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User profile for user: BeBeep
BeBeep Author
User level: Level 1
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Problem downgrading to Big Sur - MacBook won’t boot

I recently installed Monterey and had nothing but problems with applications and my MacBook was slower.


I decided to downgrade back to Big Sur but I cannot locate my bootable USB.


I followed some instructions I downloaded to restore the MacBook to a previous time machine version. Unfortunately it would not restore. During this process the computer turned off and when I turned it back on it would not give me the option to reinstall Monterey or any other option for that matter.


During boot up the machine tries to connect to the Internet but then gives me an error message and says see Apple support. I downloaded Big Sur onto a USB drive via my PC but when I booted up the MacBook, it would not recognize the USB and gave me an error message.


any suggestions on what I can do to load Big Sur or Monterey back onto my MacBook?

MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 10.12

Posted on Sep 20, 2022 9:57 PM

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User profile for user: HWTech
HWTech
User level: Level 9
60,626 points

Posted on Sep 21, 2022 5:56 PM

Here is an Apple article with instructions for creating a bootable macOS USB installer:

How to create a bootable installer for macOS - Apple Support


Using a Windows PC no longer works to create a bootable macOS USB installer. If your current Mac is no longer able to boot macOS, then you will need access to another Qualifying Mac in order to download & create the USB installer. Try booting into Safe Mode if booting macOS normally has problems since Safe Mode prevents third party software from launching automatically when booting & logging in. FYI, most performance issues will be caused by third party software.


If you have a 2018+ Mac with a T2 chip or Apple Silicon, then you can "Restore" the firmware if you have access to another Mac running macOS 10.15+:

Revive or restore an Intel-based Mac using Apple Configurator - Apple Support


Revive or restore a Mac with Apple silicon using Apple Configurator - Apple Support


To use Internet Recovery Mode you can try rebooting the modem & router making sure to wait at least five minutes for them to finish booting. Most errors with Internet Recovery Mode involve a network issue of some sort (WiFi issue, LAN issue, or even ISP & Internet issues). You can also try connecting the Mac directly to the router using an Ethernet cable and possibly a Gigabit Ethernet Adapter as well depending on the model of your Mac.


You really should always provide the exact model of the Mac since different models may have their own unique issues. You can get this information by clicking the Apple menu and selecting "About This Mac". If the Mac is not booting, then you can enter the system serial number here:

Check Your Service and Support Coverage - Apple Support





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User profile for user: HWTech
HWTech
User level: Level 9
60,626 points

Sep 21, 2022 5:56 PM in response to BeBeep

Here is an Apple article with instructions for creating a bootable macOS USB installer:

How to create a bootable installer for macOS - Apple Support


Using a Windows PC no longer works to create a bootable macOS USB installer. If your current Mac is no longer able to boot macOS, then you will need access to another Qualifying Mac in order to download & create the USB installer. Try booting into Safe Mode if booting macOS normally has problems since Safe Mode prevents third party software from launching automatically when booting & logging in. FYI, most performance issues will be caused by third party software.


If you have a 2018+ Mac with a T2 chip or Apple Silicon, then you can "Restore" the firmware if you have access to another Mac running macOS 10.15+:

Revive or restore an Intel-based Mac using Apple Configurator - Apple Support


Revive or restore a Mac with Apple silicon using Apple Configurator - Apple Support


To use Internet Recovery Mode you can try rebooting the modem & router making sure to wait at least five minutes for them to finish booting. Most errors with Internet Recovery Mode involve a network issue of some sort (WiFi issue, LAN issue, or even ISP & Internet issues). You can also try connecting the Mac directly to the router using an Ethernet cable and possibly a Gigabit Ethernet Adapter as well depending on the model of your Mac.


You really should always provide the exact model of the Mac since different models may have their own unique issues. You can get this information by clicking the Apple menu and selecting "About This Mac". If the Mac is not booting, then you can enter the system serial number here:

Check Your Service and Support Coverage - Apple Support





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Problem downgrading to Big Sur - MacBook won’t boot

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