How to downgrade my iMac 21,1 from Sequoia to back to Sonoma

caymusjordan wrote:

I recently purchased a new iMac and it was recommended that I update my old one before migrating my "stuff". I didn't realize that with Sequoia the Sawgrass Print Manager that I use for my small business would no longer work. Until they (Sawgrass) fix their new system I need to be able to use the old version and to do this I need to go back to Sonoma OS on my old iMac and use that computer only for printing.

I am not very tech savvy... from what I've read Time Machine won't work as a back up. Any idea where I can get clear instruction on how to do this or where to hire someone to do this for me?

Thank you for any suggestions!

Sawgrass Print Manager has been permanently retired and no longer supported by Sawgrass. It has been replaced with newer utilities. If you wait for Sawgrass Print Manager to be updated you will be on Sonoma forever. Which is probably not a long term solution that you want. If I were you I would move to the Sawgrass products that are supported under Sequoia.

https://www.sawgrassink.com/sunset/#:~:text=On%20February%201%2C%202025%2C%20we,Tool%20and%20Sawgrass%20Print%20Utility.

"On February 1, 2025, we will be sunsetting CreativeStudio and Sawgrass Print Manager (SPM). Follow the steps below to ensure a seamless transition to MySawgrass Design Tool and Sawgrass Print Utility."

Just found on while waiting for the my wife receipts

refer Downgrade from Sonoma to Ventura / factor… - Apple Community

Any credits to @Barney-15E

Oct 10, 2023 3:26 PM in response to ajeansres

This article indicates it will reinstall the most recently installed version. That has to do with the fact that you cannot completely erase an Apple Silicon Mac. How to reinstall macOS - Apple Support

You will likely need to create a bootable USB installer of Monterey, startup from that, and remove the System Volume with the Disk Utility on that installer.

Create a bootable installer for macOS - Apple Support

These are the steps to follow to erase your Mac's System volume: Use Disk Utility to erase a Mac with Apple silicon - Apple Support.

You will need to Migrate your data from a Time Machine backup as the old Data volume will neither work with Monterey nor will it be connected to the new System Volume.

If you do not have a backup from when it was running Monterey, you cannot use Migration Assistant. You will have to manually move your data to another drive, then move it back to the Monterey Data volume. You may have to export all images from Photos, then import them into the older version, but you can try just moving the Library and see if it will work.

Old iMac as in Intel iMac ?

• iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020)
• iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2019)
• iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019)

Yes, Time Machine will have only backed up your User Account and nothing more

Scorched Earth Method 

This method will WIPE ALL Data and there is No DATA Recovery - Period.

>> Only works on Intel Based Apple Computer <<

To perform this action will require booting from a Bootable Installer. 

 About Startup Security Utility and Must Enable from Recovery Mode the ability to boot from External Drive Before Attempting 

One of the afore mentioned computer should have the T2 Security chip

Shutdown computer and disconnect all external drive Except the newly created Bootable Installer.

Restart and immediately hold the OPTION key until the Startup Manager appears and choose the USB Drive. 

It will present options >> Disk Utilities >> View >> View ALL attached Drives. 

Choose the Upper Most Drive ( not the volumes indented and list below ).

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.

Once that is done >> backup out of Disk Utilities and choose install macOS. 

Follow the prompts and it may automatically reboot several time. 

Upon a final reboot - Setup Assist will present with the newer version of macOS.

You can use Setup Asset and point it to the Time Machine Backup Drive. This is a One Time offer. Thereafter you will need to use Migration Assist 

Yes and a lot of technical details

Read, digest, understand and then ask questions Before rather than during or afterwards

https://eclecticlight.co/2023/09/30/how-to-clean-install-modern-macos/

An aside

Perhaps another contributor(s) may offer to research some posting by @ Barney-15E regarding the Downgrade of Apple Silicon computer

I would do this myself, but alas, I am tied up with Income Taxes as the deadline is looming

Best of luck

An iMac21,1 is a 2021 24" M1

Thx

Good Catch 👍

If I may say.

This is a fine example of a Team Effort by more than one contributor