After updating to macOS Catalina, old 32-bit apps will not longer work. If you have an old 32-bit app, then before updating, you should update your app or switch to a new one. Most apps have newer versions that professionals should consider buying. If you are using the app for casual purposes, then consider getting a modern alternative to apps like Microsoft Word or Adobe Photoshop. These will be cheaper or free, and will probably be much better than using an old outdated pro app. You can also keep an old Mac around to run 32-bit apps. Experts can partition their drive, use an external drive, or a virtual machine to run Mojave or earlier in some situations.
You can also watch this video at YouTube.
Watch more videos about related subjects: Catalina (5 videos).
You can also watch this video at YouTube.
Watch more videos about related subjects: Catalina (5 videos).
Video Transcript
Hi, this is Gary with MacMost.com. Let's talk about how to run your old 32-bit apps once you update to Catalina.
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So if you still have some old 32-bit apps that you're running you've probably been getting warnings for awhile now saying it's not going to work in a future update of MacOS. That future update is Catalina which will be out in the Fall. Once you update to Catalina 32-bit apps just will not work! So, what do you do? Well, there are several reasons people are still using 32-bit apps. In most cases a new version of the app does exist. So all you need to do is update. Sometimes people are reluctant to update because of the cost. It's going to cost you something extra to get the new version. Sometimes it's because there are new features that maybe you don't want or you're just used to the old version that you're using. Other times you just don't want to take the time to learn all the changes in a new version.
But that's simply not an option now. You're not going to be able to use a 32-bit app so you need to update. If the update is available now you might as well get the update now, learn the new features, pay the upgrade cost, and you're ready for when you update to Catalina. In some cases there is no 64-bit version of the app. The developer has abandoned the app. There are not going to be any more updates. It seems like this mostly effects games. A game is developed. It does well for awhile and then the developer decides not to keep updating it or has moved on to new games. In that case you're going to have a tough decision to make because you're just not going to be able to run that game in the new version of MacOS.
Another type of app seems to be hardware support apps. Either drivers or software that's connected with printers, scanners or special accessories. This is a tough one. I've got a scanner that falls into this category too. After ten years I'm just not going to be able to use it with Catalina. It's a shame that hardware developers don't want to update their software. But in many cases years ago they moved onto new versions of the hardware. New models. They just can't keep supporting every model they ever made back in time.
So, what are the solutions. The best solution is sometimes there's a free update. Sometimes the software you've bought has a 64-bit version and you can get it for free. It's just a matter of getting used to the new features. In that case it seems pretty obvious what you need to do. In other cases you have to pay for an update. Now if you think the app is important enough to you, of course you need to pay for it. If you don't think it's worth paying for an update then you may want to consider that the app is not that important to you. In that case you may want to look at moving on to a different app.
For instance, two examples that come up all the time are Microsoft Word and PhotoShop. Now if you use Microsoft Word professionally or PhotoShop professionally it's a no brainer. Just update to the latest version. You probably already are using the latest version. But if it's just for casual use then you really should consider alternatives. There are great alternatives to the software. For instance, your Mac comes with Pages. Microsoft Word is a very professional word processor. But if you're not willing to pay for an update to it then chances are you're not using it professionally and Pages is a great alternative. There are also tons of other apps including just using Goggle Docs for free. Search the Mac App Store for word processor and a bunch of different ones come up.
PhotoShop has a bunch of competitors that are much cheaper. Acorn, Pixelmator, Affinity Photo all can edit photos. Chances are if you're not using PhotoShop professionally then any of those are going to be a perfectly fine replacement. It's just going to take a little time for you to learn the new tool. Maybe set some time aside. After all if you've been using an old version of Word or an old version of PhotoShop then you're out of date already and it's time to modernize not only the app on your Mac but your skills. Another thing to consider is giving up the app entirely. In the case of games it might be time to move on and play new games for recreation.
So if you really need to keep 32-bit apps around then a great alternative is to have an older Mac around. One that maybe isn't even capable of running Catalina. Have those 32-bit apps installed on that and use that Mac for that purpose. For instance you can connect an old Mac to a scanner with the software that's 32-bit and use the scanner through that old Mac. If there's an old game you can keep that old game on that Mac and boot that Mac up when you want to play. Now a lot of us already have old Macs because we buy a new Mac and the old Mac goes into the closet. Now you can use that Mac for these 32-bit apps.
If you've given away, resold, or recycled your old Macs and you just don't have anything like that around you can consider buying a used Mac. A used Mac shop may sell an older Mac for a few hundred bucks. If you're using an old 32-bit app chances are it might run just fine on a ten or twelve year old Mac which may not cost you that much. You also may want to consider whether it's time for a new Mac right now because this might be a good time to buy one leaving your old Mac running Mojave and having a new Mac that's running Catalina.
How long you keep your Mac really depends on how you use your Macs. Pros may replace their Mac every year or two whereas casual users may use their Mac for ten years or more. But if you think it's getting time for a new Mac then this might be a great opportunity to make that break so you have an old one to run 32-bit apps and a new one to run Catalina for your everyday use.
You can also partition your Mac's drive. In one partition have Catalina installed and be using that for your everyday use and another one have Mojave or something earlier installed. You can boot to one partition or the other. I don't like this idea because it takes a lot of hard drive space and it requires you to reboot to use the 32-bit app. It's also a very expert level thing taking a lot of time to set it up and to maintain it.
You can also run MacOS on an external drive with most Macs. So you can plug this drive in, boot to it, and have an older version of the OS on it. But it tends to run very slow when on a drive like this especially if you've got an older Mac without the latest, fastest USB or thunderbolt. But it can be a good option if you've got an old app that you occasionally need to refer to but you don't really need speed when doing it.
Another option is that it may be possible to use virtualization software like Parallels to actually run an old version of MacOS in a virtual environment. I've done this in the past but we're going to have to wait for Catalina to come out, wait for the Parallels update for Catalina to come out to see if it's actually possible to run, say, Mojave or High Sierra in parallels in a virtual machine inside of Catalina. It's a very expert level thing to do but it is a possibility for some users especially if you already own parallels.
The last possibility is my least favorite. That's to stick with MacOS Mojave. I hate this because I always believe in using the latest and greatest tools. I feel that any advantage you get from using Catalina is going to far outweigh any benefits you get from using some old abandoned 32-bit app.
I use an open source copy buffer app (allows me to copy several items then paste w/o going back to each original source). It’s called Jumpcut and is 32 bit. It works great but don’t know if it will be updated to 64. So…Gary...I’m wondering if you have any replacement recommendations?
Fred: There are many great clipboard managers in the Mac App Store. Just read about features and choose one. I use CloudClip currently. Flycut is derived from the code of JumpCut.
There is a free program to check your current Apps to see if there are any that will not be able to update to 64 bit when Catalina arrives. It is GO64. Here is a link to download GO64: https://www.stclairsoft.com/Go64/index.html
Mark: it is pretty easy to do without needing to install anything. Plus, Mojave has been warning you now for 9 months when you try to use 32-bit apps.
Photoshop CS6 is 64 bit, so if (like me) you're stuck on that it will still work. But InDesign CS6 isn't 64 bit so I will need to find a replacement for that. Once I'm no longer able to use CS6 it's goodbye Adobe. I have no time for software developers who insist I rent their stuff. Like Gary, I have a scanner that's over 7 years old (CanoScan 8400F, about 12 years old). I bet you use VueScan, Gary. The professional version cost me NZ$99 and there was no way I could get a decent scanner for that
I went into the System report and have lots of 32 bit programs listed under applications - some have already been updated - how do I get rid of these old legacy programs?
Thanks David
David: When you look at that System Report you will see lots of extensions, drivers, and odds-and-ends that show as 32-bit. Don't worry about them. Instead, look in your Applications folder (or LaunchPad) at apps you really do use. Worry about those.
My biggest concern is Rocksmith. Not many other options out there for that and the publisher is staying mum on the idea of an upgrade. Performance is critical so not really looking forward to using in a vm.
Hi Gary, as a casual user of PSE 12 (using Photos for most of my photo editing) is Gimp a useful free alternative for PSE 12 once it is no longer supported
Ruth: I find GIMP to be pretty complicated and difficult to use. But it is free so why not just give it a try. You could always update to the latest Photoshop Elements. If you are still on 12 that means you got 7 years out of that one. If you like it why not get the latest? Or, go with Pixelmator, Acorn or Affinity?
Hi Gary. Another useful video, memories of Rosetta I've updated the Apps I want to keep using and don't care too much about the rest
I have only been doing Upgrades for the OS so I'm carrying lots of old baggage on the hard drive
Will macOX 10.15 delete the 32 bit app files (doubt it) or will they remain scattered all over the hard drive?
Do you have a recommendation on how to get rid of the 32 bit clutter and a document to reference on the process
Thanks. Jerry
Jerry, I use CleanMyMac X for deleting applications. If you don’t really care if some files are left around, then Appcleaner is free for only deleting apps.
Jerry: No, Catalina won't delete them. They will remain right where they are. In some cases awaiting updates. In other cases you may want to delete them -- use the app developer's uninstall instructions, or LaunchPad for Mac App Store apps to delete. I don't use "uninstaller" apps. Good apps won't have any clutter (just an app in the Applications folder). Others may put things in the Library folder, but following the instructions or using the official uninstaller will clean that up.
I've used Quicken 2007 (a 32 bit app) and its predecessors for more yeas than I can count. Is there a way to continue using it with Catalina and beyond?
J. Burcsu: Update to a newer version of Quicken, switch to their online service, or find an alternative app if you no longer like Quicken.
Hi Gary
Can you please give a heads up on [Experts can partition their drive, use an external drive, or a virtual machine to run Mojave or earlier in some situations]. That is, how to partition a drive and have a pre-Mojave OS installed on it so I can still use InDesign CS6 (32bit). I already have InDesign CS6 installed on the MacBook Pro but of course I cannot use it with Mojave. Help appreciated. Paul L'Huillier - Australia
L'Huillier: First, why can't you use InDesign with Mojave? Mojave runs 32-bit apps just fine. You get a warning when you first run it, but that is all. As for partitioning your drive to dual-boot Mojave and Catalina (in the future) that really is an expert process. You'd need to triple-backup everything, wipe the drive, install each OS, etc. Plus it wouldn't work if you need to use InDesign often. It is really a solution if you, say, need to open a file with an old app here and there to export or convert something. So I wouldn't say this is a good solution for you since you "still use" InDesign. If you still use it, why such an old version?
I don't mind switching to Google docs or Pages for word processing but I am concerned about accessing the numerous files of Word docs on my 2015 MacBook Pro, many going back to my earliest Macs. Am I going to end up saving this MacBook just to get those docs, and buying a new one and abandoning Microsoft? What if I am searching for a Word doc attached to an old email, in Catalina?
Carol: Why not try it now then? Try opening up those old docs in Pages and Google Docs. Word is the most popular word processor of all time, so I'm sure there will be many ways to open up those documents for decades to come. Later on, you could always just buy a modern version of Word if it turns out to be a problem.
My Word docs do open in Pages, but I have not figured out how to open them in Google Docs (even though I googled it). Not mentioned by you, but I have been told by another that I should actually stop using and uninstall Office 2011 NOW because it is no longer supported and therefore unsafe. Comments? (My son says to just subscribe to Office/it's no big deal.)
Carol: Drag and drop. Go to https://docs.google.com on the web, then drag a .doc file from a Finder window into it.
Gary thanks for straightening me out on this.
How long can I use Mojave without upgrading to Catalina before it's unsafe to use Mojave online? I am assuming they at some point will cutoff security patches.
Russell: Apple uses supports old versions of macOS with security updates for many years. Impossible to know the future. But even versions that have gotten no updates are often very safe.
Microsoft word does not work and the update for it is the same price as the original App. Seems dishonest and unfair. apple should warn customers. Office is popular and not cheap. There are substitutes but they fall short Angry