Over the past few weeks, some Mac users have complained that their computer automatically upgraded itself from macOS Ventura to the latest macOS Sonoma release, even with the automatic updates setting turned off.
There are widespread complaints about this issue across the Apple Support Community, MacRumors Forums, Reddit, X, and other websites.
In most cases, it appears that affected users received a desktop notification alerting them that macOS Sonoma was an available software update. However, despite dismissing the notification and having automatic updates turned off, affected users said their Mac proceeded to install macOS Sonoma regardless. Apple began showing the notification to users on January 10, according to MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris.
The underlying cause of the issue is unclear, and an Apple spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
It is possible to downgrade a Mac to an older macOS version by using a bootable installer to erase and install the older version and then restoring your data from a Time Machine backup. Always make sure to back up your data before downgrading a Mac.
To review your Mac's update settings, open the System Settings app, click General → Software Update, and click the info symbol next to Automatic Updates.
We will update this report if new information becomes available.
