Rolling back OS to Monterey to overcome 13.3 Ventura update file issues - has anyone done this? how did it go?

If you have a backup from Monterey, you can use that to migrate from, when you do the "clean install" of Ventura. That's what I recommend, I think something you have installed is incompatible with Ventura, but Office should be fine unless it is an old obsolete version, you just need to start from a clean version of Ventura and install new versions of your software that are compatible.

If you really want Monterey, the reversion process is more complicated and more can go wrong, but it is doable. You will first need to reinstall Catalina (if that's what your Mac came with) and then go to Monterey, and then restore from a Monterey backup.

See this article: Reinstall macOS - Apple Support

Choose the option to reinstall your computer's original MacOS (Catalina, I think you indicated).

• Reinstall your computer’s original version of macOS (including available updates): Option-Shift-Command-R.

Once you have Catalina, on first boot create a single administrator user with a name different from your existing username(s). It can be called Admin, for instance. Then download and apply Monterey as the MacOS: How to download macOS - Apple Support

Once you are on Monterey, you can then run Migration Assistant and migrate over your old user account(s) and files only (no applications, no settings) from a backup you made under Monterey. Then reinstall all your software.

This will get you back to Monterey but if I were you I would not go back to Monterey, I would do the "clean install" of Ventura as described earlier and migrate over from your Monterey backup, first just user account(s) and files, and then reinstall only the latest versions of your software one at a time as I mentioned before, making sure only to install software you need and only after verifying that it is compatible with Ventura.

By the way, I have down such "clean installs" which start with a complete erase/reformat, it only takes a few hours and as long as you have your serial numbers or activation codes handy, reinstalling your software should be fine. You should make sure that your versions of Office, Adobe, etc. are all Ventura compatible, if not you should upgrade them.

The problem is that the Time machine backups made under Ventura may not be readable by earlier version of MacOS.

There is a good option if you only have backups made under Ventura. Don't embark on it until you check that you have TWO good backups and you have spot tested each for restoring files properly.

• Follow instructions to restore your Mac to factory settings: Erase your Mac and reset it to factory settings - Apple Support
• Then on first boot select the option to migrate from a backup and choose to migrate ONLY user accounts and files, no software and no settings or "other."
• Then update the MacOS to the latest version of Ventura. Check for normal operation. If ok, then re-install your software, e.g. Office, etc. one at a time and recheck after each install.

If the Mac does not function properly with Ventura and with no third party software installed, then it should be taken in to an Apple Service Provider for a hardware diagnosis.