Oct 12, 2019 Other popular pieces of software ensnared by this 32- to 64-bit transition include older versions of Microsoft Office, numerous legacy versions of Mac apps like GarageBand, and discontinued apps.
In macOS 10.13 (High Sierra), Apple started warning users about 32-bit applications by saying those applications were 'not optimized' for their Macs. The warnings continued in macOS 10.14 (Mojave). Starting with macOS 10.15 (Catalina), 32-bit applications will cease working altogether.
Hopefully, vendors still producing 32-bit applications for Macs will get their acts together and create 64-bit versions soon.
In the meantime, you might want to check your Macs for what 32-bit applications they have installed so you can pressure vendors to update their apps, start looking for 64-bit alternatives to those apps, or consider whether you even still need to use those apps.
Checking for 32-bit apps on an individual machine
I'm not sure how useful this would be to Mac admins, but you can check for 32-bit applications on a single machine by going to System Information.app
Then scroll down on the left side to find, under Software, Applications.
![Apple support app 32 bit Apple support app 32 bit](/uploads/1/2/6/1/126133294/859112635.png)
It might take a while for the list to load.
Once the list is loaded, you can sort by 64-bit (Intel), and then sort again, so all the No entries are at the top.
Checking for 32-bit apps for multiple machines via MunkiReport
If you're using Munki and MunkiReport, you can go to Listings >Applications to see which apps in your fleet are 64-bit or not.
If you want to query the MunkiReport database directly, you can also run
SELECT DISTINCT path
FROM applications
WHERE has64bit=0
ORDER BY name, path
and that will give you only distinct results. You could go distinct with nameFROM applications
WHERE has64bit=0
ORDER BY name, path
Mac Find 32 Bit Applications
instead of path if you don't want the actual name of the app bundle but just the name of the app.Acknowledgements
Thanks to eholtam and gmarnin on the MacAdmins Slack for pointing me to the right place in MunkiReport.
Beginning June 1, 2018, all new app updates submitted to the Mac App Store had to support 64-bit. Apple is expected to phase out support for 32-bit apps in macOS 10.15, which will almost certainly be previewed at the 2019 Worldwide Developer Conference in June. (It’ll kick off on Monday, June 3.)
This means that means some older apps that haven’t been updated in awhile will cease to work. Thankfully, it’s easy to tell if an app is 32-bit or 64-bit.
As developers optimize their apps for 64-bit compatibility, Apple is notifying customers when they’re using an app based on 32-bit technology via a one-time alert that appears when you launch a 32-bit app. In macOS Mojave, this alert appears once every 30 days when launching the app.
32 Bit Apps On Mac
To check if an app is 32-bit or 64-bit, from the Apple menu, choose About This Mac, then click the System Report button. From the system report, scroll down to Software in the sidebar, then select Applications. When you select an individual application, you will see a field titled 64-bit (Intel). “Yes” indicates 64-bit; “No” indicates 32-bit. If you’re using macOS Mojave (and you should be), select Legacy Software in the sidebar to see all applications that haven’t been updated to use 64-bit processes.
Alternately, you can use the free 32-bit Check application (https://eclecticlight.co/32-bitcheck-archichect/), which lets you save, print, and filter the list. With it, you can check the folders of your choosing, and can check just apps, or all bundles including plugins and other executable code.
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