Sep 27, 2017 Download the MacOS High Sierra installer from the App Store. When done, find the installer file in the /Applications folder. Some users only get a stub installer of 19MB instead of the full 5.2GB installer package. This post will introduce you three ways to downgrade macOS High Sierra to Sierra, Mac OS X El Capitan, Yosemite or earlier. The methods can also be applied to downgrade macOS Sierra, Mac OS X El Capitan and more.
Mac users were impressed with the features that came with the Mac OS 10.12, also known as MacOS Sierra. Thy enjoyed optimized storage, auto unlock, enhanced Siri and a lot more. Now that Apple has released the MacOS 10.13, also known as MacOS High Sierra, many users are itching to get started with it. The High Sierra comes with a new Apple File System that makes your Mac operate faster than before, among many more great features. As with any new upgrade, there are issues that will crop up after installation and you will see some of the most common, and how they can be fixed.
Part 1: Installation Freezes or Gets Stuck
As may happen whenever you are trying to install an update, the MacOS High Sierra installation may get stuck of freeze. This can happen at any point during the installation process and can be very frustrating, especially if it gets stuck near the end after waiting for so long. This has made many users abandon the update and remain on the MacOS Sierra version. There are several ways in which you can rectify this and here are some of them.
- Before installation, enable Root User and then disable it again.
- Stop or uninstall any antivirus which may be blocking the installation.
- Reboot the computer into safe mode and then install High Sierra.
- Use Command+Option+R and install the update via Internet Recovery
Part 2: Data Lost on MacOS High Sierra
After upgrading to MacOS High Sierra, you may lose some crucial data and files. iSkysoft Data Recovery for Mac is a wonderful tool that you can use to recover your lost data. It has an easy-to-use interface which will make the whole recovery process easy for you.
- Full data recovery – through quick and deep scans you can recover any data that you may have lost.
- Recover multiple data file formats – you can recover pictures, videos, audio, documents, archives and emails
- Risk free data recovery – this is a read-only process and nothing gets written to your drive, which means no files will be changed.
- Full Preview of files – you can preview the data before you actually recover it, thereby giving you more control over the recovery process.
Step-by-step guide to recover lost data using iSkysoft Data Recover for Mac
Step 1. Launch iSkysoft Data Recovery and choose data to be recovered
Once you launch the program, you will be presented with 6 types of data to recover. These are photo, email, music, document, video and others. Choose the files that you would like to recover, or simply choose “All File Types” and then click on the “Next” button in order to proceed.
Step 2: Choose target location
You will be presented with a list of possible locations – Common location, Hard Disk, External Removable Device and I can’t find my partition. Choose one of the locations and then hit the “Start” button to start the scanning process.
Step 3: Recover lost data
This performs a quick scan of the selected files and will take a short while to complete. You will then be shown previews of the files that have been scanned and are ready for recovery. iSkysoft Data Recovery for Mac allows you to preview the data before you can recover it. Do so and select only the files you need. After you have previewed and selected the files that you want to recover, hit the “recover” button and wait for the files to be recovered.
Part 3: Mac Apps Damaged or Can't be Opened
Upgrading to MacOS High Sierra may mean that some of your older apps will not run. You will get a prompt saying “Damaged and cannot be opened”. Here are ways to rectify this:
- Clear the cache
- Use Command+Option+P or R to restart your Mac since this will clear the PRAM
- Update your apps to the latest versions which may work with High Sierra
- Use Command or Option when starting the apps
Part 4: MacOS High Sierra won't Restart
Updating sometimes stops the Mac from restarting. This may be the case with High Sierra. Here is what you need to do:
- Reset the PRAM using Command+Option+P or R
Part 5: Mac Runs Slower than before
Computers can sometimes slow down after a system upgrade due to new features. If your Mac slows down after upgrading to MacOS High Sierra do the following:
- Reboot the Mac once more and disable apps that take up a lot of resources. Check the resource usage on the Activity Monitor
- Clear the cache
- You may also go to Disk Utility and run the Repair Disk Tool
Part 6: How to Downgrade from MacOS High Sierra to MacOS Sierra
You may find that the MacOS High Sierra is not good for you, and decide to downgrade to MacOS Sierra. This article will show you in detail how you can go about this. Though the process may seem to be a bit complicated, following it properly will ensure that you go back to Sierra without any complications.
Back up your Mac
Downgrading will fully erase MacOS High Sierra from your computer together will all files and documents that you may have created using it. You therefore need to create a backup copy of your computer on an external hard drive or any of the cloud-based online storage sites.
Downgrading will fully erase MacOS High Sierra from your computer together will all files and documents that you may have created using it. You therefore need to create a backup copy of your computer on an external hard drive or any of the cloud-based online storage sites.
Create a bootable drive of MacOS Sierra
Download MacOS Sierra from the Mac App Store and then create a bootable disk from the installer. You should already have this disk, since it will no longer be available once the final release of High Sierra is launched.
Download MacOS Sierra from the Mac App Store and then create a bootable disk from the installer. You should already have this disk, since it will no longer be available once the final release of High Sierra is launched.
Erase MacOS High Sierra
Using Wi-Fi or Ethernet, connect your Mac to the Internet Now select the Apple icon From the dropdown menu, select “Restart”.
Using Wi-Fi or Ethernet, connect your Mac to the Internet Now select the Apple icon From the dropdown menu, select “Restart”.
Put the Mac into Recovery Mode by pressing and holding Command+R until the computer reboots Go to the OS X Utilities selector and then click on “Disk Utility”. Now click on “Continue”.
Now select the startup disk of choice and then click on “erase”.
Now choose a name for the file that will be destroyed. Any name will do From the format list, choose “Mac OS Extended (Journaled)” Now click on erase.
In order to go back to the OS X Utilities selector after the process is completed, simply go to the dropdown menu in the top left side of the screen and quit Disk Utility.
Reinstall MacOS Sierra
Now you can begin installing MacOS Sierra on your computer. Once again, use your Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection to access the Internet. Click on the Apple icon like you did before. From the dropdown menu, choose “Restart”.
Now you can begin installing MacOS Sierra on your computer. Once again, use your Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection to access the Internet. Click on the Apple icon like you did before. From the dropdown menu, choose “Restart”.
Make sure that you hold “Option” as you Mac restarts. This will enable you to access the option from which you will select the startup disk. From the list of startup disks, choose MacOS Sierra and the installation will immediately begin. Click on “Continue” when the MacOS Sierra installation window pops up. Now MacOS Sierra will install like you were updating from an earlier operating system version. Simply agree to the terms and conditions and then wait until the computer reboots.
Install MacOS Sierra from a Time Machine Backup
If you had created a backup of MacOS Sierra before you upgraded to MacOS High Sierra, you can use this backup to downgrade. Connect to the Internet through your Ethernet or Wi-Fi connection Select the Apple icon and then choose “Restart” from the dropdown menu Press and hold Command+R as the computer restarts and keep this pressed until the reboot process is complete In the OS X Utilities selector, choose “restore from Time Machine Backup” and then click on “Continue”.
If you had created a backup of MacOS Sierra before you upgraded to MacOS High Sierra, you can use this backup to downgrade. Connect to the Internet through your Ethernet or Wi-Fi connection Select the Apple icon and then choose “Restart” from the dropdown menu Press and hold Command+R as the computer restarts and keep this pressed until the reboot process is complete In the OS X Utilities selector, choose “restore from Time Machine Backup” and then click on “Continue”.
Make sure that you read all the important information on the screen before you click on “Continue. Choose the “Backup Source” where you had saved the Time Machine backup file. Now choose the recent MacOS Sierra backup on the source drive, before clicking on “Continue”.
The computer will start installing MacOS Sierra from the Time Machine backup file. When the process is complete, the computer will reboot and the downgrade will be complete. This may take a while so you have to be patient.
Normally when you install a new version of macOS, you just install it over the previous version. It’s quick, easy and means we can be back up and running in no time, with all your apps and data ready to use. Your data remains but your software and file junk remains as well.
That’s why, sometimes, it makes more sense to run a clean install. Whether it’s because your Mac has accumulated so many junk files that it’s performance is badly affected or because you’re passing your Mac onto someone else and want to make sure all your data is removed. Or maybe you just want that fresh out of the box Mac experience again. Whatever your reasons, here is how to clean install macOS High Sierra.
How to prepare your Mac for the clean install
Before you do anything, check that your Mac is able to run Apple's new operating system.
To complete the clean install procedure described below, you'll need:
- macOS High Sierra Installer,available from the Mac App Store.
- a 16GB or larger USB flash drive
Notice: USB drive is needed for a clean install on your Mac’s startup drive. If you plan to clean install macOS on a non-startup drive, you don't need it. - go for a system cleanup and backup your data - this will allow you to easily return your Mac to the condition it was in before you installed macOS.
- and an hour or two to spare.
Choose the right way to clean install macOS High Sierra
Before you proceed, you need to make a choice how to run a clean install. If you only have one drive and it’s not partitioned and this is where you have all your files and your OS, your choice is to clean install on the startup drive. This way entails one important fact: all your files and data will be deleted during the process.
If you have another drive or volume other than your startup drive, use the second way which is clean installing on a non-startup drive. It’s a more lenient and less intrusive way because your Mac doesn’t get wiped clean, only your system.
If you don’t know which one you have, go with the first option, startup drive.
How to clean install macOS on a startup drive
Once you have everything that's needed, let's begin. Don’t worry, this step-by-step guide will walk you through all you need to do.
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The process of performing a clean install involves wiping your Mac’s main drive clean so it’s essential that you back it up immediately before you start. You might not want to backup the files you don’t need and system junk, so make sure to clean that up beforehand. An easy way to go about this is to get a Mac cleaning app like CleanMyMac. It will save to hours of manual file cleanup and polish your system before the backup.
Start with a system cleanup
Delete everything you don't need - large and old files and archives, useless apps, cache data and other junk, duplicate files - all these files silently eat up the disk space, duplicate images are especially hard to find out.
You can always use CleanMyMac to cleanup system junk, large and old files, and remove unwanted apps. You could do it manually, but CleanMyMac only all it takes is a few clicks.
Then you can use Gemini to easily find duplicate files and folders on your hard drive, so you can delete them and save precious storage space.
Backup your data
Now, for the backup itself use Get Backup Pro. It’s more powerful than Apple’s own Time Machine. It’s also a good idea to create a bootable clone, so if anything goes wrong you can go back to where you started easily. Also, a cloned drive makes copying files back to your newly-updated system very easy. And move your images and documents into the cloud or to an external drive, just to be on the safe side.
As well as backing up your Mac, you should also take screenshots of settings in any apps you’ve customized so that you can set them up again quickly later. And make sure you have a record of license codes for apps and passwords for websites.
Clean install macOS, securely
Your Mac deserves a fresh start. Get the right tools for clean installing Apple's operating system.
Create a bootable macOS installer
- Download macOS High Sierra from the App Store. Here is a link.
- When it’s finished, the installer will launch. As soon as it does, select File and Quit (or keyboard shortcut Command-Q) so it doesn’t install. The installer will remain in your Applications folder.
- Plug in the USB stick and launch Disk Utilities.
It’s a good idea to use a USB stick to put the bootable installer onto. It will need to be at least 8GB in size. - Click the Erase tab and make sure Mac OS Extended (Journaled) is selected in the format tab.
- Give the USB stick a name then click Erase.
- When it’s finished, click Done and close Disk Utility.
- Launch Terminal either by searching for it in Spotlight or navigating to the Utilities folder in Applications.
- Type, or paste, the following command into Terminal, where [YOUR DRIVE NAME] is the name you gave the installer drive when you formatted it:
sudo /Applications/Install macOS High Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/[YOUR DRIVE NAME] --applicationpath /Applications/Install macOS High Sierra.app
Notice: Remember to replace [YOUR DRIVE NAME] with the name of your installer disk. - Hit Return.
- Type in your admin password and wait.
- When the process is finished, the word Done will appear in the Terminal window.
- You can then quit Terminal.
Install macOS on your startup disk drive
Make sure you backup your Mac to keep your important files, before taking next step, that erase your Mac’s Startup drive.
To erase your Mac’s main drive:
- Go to System Preferences
- Сlick Startup disk and choose the installer you just created.
- Restart your Mac and hold down Command-R to boot into recovery mode.
- Take your bootable USB and connect it to your Mac.
When the macOS Utilities screen appears, follow these steps:
- Select Reinstall a new copy of macOS.
- Click Continue, then click Continue again when the next window appears.
- Agree to the terms and conditions, then select your Mac’s internal drive.
- Click Install.
- Wait for macOS High Sierra to install and your Mac to restart.
When your Mac has restarted, you’ll need to follow the process of setting it up as if it was a brand new Mac. So, you’ll need to connect to your wifi router and type in the password. Then you’ll need to type in the details for your iCloud account. Then you’ll have to set up a new admin user account.
Once you’ve done that, you can start installing apps. In order to re-install Setapp apps, go to setapp.com to get Setapp installer or download Setapp here. You’ll need your username and password.
It’s a good idea to only download those apps you need to use straight away. Other apps can be downloaded as and when you need them. That way you avoid cluttering up your brand new macOS.
If you use a cloud service like Dropbox, now is the time to re-connect. And you can copy any documents, photos or other files you need from the backup you made at the start.
Clean Install macOS High Sierra on a non-startup drive
You don’t need a backup for this option, it’s safer and faster than the previous way but only available to you if you have an extra drive or your drive is broken down into volumes.
Here’s how to instal your new macOS on the non-startup disk.
Step 1. Erase your non-startup drive
Before you install the new OS on it, you need to erase all data on the drive you’ve chosen for it. To do it, use Disk Utility. Choose the volume you’d like to clean up and click Erase.
If you still need some info from that drive, you can use an app like ChronoSync Express to sync it with another drive and keep the files.
Step 2. Download the macOS High Sierra Installer from the Mac App Store
To download it, open the Mac App Store and go to the Updates tab ( Here is a link.) When your installer is downloaded it will launch automatically but you need to quit it.
Fortunately, for this option you don’t need to create a specific bootable drive and you can simply use the installer from your startup drive and install the macOS onto the other one.
Step 3. Install macOS High Sierra to your non-startup drive
Launch the Installer from the Applications folder and press Continue. Change the target drive for installation. macOS will offer you startup drive by default so you need to click Show All Disks button and choose your non-startup disk volume. From then on simply follow the installation guide and after that you’ll have to set up your Mac as a new one. That entails creating a new user account, setting up date and time zone etc.
Now that you have the latest macOS, you can enjoy its superior features and top performance. Clean install (when performed on a startup drive) does remove your apps so if you don’t feel like looking for every app and their licenses again, get Setapp. More than 100 apps in one suite available by subscription. Saves you time and money on looking for apps for your daily tasks.