Are you using a Mac with an older version of macOS and want to upgrade to a newer one, but don’t want to install macOS Ventura? For instance, imagine you're currently running macOS Catalina, Mojave, or Big Sur on your Mac, and you'd prefer to upgrade directly to macOS Monterey 12 instead of macOS Ventura 13 (a situation mentioned in one of our comment sections).

This is a specific scenario some Mac users encounter, so we’ll walk through the process of upgrading from an older macOS version straight to macOS Monterey, without having to go through macOS Ventura.

How to Upgrade from Older macOS (Catalina, Mojave, Big Sur) to macOS Monterey (While Skipping Ventura)

The most straightforward way to upgrade directly to a specific macOS version is by downloading the full installer for that release and performing a direct upgrade. In this case, we'll focus on macOS Monterey.

Step 1: Download the complete macOS Monterey installer on the Mac you plan to upgrade

There are two simple ways to get the full installer for macOS Monterey. On the Mac you intend to upgrade, do either of the following:

• You can download the full macOS installer from our list here or use this direct download link for macOS Monterey 12.6.3; once downloaded, opening InstallAssistant.pkg will place the “Install macOS Monterey.app” installer into your /Applications folder, ready for use
• Alternatively, you can fetch a full installer for macOS Monterey 12.6.3 (or another specific version) via the command line by entering the following command into the Terminal app: softwareupdate --fetch-full-installer --full-installer-version 12.6.3

Step 2: Back up your Mac before proceeding with the upgrade

Before starting any system software update, make sure you have a backup of your Mac using Time Machine.

This ensures your data is protected and gives you the option to recover your files if something goes wrong during the process. It also enables you to roll back to your previous OS version if needed by restoring from the Time Machine backup.

Never skip backing up before undertaking any major system software upgrade.

Step 3: Upgrade from macOS Catalina, Mojave, Big Sur, to macOS Monterey (and not Ventura)

Once you've successfully downloaded the macOS Monterey installer, you're ready to proceed with upgrading your current Mac directly to macOS Monterey, whether it's currently running macOS Catalina, macOS Mojave, macOS Big Sur, or another version.

Simply open the “Install macOS Monterey.app” installer located in your /Applications folder and follow the prompts to upgrade straight to Monterey. At this point, the installation process is identical to any other macOS upgrade.

As long as you didn't download a macOS Ventura installer or follow any method that would lead to installing macOS Ventura, you’ll successfully avoid it and install Monterey on your Mac instead.

After you’ve upgraded to macOS Monterey (or Big Sur, or any other macOS version you chose), you may still see prompts to 'upgrade to macOS Ventura' in the Software Update preferences panel, but you can keep applying macOS system updates without installing Ventura by using this approach—just be mindful of what you select within the Software Update settings. Apple continues to provide security patches for the previous two versions of macOS system software (in this case, Big Sur and Monterey), and staying updated is crucial for maintaining your Mac’s security.

There are many reasons someone might choose to skip Ventura, including application compatibility issues, avoiding certain bugs, bypassing the redesigned System Settings interface, or simply personal preference. Ultimately, the choice of which macOS version to run is entirely yours!

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