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Downgrade from 11.6 to 11.5. Best method?

Hello. Big Sur 11.6 is not recognising my Logitech headsets without a restart. I have tried everything to fix this problem, but to no avail. The headsets worked fine with 11.5, so I want to return to this earlier state of affairs. I don't have a Time machine backup. Can someone please tell me the best way to make this change? Thanks.

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 10.12

Posted on Sep 23, 2021 11:46 PM

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13 replies

Sep 24, 2021 4:58 PM in response to PRP_53

Great advice for Intel-based Macs, but Apple silicon Macs cannot erase the top level of the internal drive. This is due to the following:


  • Apple silicon Macs have two extra partitions (APFS Containers, disk0s1 and disk0s3) that cannot be recreated in Disk Utility. Respectively, these partitions are of the types Apple_APFS_iSC and Apple_APFS_Recovery.


  • Deleting either of the two containers would cause catastrophe:
    • The first container (iBoot System Container) contains firmware for various internal components and the activation record.


    • The second container contains a copy of macOS Recovery. M1 Macs most likely boot from this container when the power button is held down at boot time - when I (as part of an experiment) deleted this container and then tried to start up from macOS Recovery, I ran into the circled exclamation mark and couldn't continue.


The only way to truly erase the top level of the internal drive is to restore the firmware. This completely wipes the disk and recreates all of the appropriate APFS containers.


To fully erase an Apple silicon Mac (minus the above two containers), I would recommend using the Recovery Assistant. Only one erase is needed.

Sep 24, 2021 12:01 AM in response to Ian999

Restoring from an 11.5 backup made prior to updating to 11.6 is the only option.

Unless there is the slim chance that you downloaded the macOS Big Sur 11.5 installer app

and kept it safe before Apple removed it from their servers.


Have you contacted Logitech and informed them of this issue, and did they give you any

information when they may release an update for their headsets.

Sep 24, 2021 3:14 AM in response to Ian999

There you go then, as P.Philips has pointed out the App Store is still providing macOS Big Sur 11.5.2.

If you cannot download it due to being on 11.6 get in touch with somebody you know

who has a mac that is capable of downloading Big Sur, get them to download the installer

and create a bootable USB installer for you.

How to create a bootable installer for macOS – Apple Support (UK) Then you will have to go to the all the hassle of backing up your mac.

(you should be doing this on a regular basis and especially before installing any upgrades or updates.)

Booting to the bootable USB installer, erasing your mac, you have to do this correctly, you can ask later.

Reinstalling macOS Big Sur 11.5.2.

Restoring only your personal data from the back up you made.

Sep 24, 2021 3:19 AM in response to Ian999

Follow onto good directions from @ Eau Rouge


Especially is the Secure Boot aspect BEFORE Starting the process.



To perform this action will require booting from a Bootable Installer. This will have to be performed from a Qualifying Computer to run the version of macOS to be made on the Bootable Installer. Example : Bootable Installer of Big Sur would have to be done on a computer that Qualifies to run Big Sur.


Once that is done read on for preparing the Destination computer  >> Special Notation - works on Intel Based Apple Computers & May on Apple Silicon M1 CPU




Extra Special Notation regarding the Touch ID equipped Apple Computer. About Startup Security Utility and Must Enable from Recovery Mode the ability to boot from External Drive Before Attempting 


1 - Shutdown computer and disconnect all external drive Except the newly created Bootable Installer.


2- Restart and immediately hold the OPTION key until the Startup Manager appears and choose the USB Drive. 


3 - It will present options >> Disk Utilities >> View >> View ALL attached Drives. 


4 - Choose the Upper Most Drive ( not the volumes indented and list below ).


5 - The drive normally is called Apple Media or Apple SSD - that is the drive to Erase and format as APFS with the GUID Partition Map. 


6 - Once that is done >> backup out of Disk Utilities and choose install macOS. 


7 - Follow the prompts and it may automatically reboot several time. 


8 - Upon a final reboot - Setup Assist will present with the newer version of macOS.

