The Evolution of Mac OS Versions (infographic)

In 2001, the first Mac operating system was born. If it were a person, macOS would be 18 years old now. Just as a child turning into an adult, there have been lots of transformations and changes throughout this time.

Most of them – for the better. Still, the adulthood of macOS might be a rather negative thing for many users.

Although every new release is always a big hit, it takes some time to fully integrate new features into the macOS. For instance, in macOS Mojave, the long-awaited AutoFill with Touch ID in Safari appeared only in the version 10.14.4 – a long time after the release.

There have been similar problems with transitioning from 32-bit to 64-bit applications in High Sierra.

Due to software incompatibilities and personal preferences, you might want to go back to one of the old versions.

Before you start the process of downgrading, there is a couple of important things you should do:

1. See the big picture. Understanding how macOS versions changed and evolved will help you to make the right choice. Explore the core features and think about the functionality that could potentially be damaged, due to the downgrade. Below, we illustrate the evolution of all versions of Mac operating system.
2. Make sure you backup your personal information before installing an old version of macOS – you don’t want any content to be lost, due to the transition. You could use Time Machine, Get Backup Pro, or any similar program to create a copy of your files.
3. Note that if you’re currently using Mojave, you can no longer download one of the old versions from the Mac App Store. Apple has removed this option with the latest macOS release. Therefore, you’ll have to download an installer first.

Moving back to the first step, check out the Infographic on the OS X and macOS transformation: