How to find and update 32-bit apps on your Mac

Up until now, your Mac supported all versions of any app on your computer. You can run a 32-bit or 64-bit app smoothly on your computer. However, that changes with the macOS 10.15 release.

After updating your Mac to the latest version of macOS, you will no longer be able to run apps that use 32-bit architecture. macOS is ceasing support for all 32-bit apps and is now moving towards the 64-bit only app environment.

What it means for end users like you and me is that we need to update our apps to 64-bit versions or we’ll lose access to the apps in the latest macOS update. Of course, we understand that not many of you are tech-savvy and may not know if an app is 32-bit or 64-bit.

Therefore, we have put together this guide which tells you how to find 32-bit apps on your Mac and gives you advice on what you can do with these apps. By the end of the guide, you will know how to run your apps even in the latest macOS update on your Mac.

Use the system report to find a list of 32-bit apps on Mac

System Report is a super cool utility on your Mac that lets you find out a lot of information about the hardware and software elements on your computer. While its main purpose is not to help you find apps on your Mac, it does help you find all 32-bit apps on your computer.

Here’s how to get to the list of all 32-bit apps installed on your Mac:

Click the Apple logo in the upper left corner of the screen and select About this Mac. On the following screenshot, click the button that says System report below the details of your Mac.

By default, you will be on the Hardware tab in the reporting utility. Expand the app list by clicking Software followed by Applications in the left sidebar.

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<li>You will see a list of all the apps installed on your Mac. Scroll right and take a look at <strong>64-bit (Intel)</strong> column. If it says <strong>No</strong> for an app, it means the app you are looking at is a 32-bit app.</li>
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List of apps installed with Yes or No 64-bit (Intel)

This way you can easily find out if an app is 32-bit or 64-bit.

Use Activity Monitor to find 32-bit apps on Mac

Another way to find 32-bit apps on your Mac is to use the Activity Monitor tool. The tool lets you find out if an app is 32-bit, but the app must be running as you try to find this information. You won’t find any information if the app isn’t running on your Mac.

Launch the app in question on your Mac but do nothing with it. To open Activity monitoring from the Launchpad.

Right-click on any of the column names (CPU Time, Threads, etc.) and select Genre. It will add a new column to the right of the existing columns.

Context menu in the Activity Monitor window

The new added Genre the column will tell you if the app currently running on your Mac is 32-bit or 64-bit.

Type column in the Activity Monitor window

Both of the above methods should help you easily find all 32-bit apps available on your Mac.

What to do with 32-bit apps?

If you have found that some of your apps still use 32-bit architecture, we recommend that you upgrade them to 64-bit versions as soon as possible. If you don’t, these apps won’t work on macOS 10.15 and later.

Most developers are aware of this change Apple made to macOS and may have already released 64-bit versions of their apps. There are a few ways to check if your existing apps have 64-bit versions available for your Mac.

Update apps from the Mac App Store

If your 32-bit apps were downloaded from the Mac App Store, the developer has likely sent a 64-bit update to the store. If so, all you need to do is update the app as you normally would and it will then be compatible with the latest versions of macOS.

To update your apps, launch the Mac App Store on your Mac.
Click on Updates top option to access the update panel.
If there is an update available for your apps, you will find a Update button next to them.
Click the button and the apps will be updated to the latest versions.

Get the latest version from the official website

It is possible that the 32-bit app you use on your Mac comes from a website on the Internet. If so, you may want to check the app’s official website to see if a 64-bit update is available.

Simply go to the app website and look for a newer version of the app. If it is available, download and install it on your computer. Your existing app will be updated to the latest version.

Update the app from within the app

Many of the apps allow you to get updates from the app menus. This is true for apps like iTunes, Chrome, AppCleaner, among others.

In most apps, you can get new updates by clicking on the app name at the top and selecting Check for updates or a similar option. If you find that an update is available, select it to install it on your computer.

Conclusion

If you haven’t already, go ahead and update all your 32-bit apps to 64-bit versions if you still want these apps to run on the latest versions of macOS. Not doing this will make your apps dysfunctional.