MacOS 64-bit only - What it means to you

At WWDC 2017 Apple announced that starting January of this year (2018) MacOS will be moving to 64-bit only applications. If you would like to know more about the difference between 32-bit and 64-bit you can read about it here. This move by Apple means that High Sierra will be the last OS supporting 32-bit applications. 

When 10.13.4 is released some time this summer a user will be alerted when launching a 32-bit app letting them know it will need to be updated to 64-bit to work on future MacOS releases. This shouldn't come as a surprise since iOS did the same thing with iOS 11 last year.  So how does that impact you? In a nutshell, if you have 32-bit applications you still use they will stop working when Apple moves to it's next major OS.  

You may (or may not) be surprised at how many 32-bit applications you still have especially if you are a long time Mac user like me. My collection of old, outdated apps is rather large. That can happen if you are a digital pack-rat after finding something that works, stick with it.


To find the list of 32-bit only apps on your Mac do a self check: Open the "About This Mac" Under the Apple menu and select "System Report" 

Scroll down to "Software" And select "Applications" Depending on home many you it may take a while to generate a list. The column on the right tells you if you have a 64-bit application or not.

In the graphic above do you notice that EyeTV is part of this list? That's my current go-to application for recording over the air TV. So now what will I use to record ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee) broadcasts?  I'll cover some of the implications of moving to 64-bit in future posts.

Do you have any "got-to-have" applications that are 32-bit? Better start looking for updates or replacements.