I upgraded the operating system on my MacBook Air from iOS 10.14.6 to Monterey. Now I can't access some of my older programs that I rely upon heavily. What can I do? Is it possible to "downgrade" to an older operating system?
iOS doesn’t run on a Mac.
Mojave was the last version that would run 32-bit apps.
There is no “downgrade” option. You can Erase the drive completely and restore from a backup or just install Mojave from a bootable USB drive. If you don’t already have a backup, you’ll need to move your files to an external drive prior to erasing the internal. If you’ve opened any of your library-based macOS apps (Photos, Music, Mail) in Monterey, they won’t open in Mojave. You’ll need to export the data from the apps and import back in after installing Mojave.
Revert your Mac to a previous macOS version - Apple Support
iOS doesn’t run on a Mac.
Mojave was the last version that would run 32-bit apps.
There is no “downgrade” option. You can Erase the drive completely and restore from a backup or just install Mojave from a bootable USB drive. If you don’t already have a backup, you’ll need to move your files to an external drive prior to erasing the internal. If you’ve opened any of your library-based macOS apps (Photos, Music, Mail) in Monterey, they won’t open in Mojave. You’ll need to export the data from the apps and import back in after installing Mojave.
Revert your Mac to a previous macOS version - Apple Support
Which programs?
If these were 32-bit programs, they are not going to run, but maybe the developers have produced updated versions.
If they cannot be updated, maybe there are alternatives.
Again, it depends on what programs they are. Can you give us some examples?
Would suggest exploring some of the good points from previous contributors before considering downgrading.
A downgrade may be possible but should be a Last Resort option as it would required Wiping the Entire Drive and there are is No Recovery of Exiting Data
Barney --
I appreciate you taking the time to reply. While I do have all my stuff backed up, it sounds like more trouble than it's worth to dump everything and start over. I'll just look for an updated Windows parallel that will run on Monterey. There's no getting back the one program that I really rely on for my business; I have discovered that it's no longer being supported or even offered by the guy who originally put it out (or anybody else.) It was a free law-firm management software. That's life.
Thanks to all of you who responded. After I posted this question, I remembered that I have everything on my MacBook Air backed up onto an external hard drive, and those backups were created using my former Mac OS 10.14.5 (I think it was.) So, it occurred to me that, if I could find a Mac still running an older operating system, I could hook my external drive to it, open my most recent backup, find the program I need, open it up, and print out the pages that have all my client information, billable hours, etc., then enter them into a new law-practice software program and be able to pick right back up where I left off.
I have found a local (more or less) company that rents Macs, including MacBooks, and they have one that is still running the High Sierra operating system. My question is, will High Sierra run 32-bit software applications?
Thanks in advance for your assistance!
Yes, High Sierra (10.13.*) can run 32-bit applications, as can Mojave (10.14.*).
Thank you so much, Luis! I appreciate the assistance very much.
Problem accessing apps after upgrading to Monterey
