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How can I run a 32-bit application on macOS 10.15 and later? The responsibility now lies in the hands of developers who need to upgrade the architecture of their applications. Over a decade later, it’s no surprise that Apple now considers 32-bit applications as legacy software no longer optimized for modern computers running the latest version of macOS. At the time, it was quite obvious that the future of application development should be 64-bit centric. Apple began support for 64-bit applications in 2009 with the release of Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. To be fair, this day has been a long time coming. Additionally, even if a 64-bit version of a particular application has been released, it doesn’t necessarily mean all users have upgraded to the most recent version.
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In macOS 10.14 Mojave, users were presented with the following notification upon opening a 32-bit application:ĭespite the warning from Apple, many developers have failed to update their applications. With the release of macOS 10.14 Mojave, Apple warned it’s users and developers that they would be removing compatibility for 32-bit applications with the next major macOS update.
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Users then have the option to “Learn More.” or just accept that their app cannot be opened: Apple Warned That 32-bit App Support Would Be Droppedįor users that have been following the development of macOS (formerly “Mac OS X” and then “OS X”), this error message doesn’t come as a surprise. Contact the developer for more information. The developer of this app needs to update it to work with this version of macOS. The message goes on to further state that: With the release of macOS 10.15 Catalina in 2019, Apple removed compatibility for, older, 32-bit applications and began requiring that all applications be 64-bit. This error message occurs when a user attempts to open a 32-bit application – usually brought over from a Time Machine backup or a previous version of macOS. Users of macOS Catalina and Big Sur may experience an error message that says a particular app “ needs to be updated“. Dealing with the app "needs to be updated" message on macOS Big Sur and Catalina.
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