How to downgrade Flutter SDK (Dart 1.x)

Question

I upgraded my Flutter SDK and now my project is broken. I need to basically revert back to a Flutter SDK which uses Dart 1.x.

I tried the following in the pubspec.yaml,

environment:
  sdk: ">=1.19.0 <2.0.0"
  flutter: "^0.1.2"

dependencies:
  flutter:
    sdk: flutter

but now the project just simply doesn't build.

Running "flutter packages get" in binformed...
Package binformed requires Flutter SDK version ^0.1.2 but the current SDK is 0.2.5-pre.38.
pub get failed (1)

Do i need to uninstall the SDK and reinstall it?

Nazarene

See: github.com/flutter/flutter/issues/71723 – Fourflush

This works for me on MacOSX with flutter installed with brew: cd $(dirname $(readlink -f $(which flutter))) && git checkout 3.3.4 – Hokusai

Answer 1

Flutter is versioned using git. Changing the Flutter version is as simple as changing git branch.

There are 2 different ways:

• flutter channel <branch> (example: flutter channel stable)

This command is used to change between branches – usually stable/dev/beta/master. We can also put a specific commit id from git.

• flutter downgrade <version> (example: flutter downgrade v1.2.1)

This command will use a specific version number. You can have the list of the available version numbers using flutter downgrade or here

After this, run any Flutter command (such as flutter doctor), and Flutter will take care of downloading/compiling everything required to run this version.

Capsule

And now there is no way to choose which flutter version specifically in downgrade command. executing flutter downgrade v2.0 returns: There is no previously recorded version for channel "stable". Channel "beta" was previously on: 1.26.0-17.3.pre – Underwood

In my case, I needed to run 'flutter pub upgrade' to run 'flutter build apk --split-per-abi'. After follow all your steps. Thanks – Farmyard

flutter --version – Pressley

For me it only worked to switch to an older version using "git checkout 1.22.6" in the flutter repository. 1.22.6 refers to the version you want to use. – Overmuch

There is no such command to flutter downgrade to a specific version tag: github.com/flutter/flutter/issues/71723 . As mentioned, use e.g. git checkout 3.0.0 in the flutter repo instead. – Fourflush

Still leaving you on stable channel after downgrading: cd <flutter-folder> flutter channel stable flutter upgrade git reset --hard 3.7.12 flutter doctor – Simulator

Answer 2

Run the following command to see a list of available versions.

flutter version 

Then choose a version you want to switch to by running

flutter version v1.2.1

To undo and revert back to stable

flutter channel stable
flutter upgrade

Dorso

I got the error Unable to checkout version branch for version <version> using cmd flutter version <version>. – Xenophanes

Did you select a valid version number? – Dorso

Does this ultimately do the same as @Günter Zöchbauer said? Can someone check and confirm this? – Wellintentioned

flutter version is deprecated, use flutter downgrade v1.22.0 instead – Darindaring

As of Flutter >2.0 none of these commands works. For eg. flutter version v2.0.0 outputs an error Could not find a command named "version". – Underwood

Use flutter --version. – Layoff

Ok, Flutter version for >v2.0, but what branch to use? on stable it didnt work, Im trying on master and dev as well – Cynewulf

Answer 3

In the Flutter install directory execute

git checkout v0.1.9

then run

flutter doctor

You can check which versions are available in the Flutter GitHub repository https://github.com/flutter/flutter

There is an open feature request to make this easier https://github.com/flutter/flutter/issues/14230

Dutiful

Thanks. That kinda work for the Flutter SDK, but seems that the tooling is still set to Dart 2.0.0? I will mark this as the answer if you could help me out with reverting as well Dart 1.X. (I thought they were related SDK and Dart) – Nazarene

Just deleting the flutter/bin/cache directory should cause them to be regenerated with the current Flutter version. – Hampton

Great, but now running flutter just download Dart latest again. Seems like you can sepcify the version with a file 'The file bin/internal/dart-sdk.version determines the version of Dart SDK that will be downloaded.' Can find the format since the file is not present. – Nazarene

Sorry, but my knowledge ends here :-/ – Hampton

Have a look at this: "flutter downgrade issue". – Yukoyukon

To get a list of the available tags / versions from the command line, you can use git ls-remote --tags, from your local flutter folder. – Revetment

Does anyone knows how to downgrade dart sdk version yet? i am having the same issue with stephane, after deleting flutter/bin/cache the latest dart sdk version is re-downloaded – Zales

@IsraelObanijesu there is always exactly one Dart build compatible with one Flutter build. If you want an older Dart version, you need to check out a Flutter version that was built with that Dart version you want. – Hampton

okay, so please what's the dart build compatible with flutter 0.3.2 because i downgraded to flutter 0.3.2 and now dart compiler doesn't understand most of my code again. The reason why i downgraded is because im having some issues with map_view not working well on android, the tutorial im watching said it has something to do with map_view and location plugin being incompatible with each other so i have to use some specific versions of the plugin, when i used the versions of the plugins, it turns out to be too low for dart so i need to downgrade flutter and now im still having problem – Zales

@IsraelObanijesu I don't understand your issue. Flutter 0.3.2 is about 15 months old. I wouldn't expect for anything to work with such an old Flutter version. Recent is 1.8.3. Map view plugins were quite limited with lots of bugs back then. – Hampton

My issue is that i can't open interactive maps using map_view plugin in my flutter project, the app keeps crashing everytime i try to open the map, i will update to latest flutter version and try it again.....if it doesn't work, i will probably create a new question for that, or if you have a solution in mind for me, i will be happy to hear it. – Zales

Will flutter version <version> ultimately technically do the same what you did?? – Wellintentioned

@ArnoldParge you'd need to check the source of flutter version. I don't know by heart. – Hampton

@GünterZöchbauer I think the checkout version should not include v for instance it should be git checkout 0.1.9 and not git checkout v0.1.9, The later one doesn't seem to work source: github.com/flutter/flutter/issues/14230#issuecomment-771067759 – Ibidem

It's not the version, it's the Git tag and as far as I know they can't start with a number. You can check the tags in the Flutter Github repo – Hampton

Ohh could be but git checkout 1.22.6 seems to be working. – Ibidem

It should be: git checkout tags/3.0.5 – Reef

Answer 4

Don't use flutter version vX.X.X, use flutter downgrade instead.

Warning: "flutter version" will leave the SDK in a detached HEAD state. If you are using the command to return to a previously installed SDK version consider using the "flutter downgrade" command instead.

So, you should use

flutter downgrade 

---

Edit:

If there had been no previous versions installed, the above command would fail. So, if you have a specific version of Flutter that you’d like to switch to, you can use the flutter version command:

flutter downgrade v1.17.0

You can find list of versions here

Provence

There is no previously recorded version for channel "stable". Now what? – Inadvertent

same. just "upgraded" to 1.7 and it totally broke our project. getting this message also when trying to downgrade. – Mathian

@Mathian a new version was released yesterday which seems to resolve a number of the previous issues. – Calle

@Mathian did you solve problem with downgrade? When I trying to change version by 'version' command, I'm getting error – Frisco

@Frisco Run flutter --version to check which version are you using. – Provence

@Provence I'm using 1.17.0, but as ajonno I need to downgrade to previous stable version in stable channel – Frisco

@Frisco Run flutter version v1.12.13+hotfix.5, after that run flutter clean, you should be good to go. – Provence

@Provence I've got error gist.github.com/marinat/b52dbc6e8934f77121bdb15c9e929243 and flutter --version result now is: Flutter 1.12.13+hotfix.5 • channel unknown • unknown source – Frisco

This no longer with latest flutter 2.x. You have to manually install flutter version from releases published on github. – Circumambient

for There is no previously recorded version for channel "stable". try changing the channel like here: https://mcmap.net/q/118132/-how-to-downgrade-flutter-sdk-dart-1-x – Constriction

i am at 3.3.8, running this with dowgrade v3.3.7 will just revert to 2.0.2, any ideas? – Outlast

Answer 5

To downgrade there are many deprecated commands.

The two that actually work, and I've tested them, are:

flutter downgrade v[flutter build version]

For instance:

flutter downgrade v1.22.6

And the other one: go to your flutter sdk folder, that is your folder named "flutter" and inside it open a new terminal. Then type:

git checkout [flutter build version]

For instance:

git checkout 1.22.3

Then do flutter doctor and you'll confirm you switched correctly.

You can check the versions on: https://flutter.dev/docs/development/tools/sdk/releases?tab=macos

And for details at: https://flutter.dev/docs/release/breaking-changes

---

If you happen to want to switch channel, just do:

flutter channel [channel]

For instance (choose one of master, stable, dev, beta):

flutter channel stable

And if you want to upgrade again:

flutter upgrade

Printmaking

Note it will only work if you are on the correct channel. For ex: if you are on the stable channel and want to move to a beta version first run flutter channel beta or else the downgrade won't work properly. – Bushel

After the Flutter2.0 release u can only downgrade to 2.0.1. If u want to downgrade any lower, You would have to use git checkout – Layoff

on the stable branch, git checkout 1.22.4 and then flutter doctor -v did it for me to get it to download. – Fruitless

i am at 3.3.8, running this with dowgrade v3.3.7 will just revert to 2.0.2, any ideas? – Outlast

do the git checkout approach. That one always works – Printmaking

Answer 6

Inorder for a proper downgrade to any version.

1. Change to Dev mode

   flutter channel dev

2. flutter downgrade v(type your version number) eg below.

   flutter downgrade v2.0.6

This worked for me !

Cusack

i am at 3.3.8, running this with dowgrade v3.3.7 will just revert to 2.0.2, any ideas? – Outlast

Answer 7

Go to the terminal and type the specific version number, for eg -

flutter downgrade v1.22.3

Then just press enter. After fetching the files from the internet, it will ask,

Downgrade flutter to version 1.22.5
? [y|n]:

Type y and it will downgrade to the specific version.

Restart the IDE for the settings to take place.

Bolshevism

Does not work if you are currently in flutter > 3.0 – Deliberative

Answer 8

To solve these errors:

$ flutter version
Could not find a command named "version".

$ flutter downgrade v1.22.6
There is no previously recorded version for channel "stable".

Delete old flutter folder

Download the archive and unzip instead of deleted flutter folder

OR

cd "$(dirname $(which flutter))" then

git checkout . (optional)

git pull origin (optional)

git checkout v1.22.6

flutter doctor

p.s. Don't forget to restart your android studio

Eschalot

use flutter --version. – Layoff

@icyNerd, the --version flag is only to see the version, but the version param (which in my case doesn't exists and I don't have a clue why) is for change the version of the installed flutter. – Greatly

Answer 9

At the moment, the easiest way to manage flutter versions is through fvm.

1. Install fvm

brew tap leoafarias/fvm
brew install fvm

2. Install your version

fvm install x.x.x

3. Install your version globally (if desired)

fvm global x.x.x

Here's a link to the app guide

https://fvm.app/docs/getting_started/installation

Montreal

Answer 10

Just use flutter downgrade v2.8.0 then flutter ask for confirmation

Downgrade flutter to version 1.22.5
? [y|n]:

Type y for Yes to confirm changes

Bastardy

It returns There is no previously recorded version for channel "stable". – Antitragus

You will have to have it installed previously – Fontaine

Answer 11

These are the flowing step to downgrade any flutter version:

Step 1: cd [your flutter sdk path]

Step 2: git checkout [ enter your version ref ]

To get ref goto the url and copy your desired version ref. https://docs.flutter.dev/development/tools/sdk/releases

Suppose I downgrade version 3.3.2

Step 3: flutter doctor or flutter --version

Dipterocarpaceous

Answer 12

1. Navigate to your flutter location
2. git checkout <version number>
3. flutter doctor -v

Once the flutter doctor command is successful you can go ahead and enjoy the version you wish

---

to revert back to latest version

• flutter channel stable
• flutter upgrade

Macula

Answer 13

All the answers are outdated and not working after the release of flutter 3.0. My solution is somewhat complicated but will still work in May 2022 and after.

