Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. News

Warning: If you use an older Adobe app, don’t install MacOS Catalina

Arif Bacchus
By

Apple launched its MacOS Catalina operating system on October 7, complete with lots of new features and improvements. However, if you’re using an older version of any Adobe application, you might not want to install the operating system on your Mac at all.

The warning comes from Adobe, which now has a support page detailing the reasons why some of its apps might not work with MacOS Catalina. As we’ve warned before, the primary cause for the warning is the fact that MacOS Catalina does not support 32-bit applications. This means that some older Adobe applications still coded for 32-bit Macs will output an error when launched on a Mac device running MacOS Catalina.

MacOS Catalina Hands-on | Macbook Pro
Dan Baker/Digital Trends

As a resolution, Adobe is recommending MacOS Catalina users to update all Adobe apps to the 64-bit compliant versions. It is also being recommended for concerned customers to continue using the recommended MacOS versions for older 32-bit Adobe apps.

Recommended Videos

In addition, Adobe warns that some of its apps are not fully tested for Catalina. That includes Acrobat DC or Creative Cloud apps. Other apps not compatible with Catalina include Adobe Captivate, Fuse, Presenter Video Express, and Speedgate. Adobe will be planning updates for Captivate to make it compatible, however, the latter of the apps will remain incompatible.

Related

For users of the 32-bit versions of Creative Suite of apps, Adobe recommends switching to Creative Cloud. Adobe Fuse users, meanwhile, should switch to Mixamo. Finally, Adobe Presenter Video Express users should switch to Adobe Captivate.

“Nearly all current Adobe products are 64-bit apps. If you are not using the latest update, you could receive an error. Most older, unsupported versions of Adobe apps are not available using 64-bit architecture,” explains Adobe.

Such an issue with app compatibility is not uncommon in the computing world. Microsoft’s new Surface Pro X has an important limitation due to its ARM architecture. Some 64-bit apps won’t run on the Windows 10 on ARM operating system powering the device unless developers recompile their apps specifically for the ARM architecture (ARM64.)

You can learn more about 32-bit vs 64-bit operating systems in our guide.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Arif Bacchus
Arif Bacchus
Computing Writer
Arif Bacchus is a native New Yorker and a fan of all things technology. Arif works as a freelance writer at Digital Trends…
This simple app changed how I use my Mac forever
The Paste Mac app, with its clipboard bar open and the Paste homepage in Safari.

Every time I sit down and use my Mac, I’m reminded that it’s full of advanced features and clever extras. Yet there’s one place that absolutely does not apply: the clipboard. Copying and pasting in 2023 feels like it’s stuck in the past with no prospect of salvation.

At least, it did feel that way until I came across an app called Paste. This superb utility has taken a knife to copying and pasting and made it… fun? I never thought I’d say that about such a mundane task, but here we are -- it’s true.
Stacked with features

Read more
7 key settings in macOS Sonoma you should change right now
A MacBook Pro running macOS Sonoma at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June 2023.

Apple’s macOS Sonoma came loaded with a bunch of great new features, including desktop widgets, video screen savers, and more. With plenty of them, you just need to sit back and enjoy them, without much action required on your part. But that’s not always the case.

Sometimes, you’ll have to change a few settings to enable a new feature. Other times, you might want to disable something that is switched on by default. Either way, it’s often worth diving into macOS Sonoma’s settings to get things how you want them.

Read more
One of my favorite Mac apps is driving me nuts
A close-up photo of the Shortcuts app on an Apple device, against a red background.

Shortcuts is probably the most frustrating app I’ve used on macOS. Not because it’s a bad app -- it’s actually one of the best Mac apps you can get -- but because Apple gives next to no support on how to use such a powerful part of its operating system. It’s like being given a supercar, but the dealership forgot to include the keys.

Most of the time in macOS, the low level of official support is not a problem. But with Shortcuts, it's detrimental.
Apple needs to do more

Read more