Have you been testing out the iOS 12 beta, but are ready to head back to iOS 11? Follow along as we dive into how to downgrade your iPhone or iPad from the latest beta software.

While iOS 12 has received some good feedback from the developer community for how stable it is, especially for the first beta, there are a myriad of reasons why you might want to revert to iOS 11. The process is mostly straightforward, so let’s dive in.

The Apple recommended steps include wiping your device and it’s important to keep in mind that to restore your iPhone or iPad with all your data, you’ll need a backup from iOS 11, you won’t be able to restore an iOS 12 backup once you downgrade.

How to downgrade from iOS 12 beta to iOS 11

Step 1: Make sure you’re running the latest version of iTunes 12.7.5 (iTunes → About iTunes, if not open the Mac App Store → Updates).

Step 2: Connect your iPhone or iPad to your Mac or PC with a Lightning cable.

Step 3: Use the appropriate key combination to enter Recovery Mode (you’ll see the iTunes logo and Lightning cable when successful, shown below).

  • iPhone X, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus: Press and quickly release the Volume Up button. Press and quickly release the Volume Down button. Next, press and hold the Side button until the recovery mode screen appears.
  • iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus: Press and hold the Sleep/Wake and Volume Down buttons at the same time. Don’t release the buttons when you see the Apple logo but continue to hold both buttons until the recovery mode screen appears.
  • iPhone 6s and earlier, iPad, and iPod touch: Press and hold the Sleep/Wake and Home buttons at the same time. Don’t release the buttons when you see the Apple logo. Continue to hold both buttons until you see the recovery mode appears.

Step 4: When the Restore or Update option shows up on your Mac, choose Restore (this will wipe your device and install the latest non-beta version of iOS, make you have a backup or are okay deleting your data).

Step 5: After the software restore has completed, you can restore a backup from iOS 11 with iTunes or iCloud or set up your iPhone or iPad as a new device.

Why did you decide to downgrade from iOS 12? Let us know in the comments below!

For more help getting the most out of your Apple devices, check out our how to guide as well as the following articles:

  • macOS 10.14 Mojave: How to enable dark mode
  • iOS 12: How to markup, add effects, and edit photos and videos within Messages on iPhone
  • watchOS 5: How to customize Apple Maps navigation alerts
  • iOS 12: How to retry Face ID after a failed attempt
  • watchOS 5: How to customize Control Center
  • iOS 12: How to use Screen Time on iPhone and iPad
  • watchOS 5: How to start an Activity Competition
  • iOS 12: How to create Memoji on iPhone X