I will show you how to downgrade from flutter 3 to Flutter 1.22.6.

1. the first step is to locate where you have to install flutter files when you have installed them for the 1st time. Like mine is located in c:\src\flutter.

2. Cut the flutter folder and paste it somewhere. (note:- you have shutdown your android studio/vs code if running)

3. go to Flutter SDK releases and download the desired flutter version you want. I choose flutter 1.22.6 for windows.

4. now extract the downloaded flutter zip and paste in c:\src\flutter (or wherever your flutter was installed previously). (don't worry if you're thinking that your Environment Variables path will change, so that is not true, it will still work. you don't have to change anything in Environment variables)

5. After pasting the flutter extracted folder open android studio and go to File/Setting/language and framework/flutter and correct the Flutter SDK path to C:\src\flutter.(as shown in the image).

6. Now press apply and run flutter --version

Ilse

Answer 14

1. Download Flutter SDK release: flutter_windows_1.17.0-stable: https://flutter.dev/docs/development/tools/sdk/releases
2. Replace the existing Flutter folder to this version
3. Make sure that environment variables and Flutter + Dart Settings on your IDE are still tied to this folder/path

Ilana

Answer 15

Just flutter downgrade is enough, it will downgrade to previous stable version.

Deli

No exactly, it will downgrade to the previous stable installed version. – Greatly

Answer 16

I find it a little tough to switch (upgrade/downgrade) to a specific Flutter version from the command line. Some of the answers here are outdated.

I prefer to download the SDKs for different versions from here manually.

• Let's say I download 2.0.1, 2.0.5 and 2.0.6.
• 2.0.1 is the current Flutter SDK version for me.

To switch to 2.0.5, delete the current Flutter SDK (the one with the blue icon) and unzip flutter_macos_2.0.5-stable.zip. Then run flutter clean followed by flutter doctor to confirm that everything worked correctly.

This has the benefit of not having to change any paths or having to re-download the entire SDK every time you want to switch.

On macOS, if you get system warnings for not being able to run dart or gentool, then press Allow anyway under System Preferences > Security & Privacy

Daffodil

Answer 17

The simplest way to change your flutter version is to:

1. Navigate to this link and download the flutter version you want.
2. Extract the files and replace your older flutter directory with them.
3. If you were using flutter already then no need to redefine the PATH, else, make sure that environment variables are still tied to this folder/path.
4. Run flutter --version or flutter doctor to check that everything went ok.

Constriction

Answer 18

I found 2-steps easy solution to migrate to any specific version of Flutter.

1. Navigate to Flutter repo path (Yes, the one we download from official website and unzipped it) in a terminal

2. Run the following command : git checkout 2.10.5 && flutter precache

Note: Verify & change the Flutter version from here

• Open Terminal and Navigate to Flutter folder

• Run the following command with the Flutter version you want to switch to:

git checkout 2.10.5 && flutter precache

Reference: https://github.com/flutter/flutter/issues/64238#issuecomment-678605514

Construe

how can i navigate to the flutter repo, i am doing cd C:\src\flutter\bin but it is doing nothing – Screwed

@ᴅᴇʙᴊᴇᴇᴛ You don't need to navigate till the bin folder. You need to navigate only till flutter folder – Construe

Answer 19

1.flutter channel <branch> (example: flutter channel stable)；

2.flutter downgrade <version> (example: flutter downgrade v1.2.1)；

3.git checkout <version> (example: git checkout 1.2.1).

