How can I downgrade my MacBook Pro from macOS Big Sur to macOS Catalina?
MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 10.16
by erasing your entire drive from recovery and then reinstalling the previous version from the backup you made before installing big sur.
If I decide not to wait for the two vendors to make nice, I may downgrade to Catalina.
You can't downlgrade to Catalina. A Mac can't run a system older then the one it came with. So you'll have to find out why Work is not working as it should.
What version of MS Office do you have?
Also download and run Etrecheck. Etrecheck is a diagnostic tool that was developed by one of the most respected users here in the ASC and recommended by Apple Support to provide a snapshot of the system and help identify the more obvious culprits that can adversely affect a Mac's performance.
Copy the report
and use the Additional Text button to include the report in your reply.
IMPORTANT:
Before running Etrecheck assign Full Disk Access to Etrecheck in the Etrecheck's Privacy preference pane so that it can get additional information from the Console and log files for the report:
Also click and read the About info to further permit full disk access.
Then we can examine the report and see if we can determine what might be causing the problem.
Until you get Word working correctly consider using the free LibreOffice. It can open, edit and save Word document in Word format or it's own format.
I am sorry, but if your new Mac came with Big Sur installed, it is not possible to install an earlier operating system in it.
Is your Mini an M1 based Mac?
If yes, it can’t be done. Big Sur is all you got for that machine.
Catalina runs only on Intel based Macs.
That is why Apple advises NOT to install a beta on a device you need for daily tasks/work. Best to have it on an external or a device used for testing (that is what I do).
Fact: you cannot revert without erasing your drive and reinstalling the backup of the previous OS.
Backward migration has never been an easy task, whether it's from Big Sur to Catalina or Catalina to Mohave or any backward migration; once updated to the latest operating system, you can't go back and if you do everything you did while on the latest operating system must be reinstalled manually, (individually folder-by-folder) or it will be lost.
Backward migration has multiple paths;
One method is a complete factory reset and installs the original operating system that came with your computer at purchase (instructions, https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204904), which you then move up to Catalina and reinstall via apple migration using the last Time Machine backup you did before installing Big Bur.
The second method is to download Catalina and on a separate flash drive or backup disk, create a bootable installer, then erase your hard drive either with Disk utility or starting up from macOS Recovery (instructions, https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204904).
Good Luck.
Check out this video tutorial that's really helped me: Found Simple steps and Easy Process that Carrying my data to Previous macOS as well. [Important Data copy to External Drive or Use Time Machine Backup]
Hopefully you did a backup?
If not, backup your your files now onto an external drive.
then go to: https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT204904
you should be able to find an option to reinstall that is best for you.
All the best
To downgrade macOS Big Sur to Catalina you should:
[Link Edited by Moderator]
let's be real, who really makes a backup? probably not the kinda person who tries out a beta.
I do. I've been making bootable clone backups for at least 15 years. It is essential unless you have nothing valuable stored on yours. I do have important files and data.
I wouldn't be silly enough not to do a backup before installing a bug ridden beta which can render your device totally unresponsive/dead/nothing works - not even recovery. As well, you cannot restore an older OS with recovery unless you want the original OS installed.
+1. Here is a thought that not many people think to do (as well as backing up). I have successfully installed Big Sur and am using it, but I installed in to a clean external SSD disk. The idea is that if I didn't like it, all I had to do was just erase the disk and go back to using my original startup disk with Catalina still on it. It can't be any easier than that.
No data should be lost. Two days ago I switched from Big Sur beta to regular. You just do the download and then install it. If you don't yet wish to "commit" to Big Sir, and you already have the beta version installed, I would first upgrade the beta to the regular. Then it's an easy matter to Do a new install of Catalina on an external drive. No erasing or worrying involved. Then use whichever OS suite you. I still have Catalina installed on my slower internal hard drive. But I will continue to use Big Sur which I've installed on a faster SSD.
I'm sorry you are having such a frustrating experience. I appreciate how you must feel. However, if you want to fix the problem, I strongly suggest that you post your own entry and specifically detail what is and has been happening, along with the year and model of your Mac. Then someone here can offer some specific suggestions to deal with your problem. I can assure you (and others) that it will turn out that the problem was not a bad OS release by Apple, but was due to a specific installation of a junk app or due to an incompatibility. There are literally hundreds of such stories like this on this forum. We are here to help you if you will work with us.
let's be real, who really makes a backup? probably not the kinda person who tries out a beta.
"Option-Command-R or Shift-Option-Command-R to start up from macOS Recovery over the Internet"
How can I downgrade from macOS Big Sur to macOS Catalina?
