Revert Back to iOS 18 From iOS 26 Beta: The No-Stress, Step-by-Step Guide

The iOS 26 developer beta is now available, which is your first opportunity to try out new iPhone features such as the Liquid Glass interface, the redesigned Photos app, the AutoMix feature in the Music app and much more. If you have a free Apple Developer account, you can download the developer beta and get started right away. (The public beta is expected in July.)
But that access comes with a risk. Due to the nature of prerelease software, the iOS 26 beta includes bugs and performance snags that can disrupt your everyday use, which is why you shouldn't install it on your main iPhone.
As another example, if you also want to test the new WatchOS 26 beta, be warned that you will not be able to roll back to WatchOS 11, as my colleague Blake Stimac unexpectedly discovered last year, unless you don't mind parting with your Apple Watch while it goes back to Apple for repair.
If you find the current iOS 26 beta to be too brittle, you can roll back to iOS 18 by following these steps.
Read more: Everything coming to your iPhone in iOS 26.
Do you have the right kind of backup?
Reverting to the previous system version isn't a matter of replacing a few key files here and there -- you'll need to erase the phone and install the current release version. This is why it's important to back up your iPhone before installing the beta (or, honestly, updating any version of iOS).
The best approach is to create an archive on your computer that you can fall back to. Creating an iCloud backup (Settings > [your name] > iCloud > iCloud Backup) would seem to be the easiest option, but there's a catch: if the most recent iCloud backup is made under the iOS 26 beta, you can only restore the iPhone to iOS 26. That means when you restore the phone to iOS 18, you'll have to do it from an archive or set it up as a new phone. Data synced via iCloud will eventually arrive, but you will need to reinstall apps manually.
Instead, create a local backup: Connect the iPhone to your Mac, select it in a Finder window sidebar, and click the Back Up Now button. On Windows, open the Apple Devices app, select the iPhone there, and click Back Up Now.
What if you didn't make a backup before installing iOS 26 beta?
If your excitement got the best of you and you skipped making a backup, you should still attempt to sync your important data, such as contacts, photos and notes to iCloud. Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud.
Next, in the Saved to iCloud section, tap See All. Tap the categories for items saved to iCloud, such as iCloud Mail, iCloud Drive and Contacts, and make sure they're set to sync.
Make sure your important data is synced to iCloud before reverting to the previous version of iOS. (iOS 18 beta shown here, which is functionally the same in the iOS 26 beta.)
Screenshot by Jeff Carlson/CNET
Make sure your MacOS or Windows software is up to date
First, if you're restoring from a Mac, make sure you're running the latest version of MacOS:
Click the Apple logo in the top-left corner, and choose System Settings .
in the top-left corner, and choose . Select General in the sidebar.
in the sidebar. Click Software Update.
If an update is listed -- and you have a current backup -- go ahead and install it.
Under Windows, open the Apple Devices app, which replaced iTunes as Apple's conduit for managing its devices.
Turn off Find My
If you've enabled Find My for that device, you'll want to turn it off before you revert back to iOS 18. Find My is key to the Activation Lock security feature that requires the Apple ID and password of the person who set up the phone. When you finish reinstalling iOS 18, you can turn it on again.
To turn off Find My, Go to Settings, tap your name and tap Find My. Then tap Find My iPhone and turn it off. (If the option is grayed out, you may need to disable Stolen Device Protection first.)
This screen indicates the iPhone is in recovery mode.
Apple
Put the iPhone into recovery mode
Next, plug your iPhone into your Mac and do the following button dance on the iPhone to enter recovery mode:
1. Press and quickly release the volume up button.
2. Press and quickly release the volume down button.
3. Press and hold the sleep/wake button, and keep it held, past the point where you see the Apple logo and until you see the recovery mode screen -- a black background with a cable indicating a connection with the computer.
Restore the iPhone to go back to iOS 18
The computer will ask if you want to update or restore the iPhone; don't be alarmed if the dialog makes it sound as if something is wrong with the phone. Click Restore. In the confirmation dialog that appears, click Restore and Update.
Or, if you don't see that dialog, open a new Finder window (MacOS) or the Apple Devices app (Windows) and select the phone in the sidebar. Click Restore iPhone and follow the directions that follow.
The release version of iOS, currently 18.5, will download and be installed on the iPhone.
During the normal iOS setup process, you're asked if you'd like to transfer settings and data from another device:
1. On the Transfer Your Apps & Data screen, tap From Mac or PC.
2. On the computer, select the iPhone in the sidebar (of a Finder window on Mac or the Apple Devices app on Windows).
3. Select Restore from this backup and choose the most recent backup from the pop-up menu.
4. Click Continue. If you chose to encrypt the backup, enter the password you made.
The computer then restores the data from the backup.

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