Sos

Welcome to Stack Overflow! Please read How to Answer and edit your answer to contain an explanation as to why this code would actually solve the problem at hand. Always remember that you're not only solving the problem, but are also educating the OP and any future readers of this post. – Impresario

Answer 20

The only thing that worked for me was manually select the tag using git

List of available versions and their release dates can be found here

To find where flutter is stored in your computer run

flutter sdk-path

Inside the folder checkout a tag with your version number, for example if you want to switch to version 3.0.0

git tag -l "*3.0.0*"

Find the correct name in the output (will probably by the same or with v in the start)

git checkout <tag_name>

Run flutter --version to make sure the version changed and flutter doctor to check the flutter is installed correctly

Realistic

Answer 21

This solutions works in 2021

Go to your flutter SDK folder, which is your folder named "flutter" and inside it open a new terminal. Then type:

git checkout (your flutter version) then, run flutter doctor After this check your version.

Shiah

Answer 22

if you are using brew (macos)

you can create rb file and use brew to install or downgrade flutter

create file with name flutter.rb

cask "flutter" do
  version "2.2.0"

  url "https://storage.googleapis.com/flutter_infra_release/releases/stable/macos/flutter_macos_#{version}-st$
      verified: "storage.googleapis.com/flutter_infra_release/"
  name "Flutter SDK"
  desc "UI toolkit for building applications for mobile, web and desktop"
  homepage "https://flutter.dev/"

  livecheck do
    url "https://storage.googleapis.com/flutter_infra_release/releases/releases_macos.json"
    regex(%r{/flutter[._-]macos[._-]v?(\d+(?:\.\d+)+)[._-]stable\.zip}i)
  end

  auto_updates true

  binary "flutter/bin/dart"
  binary "flutter/bin/flutter"
end

then use brew install ./flutter.rb to install flutter or downgrade flutter version

Transvestite

Answer 23

To downgrade your flutter version:

Run flutter downgrade v2.5.3 or whatever flutter version you want from here.

---

If it resulted in any error like

There is no previously recorded version for channel "stable".

or that there is no previous version,

then, make sure to switch to the correct branch {stable, master, dev, beta} using the following command:

flutter channel master 

Finally, Run flutter doctor to check that everthing went well.

Constriction

According to flutter cli docs: docs.flutter.dev/reference/flutter-cli flutter downgrade does not accept a version number – Crosstree

don't use in 2022, it will upgrade to flutter 3 – Screwed

Answer 24

Downgrade to a specific version on stable channel

1. Locate flutter path:

whereis flutter

2. On flutter folder execute

# clean the repo
git clean -fdx
git reset --hard
git fetch --all --prune

# list available tags starting with 2.10
git tag  | grep 2.10

# checkout to stable on tag
git checkout stable
git reset --hard 2.10.5

3. Finally download the flutter tools

flutter doctor

Stuckey

Yes. A more compact version, still leaving you on stable channel after downgrading: cd <flutter-folder> flutter channel stable flutter upgrade git reset --hard 3.7.12 flutter doctor – Simulator

Answer 25

The easiest way is to go to your flutter sdk, if you're on Linux open terminal and run flutter sdk-path then cd to the sdk path. run git checkout <ref_of_sdk_you_want>. access the sdk versions here. after the switch, run flutter doctor and restart your IDE, that's it.

You can switch between versions using this way.

Volplane

Answer 26

cd to flutter directory, e.g. /home/elia/snap/flutter/common/flutter or c:\users\user\flutter

then do:

git checkout 3.13.9 , use desired version i.e old version

then

flutter downgrade

Facilitation

Answer 27

Steps to change the Flutter version is as simple as changing the git branch.

1. flutter channel <branch> (example: flutter channel stable)

This command is used to change between branches – usually stable/dev/beta/master. We can also put a specific commit id from git.

2. flutter downgrade <version> (example: flutter downgrade v1.2.1)

This command will use a specific version number. You can have the list of the available version numbers using flutter downgrade

After this, run any Flutter command (such as flutter doctor), and Flutter will take care of downloading/compiling everything required to run this version.

Clydesdale

did you read the question? – Leatri

Following only 2 step, Solved my issue, Thank you. – Caracal