How can I downgrade from iPadOS 26 to iPadOS 18?

Ipados26 (non-beta) has completely destroyed my workflow, particularly in tablet mode, with the removal of slideover and Split View, with unintuitive window resizing controls that make no sense. I need to downgrade to iPadOS 18 asap. Please help!!

iPad Pro, iPadOS 26

Posted on Sep 16, 2025 1:24 PM

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5 replies

Sep 17, 2025 7:36 AM in response to harriscal1

Apple doesn't support downgrading your iPad to an earlier version of iPadOS than your iPad is capable. That said, while iPadOS 18.7 remains signed and available for your iPad, you can restore this earlier version using DFU mode. While the process itself is both valid and officially recognised, you will need to research the process elsewhere.


Be aware that unless you have an archived backup of your iPad that was created prior to updating to iPadOS 26, you will lose all locally stored files and data from your iPad; an iPadOS backup cannot be restored to an earlier version than created (or updated) the backup.


Restoring an earlier version to workaround a current limitation will only have short-term benefit. Older versions of iPadOS will progressively lose update support and functional compatibility. App Developers are also likely to remove support for older versions over time.

Sep 18, 2025 11:33 PM in response to harriscal1

When updating the firmware and the old firmware is still signed in for your device from Apple for downloading, you can still revert to the old firmware… unfortunately your timeline for doing this is very short. Even if the old firmware is still for downloading for older devices you can’t download it or see it for downloading… Apple blocks these download from you.

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How can I downgrade from iPadOS 26 to iPadOS 18?

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