Please let me download the installer for Big Sur instead of opening my updater?

If it doesn't eventually start downloading (less than 30 seconds) Big Sur, try pulling it from softwareupdate in Terminal:

softwareupdate --fetch-full-installer --full-installer-version 11.6.1

That should download the installer app.

You will need to quit the app if it starts running.

Get a 16GB USB stick and format it Mac OS Extended (Journaled) in Disk Utility and name it MyVolume.

To format it, you need to select Show All Devices from the View Popup menu. Select the drive and click the Erase button. Set the partition map to GUID and then you can select Mac OS Extended (Journaled).

Use the command in this article to create a bootable installer from the Big Sur installer.

How to create a bootable installer for macOS - Apple Support

sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Big\ Sur.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume

Once that completes, you will need to boot from that drive, erase your current drive completely (select the device, not one of the volumes and erase). Then, reinstall macOS and it should install Big Sur from that drive.



Hi Cynthia,

Unfortunately, if you downgrade, you will be forced to erase your Mac. Also, downgrades aren't easy to perform.

If you made a Time Machine backup of your Mac while you were running macOS Big Sur, have that backup ready. Move any new data to a safe location, off of your Mac.

If you didn't make a backup of your Mac while you were running macOS Big Sur, make a backup of all of your data (a Time Machine backup works as well) before proceeding.

Before I post the steps on how to downgrade, do you have a second Mac (running macOS Catalina or later) available? This affects how the downgrade should be done.

EDIT: What year and model is your Mac (the one that's running Monterey)?

The Method Below will Wipe ALL Data and there is not Recovery - period.

Proceed with this in mind.

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.

Only works on Intel Based Apple Computers.

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.