Downgrading RouterOS

You can downgrade RouterOS only as far as the minimum version supported by your hardware. Check it with the following command:

/system/resource/print
                   uptime: 2m18s
                  version: 7.26beta1
               build-time: 2026-10-01 13:29:47
          minimum-version: 7.0.9
              free-memory: 681.8MiB
             total-memory: 1024.0MiB
                      cpu: ARM64
                cpu-count: 4
            cpu-frequency: 864MHz
                 cpu-load: 3%
           free-hdd-space: 91.8MiB
          total-hdd-space: 128.0MiB
  write-sect-since-reboot: 64
         write-sect-total: 266154
               bad-blocks: 0%
        architecture-name: arm64
               board-name: hAP ax^2
                 platform: MikroTik

The minimum-version field is the oldest RouterOS release supported by your hardware's bootloader. The exact value depends on the device. In earlier RouterOS versions the same value was shown as factory-software — treat that field identically if your version still prints it.

warning

Attempting to install a version older than minimum-version can cause severe system instability or brick the device.

Before you start

• Back up everything. Configuration syntax changes between major versions. A direct downgrade can corrupt settings. Generate a binary backup (.backup) and an export file (.rsc) before proceeding.
• Security and stability. Keep in mind that reverting to legacy versions exposes your router to older software bugs and patched security vulnerabilities.

Downgrade procedure

1. Verify the architecture. Check the architecture-name field of /system/resource/print (for example arm64, arm, mipsbe, mmips, x86).

2. Download the packages. From the MikroTik download page, download the main bundle for that architecture and your targeted older version — it contains the routeros-<version>-<architecture>.npk system package. Check /system/package/print for the other packages installed on the router and download each of them in the same target version from the "Extra packages" bundle. On a device with WiFi, this includes the wireless driver package (wifi-qcom, wifi-qcom-ac or wireless, depending on the device); other common extra packages are container, calea and cmr.

3. Upload the files. Connect to your router via WinBox, WebFig, or an FTP client, open the Files menu, and upload the .npk files: the main routeros package and every extra package from step 2.

4. Run the downgrade. Execute the command and confirm the prompt:

   /system/package/downgrade

   The router prompts for a reboot. During the reboot it checks the uploaded packages and downgrades RouterOS to the version they contain.

5. Wait for the reboot. The router restarts, unpacks the older version, and comes back online with the downgrade complete.

After the reboot, verify the new version with /system/resource/print and confirm that the version field shows the expected downgrade target.