshots. Also use Save/Restore Config and manually back up any production-specific files you need.

2. In CalderaDock, use Save/Restore Config to back up your user-specific CalderaRIP configuration. Select the options required for your environment, including driver configuration files.
3. Manually back up your spot-color files by following How to manually back up each element of CalderaRIP?. Use this article to identify any cutter-specific files required by your setup. If you use Nexio, back up the relevant bridge folders as well.
4. Store the Save/Restore Config backup and production-specific files on an external drive or secure network location.
5. Verify that all backup files are complete and accessible before continuing.

For an overview of CalderaRIP backup options, see CalderaRIP backup overview.

Other products

For Caldera products other than CalderaRIP, such as PrimeCenter and CalderaSubmit: 

1. Create a Caldera Snapshot in CalderaDock. By default, snapshots are stored locally in /opt/caldera_snapshots
2. Copy the snapshot to an external drive or secure network location.
3. Verify that the copied snapshot is complete and accessible.

After downgrading macOS, use CalderaDock to install the required Caldera products, then restore the snapshot.

Considerations

• Caldera Snapshots provide a simple way to back up your Caldera product settings.
• Restoring a snapshot after downgrading macOS can be complex. Apple generally does not recommend macOS downgrades, and recovery steps vary by situation.
• A snapshot includes your data and settings, but not the macOS installer.
• Reinstalling macOS or restoring a snapshot on a different computer may trigger macOS security warnings.

Back up macOS

After backing up your Caldera product data, create a full backup of your Mac before attempting a macOS downgrade.

We recommend using Time Machine, the built-in macOS backup feature. Include the entire main volume in the backup, as CalderaRIP may store files outside your user folder.

Store the backup on an external drive or another secure location.

Downgrade macOS

Choose the instructions that match the macOS version you want to downgrade from:

• How to downgrade macOS 27: Roll back Golden Gate to Tahoe
• How to Downgrade from MacOS Tahoe to MacOS Sequoia
• How to Downgrade macOS Sequoia to Sonoma
• For older Macs: Downgrading a Mac that shipped with Catalina to Mojave

You may also be able to reinstall the macOS version that came with your Mac. See How to reinstall macOS.

For additional help, contact Apple Support or make a Genius Bar reservation.