At times it may be necessary to roll back or downgrade the operating system that you have installed on your computer.

Your hardware manufacturer may not yet have drivers available for the operating system update you’ve installed, the operating system update itself may cause issues with Serato software, or your Serato software may not yet support that operating system update.

Automatic updates on both macOS and Windows are often very common, and sometimes it can seem like an update has been applied without your consent.

While modern operating systems may usually retain user data after a downgrade, it's still really important to create a backup of your user data before going ahead with the procedure.

WARNING: The information listed below are suggestions only, and Serato cannot offer direct assistance based on the information, nor can we be held liable if something goes wrong after attempting to roll-back/downgrade your operating system, or back-up your data.

We strongly recommend getting in touch with Apple, Microsoft and/or your OEM (original equipment manufacturer) respectively, if you encounter any issues or have any questions regarding these suggestions.

1. Backing up your Serato DJ library & music
   

   Our guide to Backing Up Your Files contains all of the steps you need to get your Serato DJ library safely backed up in case any of your data is lost during the process of downgrading your operating system.
   

2. Backing up your user data (non-Serato information)
   

   Both Microsoft and Apple include options in their operating systems for backing up your data, which you can find some basic information for, below:

   • Windows 10
   • macOS

   There are also a variety of third-party back-up solutions available.

3. Downgrading your operating system

   Just like they include back-up options, both Microsoft and Apple also include built-in options for restoring your computer from a back-up, or to 'factory settings', which are detailed in the links below.
   In some cases, this might be an easy way to roll-back or downgrade your operating system:
   • Windows 10
     Look for the Go back to a previous version of Windows or Restore from a system restore point sections in the link above.

   NOTE: On Windows computers, some OEM’s (like HP, Acer, Asus, Dell, Lenovo, etc), may include their own utilities or software for restoring the version of Windows 10 that comes preinstalled on the computer when you bought it, or to give you the option to restore from a back-up.
   Using Microsoft’s restore options from the link above may conflict with these utilities, which may prevent you from downgrading, or at worst, may cause issues once you’ve downgraded.

   It’s extremely important that you consult your computer OEM before proceeding with the Microsoft steps above, to confirm they won’t cause any issues with your configuration.

   If you’re trying to revert to a version of Windows prior to the one that came installed on your OEM computer, you may also encounter additional issues, as drivers may not be available for your computer hardware, and previous Windows operating systems may not contain the default device driver for some of your computer’s internal or external hardware.

   • macOS

   On the Apple side, restoring from a Time Machine back-up that you've made with the previous macOS version that you wish to restore to, is the simplest way of getting back to that version of macOS.
   If you don't have a Time Machine back-up built from the version of macOS you wish to revert to, then you will need to manually back-up your data, and then perform a clean installation of the respective version of macOS, then manually restore your user data. This is done via the App Store, and you can find some handy links from this How to get old macOS Macworld article.
   We strongly recommend getting in touch with Apple support to discuss your options, prior to attempting a downgrade, remembering that you should be able to install an older version of macOS. 

   NOTE: Apple Silicon / M1-equipped computers cannot be downgraded to a macOS version prior to Big Sur.

   Most Apple computers will at the very least be able to use a version of macOS, at minimum, which aligns with the version it was shipped with.
   A good way to check which macOS version your Mac computer came with, can be found by locating the model via Apple’s Identify your Macbook Pro model article, then clicking on the Tech Specs link next to that relevant model, and finally looking under the Operating System section.