How to downgrade iOS 18 Beta to iOS 17 without losing data

The early release versions of Apple’s iPhone OS are infamous for bringing notorious bugs to the system, and iOS 18 is no exception. If you have jumped on the iOS 18 developer Beta updates bandwagon to try out the new features, there is a high chance that you are experiencing issues like battery drain, instability, certain apps not working, and more. Well, you are not alone, and I’m here to help.

In this article, I’ll explain how to downgrade iOS 18 Beta to iOS 17 without losing data.

Pre-requisites for downgrading from iOS 18 Beta to iOS 17.5 stable

• A Mac or Windows computer with iTunes installed.
• You must manually back up your iPhone data to iCloud or some other cloud storage service before restoring it to iOS 17, as the Cupertino tech giant doesn’t allow restoring a backup created on iOS beta to a stable iOS version.

How to downgrade from iOS 18 Beta to iOS 17

You can downgrade from iOS 18 Beta to 17 using recovery mode on your iPhone. Here’s what you need to do:

Step 1: Enter Recovery Mode on your iPhone

1. Connect your iPhone to your Mac with an MFi-certified cable.
2. Next, launch Finder on your Mac and select your iPhone in the left window panel.
3. Now, press and release the Volume Up and Volume Down buttons one by one, then press and hold the Power button until your iPhone enters the Recovery Mode.
4. Once it does, you will see a black screen with an iPhone cable pointing toward a MacBook, confirming that your iPhone is now in Recovery Mode.
   
   

Step 2: Restore iPhone to iOS 17.5.1 from iOS 18 Beta

1. Now, open Finder on your Mac (or iTunes on Windows PC).
2. Click the Restore button on the prompt that appears.
3. Then, click the Restore and Update button in the pop-up prompt that appears next.
4. Next, follow the on-screen instructions to Restore your iPhone to the latest available iOS 17 stable version.
5. Wait for the process to complete, as the process to restore and update your iPhone to iOS 17 can take a while.

That’s it; you have successfully downgraded your iPhone from iOS 18 Beta to iOS 17.5 stable. You can now restore the manual backup you created in the first place to get all your data back.

Video: How to downgrade from iOS 18 to iOS 17

Signing off…

This is how you can downgrade from iOS 18 Beta to iOS 17 without losing any data. I hope this guide serves its purpose and helps you make the most of your iPhone again. If you have any additional questions, feel free to ask them in the comments below.

Other articles you would like to read:

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• Apple Intelligence supported devices
• Apple’s Developer Beta vs. Public Beta vs. Stable version