Apple started informing the Mac users and developers about the company’s decision to end support for the 32-bit technology. Starting from today, the company will give a pop-up alert to the users while accessing 32-bit supporting apps on MacOS. Apple is making the transition in order to make the Mac environment fully 64-bit support. The 32-bit apps will be disabled by the company for Mac OS 10.13.4 in the coming time. This means the app supporting the 32-bit instead of 64-bit won't be able to work on MacOS after Apple announced the final transition.
This enables you to open applications in 32 bit mode on a Mac. There are various virtual environments you can use for this but not all of them work on macOS Catalina because some of them, like Wine, are 32 bit applications themselves and don’t work on Catalina. The best way to run 32 bit apps on a Mac is by using Parallels. Catalina marked the end of 32-bit apps for macOS, something Apple had provided over a decade of transition help with and two years of warnings about for consumers.
The 64-bit upgrade is similar to the iOS update that Apple made a few months back, however, this will be little bit complex than the smartphones. The MacOS is here for a long time now and it depends on a number of apps and channels for the applications. Although Apple offers MacOS app store for the users to download the apps there is the number of other channels that users prefer for the applications. This makes the process quite time taking for Apple to successfully perform the complete transition to the 64-bit app.
Apple said that in order to completely transformed the platform into the 64-bit technology we are taking this step. The apps not have been upgraded to the 64- bit and still running on 32 bit will stop working in future, However, the company didn't give the time duration for making the upgrade yet, but it will be done soon. Apple said the system is too huge and integrated with too many support, so the change can’t be done overnight, it will take time. But, Apple will certainly announce a deadline for killing 32-bit apps in the upcoming time.
“To ensure that the apps you purchase are as advanced as the Mac you run them on, all future Mac software will eventually be required to be 64-bit,” Apple wrote. While accessing the 32- bit supported app you will be given an alert message from Apple. The message will tell you that App you are accessing is not optimized for Mac and the developer needs to upgrade it. The tech giant is also continuously ringing the alarm for the developers to upgrade their apps to 64-bit support for avoiding any problem in the future.
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FollowApple 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.
Macos Catalina 32 Bit Apps
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
Install 32 Bit Software
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
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:
Macos 32-bit Apps
- 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: