This is, truthfully, a bit of a tedious and tech-y task. Partly, that’s because setting up a Mac virtual machine is a bit more difficult than virtualizing Windows or Linux. But as of the writing of this article, it can be done and could be a working solution for running 32-bit apps in macOS Catalina and beyond. What is a virtual machine? Nov 13, 2019 Cupertino, California — Apple today unveiled an all-new 16-inch MacBook Pro — the world’s best pro notebook — designed for developers, photographers, filmmakers, scientists, music producers and anyone who relies on a Mac to create their life’s best work. The all-new MacBook Pro features a brilliant 16-inch Retina Display, the latest 8-core processors, up to 64GB of memory, next. Dec 14, 2015 I have el capitan, bootcamp, windows 7 pro 32-bit. I daily use an app written in VB3 (16bit) written by me beginning in 1994. I would like to upgrade to windows 10 32-bit so I could continue to run my app but that seems impossible. Because there are no drivers for windows 10 32-bit. MacOS Catalina is here, and with the update comes the transition from 32-bit apps to 64-bit apps. Overall, this is a good thing because it means that apps will run faster and access more memory.
Apple was phasing out the use of 32-bits applications on macOS for quite some time. Now the finishing time has come that the version 10.15 or macOS Catalina will no more support 32-bit applications. If you are still running old and unsupported applications in macOS Mojave or earlier versions then you need be cautious before upgrading to macOS Catalina. In this article, we will explain how to check 32-bit and 64-bit apps in macOS.
What Happens When You Open 32-bit Apps?
As of macOS Mojave, Apple will show a warning message whenever you open 32-bit apps. The best example of 32-bit app on macOS is Microsoft Office 2011. Whenever you open the app, macOS will show you a message like below indicating that the app is outdated and not optimized for your Mac.
However, you can still click on the “OK” button to continue using the app. Unfortunately, this is no more possible with macOS Catalina. When the 32-bit app is on the dock, you will see a white cross mark on the app indicating it will not work any more.
Trying to open the 32-bit with macOS Catalina will show a messages like below depending on the app:
Word 2011:
Kaspersky Antivirus Pro:
iPhoto:
Basically you have the following three options:
- Go to the App Store and find the replacement or upgraded app.
- Click on “Learn More…” button to go to Apple’s page explaining about 32-bit apps.
- Choose “Not Now” button to close the app.
If there are no upgrade or alternate options then you can’t use 32-bit apps with macOS Catalina.
Related:How to fox slow performance and speedup your Mac?
How to Check 32-bit and 64-bit Apps in macOS?
If you wanted to check how many apps on your Mac are running with 32-bit then follow the below instructions.
- Click on the Apple menu icon on top left corner of the Mac and choose “About This Mac” option.
- Under the “Overview” tab, click on “System Report…” button.
- You will see a system information dialog like below. Click on the “Applications” option available under “Software” section. It may take sometime to load the list depending upon the number of apps on your Mac.
- Select any application to view the details on the below pane. You can check against the “Kind” option whether it shows 32-bit or 64-bit apps.
- Generally, all Apple apps should be of 64-bit. Therefore, you can click on the “Obtained from” column to sort the list based on the developer.
- Check the apps downloaded from Mac App Store, Identified Developer or Unknown categories to easily find the 32-bit apps.
- You can clearly see the Kind will show as “32-bit (Unsupported) indicating the app will no more work on your Mac.
Taking Action
Unfortunately, you have no option to modified any parameter on the apps. If you have premium apps purchased from App Store or directly from third-party websites, contact the developer and inform them to upgrade a 64-bit version. For the free apps, you need to find alternatives from App Store from other developers.
If you have no other option to use the app then delay upgrading to macOS Catalina till the time you find alternative solution.
Apple began transitioning to 64-bit hardware and software technology for Mac over a decade ago, and all modern Macs now include powerful 64-bit processors that can run advanced 64-bit apps. These apps can access dramatically more memory, enable faster system performance, and take advantage of technologies that define today's Mac experience, such as Metal graphics acceleration.
Apple has been working with developers to transition their apps, and in 2018 Apple informed them that macOS Mojave would be the last version of macOS to run 32-bit apps.
Apple's transition to 64-bit technology is now complete. Starting with macOS Catalina, 32-bit apps are no longer compatible with macOS. If you have a 32-bit app, please check with the app developer for a 64-bit version.
Opening 32-bit apps
When you attempt to open a 32-bit app, you will see an alert that the app needs to be updated to work with this version of macOS, or that the app is not optimized for your Mac and needs to be updated.
macOS Catalina
macOS Mojave and macOS High Sierra
If you haven't upgraded to macOS Catalina, you can still open and use the app, but you should check with the app developer for a 64-bit version that also works with the latest macOS.
How to find 32-bit apps on your Mac
System Information can find 32-bit apps that are installed on your Mac:
- Choose Apple menu > About This Mac, then click the System Report button.
- Select Legacy Software in the sidebar. All legacy software is 32-bit.
- If you don't see Legacy Software in the sidebar, select Applications in the sidebar, then check the list of apps on the right. The column labeled ”64-Bit (Intel)” shows ”No” for apps that are 32-bit.
When upgrading to macOS Catalina, the installer shows a list of recently used apps that are 32-bit. You can review this list before choosing whether to cancel or continue the installation:
macOS Catalina also shows a prohibitory symbol over the icon of each 32-bit app in the Finder, letting you know that the app will not open.
How to contact the app developer
16 Bit Apps On Mac Download
The developer (or vendor) is the person or company that made the app. The easiest way to find contact information for an app's developer is to search the web for their name or the name of their app. Learn more about contacting third-party vendors.
To find the name of the developer:
16 Bit Apps On Mac Application
- Select the app in the Finder.
- Choose File > Get Info from the menu bar.
- Look for copyright information in the Info window. For example, Apple is the developer of this app: