Mac OS X: Undo update - how it works

If you are not satisfied with a Mac update, you can easily undo it. However, you must have used the Time Machine for this for some time. We'll show you exactly how to proceed.

1. Preparation: Undo the update under Mac OS X.

Before you start the actual downgrade, you should make a backup of your personal data:

1. Open the disk utility.
2. Click on the drive on the left of which you want to make a backup.
3. Then switch to the "Restore" tab.
4. Here you have to enter the drive which you selected on the left in the field "Source".
5. Enter an external hard drive or a sufficiently large USB stick in the "Target medium" field.
6. Start the backup with "Restore".

2. Time Machine: Undo OS-X update

To downgrade, you must use the Time Machine. There is no other option.

1. Restart your Mac while holding down the Option key [Alt] to open the program.
2. Select the "Recovery" partition and then "Restore from time machine backup".
3. Now you have to select the drive for the backup from the list.
4. You will then see a list of all available backups. Check for a previous version of Mac and then start the process.

This practical tip applies to Mac OS X Mavericks. In the next practical tip, we will explain how you can make a Mac backup with Time Machine on a NAS.