Use these instructions to revert to iOS 18 if you’re hesitant to install the initial public beta of iOS 26.

iOS 18 and iOS 17 have rounded icons that show moving from one to the other with an arrow pointing from the 18 to the 17.
Have you changed your mind regarding the beta of iOS 26? You may go back to iOS 18.

The iOS 26 public beta makes the next iPhone operating system available to everyone who wants to install it, not only developers. You may test out features like the Music app’s AutoMix function, the Photos app’s revamp, the Liquid Glass interface, and many more.

But there is a risk associated with such access. You shouldn’t install the iOS 26 beta on your primary iPhone since, being prerelease software, it has flaws and performance issues that might interfere with daily use.

For instance, unless you don’t mind giving up your Apple Watch while it is being returned to Apple for repair, if you also want to test the upcoming WatchOS 26 beta, be advised that you will not be able to revert back to WatchOS 11, as my colleague Blake Stimac suddenly found out last year.

You can use these procedures to revert to iOS 18 if you believe the current iOS 26 beta to be too fragile.

iOS 26 will bring everything to your iPhone.

Is your backup plan appropriate?
You must wipe the phone and install the most recent release version in order to go back to the prior system version. It is not as simple as changing a few important files here and there. For this reason, before installing the beta (or, indeed, updating any version of iOS), make a backup of your iPhone.

The best course of action is to make a backup computer file accessible. The simplest solution would seem to be to create an iCloud backup (Settings > [your name] > iCloud > iCloud Backup), but there’s a catch: you can only restore the iPhone to iOS 26 if the most recent iCloud backup was created while the device was still in the iOS 26 beta. As a result, you will need to either set up the phone as a new one or restore it to iOS 18 from an archive. Apps will need to be manually reinstalled, however data synchronized over iCloud will ultimately arrive.

Make a local backup instead: Click the “Back Up Now” button after connecting the iPhone to your Mac and selecting it from the sidebar of the Finder window. Click Back Up Now after selecting the iPhone in the Apple Devices app on Windows.

What would happen if you installed the iOS 26 beta without first creating a backup?
You should still try to sync your crucial data, like contacts, notes, and images, to iCloud if your enthusiasm got the better of you and you neglected to create a backup. Navigate to iCloud under Settings > [your name].

Then choose See All under Saved to iCloud. Make sure that the iCloud Mail, iCloud Drive, and Contacts categories are configured to sync by tapping on them.

images of the iOS Settings that display the iCloud sync settings.
Before going back to the previous version of iOS, be sure that all of your crucial data is synchronized to iCloud. (The iOS 18 beta, which is functionally identical to the iOS 26 beta, is displayed here.)

Verify that your Windows or MacOS software is current.
First, confirm that you are using the most recent version of MacOS if you are recovering from a Mac:

Select System Settings after clicking the Apple logo in the upper-left corner.
In the sidebar, choose General.
Select “Software Update.”
Install any updates that are mentioned as long as you have a recent backup.

Launch the Apple Devices program on Windows. It took the role of iTunes as Apple’s device management tool.

Disable Find My
Before you go back to iOS 18, you should disable Find My if you have it activated on that device. The Activation Lock security feature, which needs the Apple ID and password of the person who set up the phone, depends on Find My. You may turn iOS 18 back on when you’re done reinstalling it.

Go to Settings, hit your name, and then press Find My to disable it. After that, switch it off by tapping Find My iPhone. (You might need to turn off Stolen Device Protection first if the option is grayed out.)

An iPhone in recovery mode
The iPhone is in recovery mode, according to this screen.
Apple
Start the iPhone in recovery mode.
After that, connect your iPhone to your Mac and press the following buttons to put your device in recovery mode:

1. Press the volume up button and let it go rapidly.
2. Press the volume down button, then immediately release it.
3. After you see the Apple logo, press and hold the sleep/wake button until you see the recovery mode screen, which is a black backdrop with a cord that indicates a computer connection.

To return to iOS 18, restore the iPhone.

If the dialog box appears to indicate that there is a problem with the iPhone, don’t panic. The computer will ask if you wish to update or restore the device. Press the Restore button. Select Restore and Update from the confirmation popup that displays.

If that box doesn’t appear, you may also choose the phone from the sidebar of a new Finder window (MacOS) or Apple Devices program (Windows). After selecting Restore iPhone, adhere to the subsequent instructions.

The iPhone will download and install the latest version of iOS, which is presently 18.5.

You are prompted to transfer settings and data from another device during the standard iOS setup process:

1. Select From Mac or PC from the Transfer Your Apps & Data screen.
2. On the computer, choose the iPhone from the sidebar (of the Apple Devices software on Windows or a Finder window on Mac).
3. From the pop-up menu, select the most recent backup and select Restore from this backup.
4. Press “Continue.” Put in the password you created if you choose to encrypt the backup.

The data from the backup is then restored by the computer.

Disclaimer

This article is for informational purposes only and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Apple Inc. iOS beta software is experimental and may cause performance or stability issues. Reverting to a previous iOS version requires erasing your device and may result in data loss if a proper backup is not available. Always consult Apple’s official documentation and proceed at your own risk. Features, versions, and restore procedures are subject to change based on Apple’s updates.