Sep 24, 2021 5:32 AM in response to Ian999

Without a Time Machine backup of macOS 11.5.2, you cannot just boot the Mac into Recovery and Restore the full macOS 11.5.2 operating system and your personal data. Nor can you reinstall macOS 11.5.2 over the existing 11.6 installation to reverse it, or has been said, download an older version of macOS to a Mac running a newer version.


If you had another compatible Mac with 11.5.2 or older on it, you probably could download the full installer from the Mac App Store again, and then create a bootable, 16 GB USB stick from that installer. With that, you could boot from the USB stick on the Mac with 11.6, erase the existing Macintosh HD, and install macOS 11.5.2. This will not preserve your personal data and applications that are currently installed. If that other Mac has a current Time Machine backup that reflects most of your current data, you could use that other Mac's Time Machine drive during the setup phase of macOS 11.5.2 and migrate personal data and settings into the new installation.


Or contact Logitech to see if there is a remedy from their side, and save yourself two preceding paragraphs of grief.



Sep 24, 2021 12:47 AM in response to Ian999

No I don't.


The thing to do is not update your mac with Apple Updates as soon as they are released.

Recent history has shown that often they introduce more bugs than they cure and

Apple have to introduce Supplemental Updates to combat the error(s) they introduced.

Even the introduction of macOS Big Sur 11.5 introduced a bug that gave an error

when users tried to use their scanners, and there are an awful lot of mac owners

using scanners out there.

Two days ago Apple released Safari 15.0 for Catalina and Big Sur, now there are many

posts about users not being able to connect to various websites like banking,

insurance, medical insurance etc etc.


Never have your mac set to automatically download and install updates.


Apple release beta versions of their OS's to developers and to the public as they would have with Big Sur 11.6,

therefore Apple would argue it is up to Logitech to ensure Logitech products work with the latest OS updates.

Logitech or other developers may argue differently and you the user get stuck in the verbal ping pong between

companies without resolution.


Sep 24, 2021 2:43 AM in response to Ian999

Just checked and the Apple Apps Store is still offering the Full Installer of Big Sur 11.5.2.


Now - the issue is being able / allowed to download the 11.5.2. , in that, the OS 11.6 will balk and not allow this.


Do not know if Manually downloading the Full Installer with Terminal command will work but worth a try.


Should it work - unknown - create a Bootable Installer of 11.5.2 then boot from it and Wipe the Entire Drive - no do overs as everything will be lost.


Via Terminal softwareupdate --fetch-full-installer --full-installer-version 11.5.2


Sep 24, 2021 4:16 AM in response to PRP_53

Just did this process about 3 days ago. It will let you download the 11.5.2 file from the Apple site. I made a bootable installer, went to Recovery, erased my internal and used the installer to get back to a working OS. One note I found that after erasing my drive I had to restart in Recovery for the installer to be useable again.

Sep 24, 2021 5:03 AM in response to Ian999

Yeah it gets very complicated, read over everything you have been posted again until you are satisfied you

know exactly what to do.

A lot of people wait a few days to a few weeks after Apple introduces a new update before they install it

so they can be sure any initial bugs or software conflicts have been ironed out.

Some wait months.


It's all very well getting the latest pair of sneakers but you are still as likely to step in dog poo on the way home.

Sep 24, 2021 4:33 PM in response to Eau Rouge

Eau Rouge wrote:

The thing to do is not update your mac with Apple Updates as soon as they are released.
Recent history has shown that often they introduce more bugs than they cure and
Apple have to introduce Supplemental Updates to combat the error(s) they introduced.
Even the introduction of macOS Big Sur 11.5 introduced a bug that gave an error
when users tried to use their scanners, and there are an awful lot of mac owners
using scanners out there.
Two days ago Apple released Safari 15.0 for Catalina and Big Sur, now there are many
posts about users not being able to connect to various websites like banking,
insurance, medical insurance etc etc.

I would put more emphasis on having working Time Machine backups (or other sufficient backups). Delaying major macOS versions is fine (since Apple will provide security updates for the previous two major macOS versions), but if someone chooses to delay a minor or security update, that makes their Mac more vulnerable to malware. Nearly every minor update has security patches, and security updates contain only that.


Unless you have very good reasons not to, make a backup first, then update as soon as possible.

Downgrade from 11.6 to 11.5. Best method?

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