Mac Catalina Adobe Software Compatibility

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Those that are 'obtained from' Apple, the Mac App Store, or an 'Identified Developer' are much more likely to be available in 64-bit for macOS Catalina, even if the app is 32-bit on macOS Mojave. Oct 08, 2019  Apple launched its MacOS Catalina operating system on October 7, complete with lots of new features, tweaks, and many improvements. However, if you're using an older version of any Adobe.

Oct 09, 2019  St. Clair Software, a veteran Mac developer, offers a free app called Go64 that can help you check Catalina compatibility. It will show you all the incompatible apps on your system, and make it a. Aug 01, 2019  Hundreds of apps are currently incompatible with macOS Catalina, including Panic’s popular FTP client Transmit, AgileBits’ password manager 1Password, the system dashboard iStats Menu, as well as old versions of QuickBooks and Adobe’s Creative Cloud, to name but a few.

With its enhancements and limitations, the new macOS 10.15 is inescapable. The official release is planned for September 2019, but Apple savvy users have tested Catalina long before — with the macOS 10.15 beta. If you’re not one of them, you might want to check the best assets of the new macOS here.

  1. Mac users can now update their computers to MacOS Catalina release but there’s important things to do before updating and some good reasons to wait a little while. Microsoft Office compatibility As we warned back in June, older Office for Mac will not work with MacOS Catalina.
  2. The Adobe article Why don’t my Adobe apps work in macOS Catalina? Discusses 64-bit compatibility for Adobe applications on macOS. It also includes a table of some Adobe applications that are still 32-bit, whether they are going to be updated, and suggested alternatives if they not going to be updated.

Catalina comes with extended workspace, no iTunes, and 64-bit app architecture. According to early user reports, the beta feels faster and more stable than the previous ones.

It’s not all rosy, though. By switching to 64-bit apps, macOS Catalina stops supporting the apps with 32-bit architecture. For you, this means no access to over 200 popular applications.

The bundle of incompatible apps have been discovered by iOS developer, Steve Moser, when he was testing the developer beta of Catalina. Once you upgrade, you can find the full list in Library/Apple/Library/Bundles.

We’ve collected the major Adobe, Apple, and Microsoft programs you’ll have issues with in macOS Catalina. No need to panic just yet — there are ways to fix this.

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Which Mac apps will stop working

The problem of Catalina incompatibility is not only about third-party apps. Apple is not 100% prepared too. For people working with multimedia projects, it’s important to know which Adobe software won’t be working after the update. So take a deep breath, and see what’s going away.

Apple apps not working in Catalina

  • iWork’09, an old version of Apple’s office suite that includes Pages, Keynote, and Numbers. Apple released the newer bundle with 64-bit apps in 2013 — so an update will fix the problem here. Alternatively, you can get more advanced substitutes like Ulysses for writing and markdown.
  • Final Cut Studio and Logic Studio. You can upgrade to Final Cut Pro X and Logic Pro X instead.
  • Apple’s DVD Player (older versions released before macOS Mojave).
  • Aperture. The app won’t work in Catalina, even though it’s 64-bit. Apple recommends to switch to Photos or Adobe Lightroom. If you need a pro-level editor for a moderate price, you might want to try CameraBag Pro.

Microsoft apps not working in Catalina

  • The 2011 version of Microsoft Office (Word 2011, Excel 2011, PowerPoint 2011, Outlook 2011). To continue using the apps, get the 2016 version of Microsoft Office. Or, you can switch to Apple’s iWork, Ulysses, or other Mac alternatives.

Adobe apps not working in Catalina

Since Adobe moved to a subscription model called Creative Cloud, there has been lots of shared components introduced across Adobe products. For instance, if you buy a subscription, you may get a 64-bit application with a 32-bit installer. This won’t work in Catalina. Adobe says they are working on updating shared components for macOS 10.15. In the meantime, be aware of the incompatible apps:

  • Photoshop. There have been issues with the 2018 version of Photoshop in macOS Mojave, so you may expect the trouble in Catalina as well. If you want to use the app, Adobe recommends to get Photoshop CC 2019.
  • Premiere Pro. The app is 64-bit, but there have been reported issues related to camera and microphone access in macOS 10.15.
  • Illustrator. The CS5 version won’t be supported in Catalina, but you may switch to CS6.
  • InDesign. To this one, you have to say goodbye. At least, for now. The latest CS6 version hasn’t been updated to 64-bit architecture yet.
  • Acrobat Pro. The recent version of the app, as well as Acrobat DC and Acrobat Reader DC, have 32-bit components. So it’s a no, for now.

Most Adobe apps — even those with 64-bit architecture — are known for Dark Mode issues. So if you continue using the apps in Catalina, be careful with the darkness.

As a safe alternative, get CameraBag Pro or Capto. They work equally well for professional designers and amateurs. Both are available on Setapp, a subscription package that, by the way, offers many more photo editing tools — just ask for it.

How to check if an app is compatible with Catalina

We’ve talked a lot about outdated app architecture, so the first thing you’ll want to check when upgrading is whether your app is 32-bit. Here’s an easy way to do it on Mac:

  1. Click on the Apple logo in the upper left corner.
  2. Select About This Mac > System Report.
  3. Navigate to Applications under the Software tab.
  4. Find your app on the list and check whether it says “Yes” in the 64-bit column. In macOS Catalina, there will be no such column. So, you’ll have to click on the app and see a short description that says “Kind: 64-bit.”

We also recommend to pay attention to the “Obtained from” field. Ideally, it should say Apple, Mac App Store, or Identified Developer. Avoid using apps that are specified as “Obtained from Unknown,” while these are most likely to misbehave.

Catalina

If you want to uninstall 32-bit applications before upgrading, CleanMyMac X will swipe everything away for you. Open the app and go to Uninstaller. Filter your apps by 32-bit and click Uninstall. Instead of checking System Report every time, you can find and remove every outdated application in a few seconds.

If your app doesn’t work in macOS 10.15

The problem with 64-bit architecture is that many developers choose not to optimize their 32-bit applications for Mac with the release of Catalina. If that’s the case and you can’t find an alternative for the missing app, you might need to downgrade back to Mojave. Luckily, there’s a way to fix most problems with apps not working in Catalina:

Mac Catalina Adobe

  • Check whether a developer has a 64-bit update for your app.
  • Look for an alternative app compatible with macOS 10.15. For instance, most of the Adobe apps for photo and video editing can be replaced with Capto or CameraBag Pro.
  • Roll back to Mojave and continue using 32-bit apps. You should note, though, that Apple may stop the support for Mojave by 2020, which means it will stop supporting 32-bit architecture sooner or later.

While many developers continue working on Catalina compatibility, there will be further changes to the list. For questions and quick insights, follow the MacRumors discussion on Catalina apps.

Most current releases of Adobe apps are compatible with macOS Catalina 10.15.

Adobe Update Mac Catalina

Can I use my Adobe apps in macOS Catalina 10.15?

We've updated most current apps to 64-bit architecture. The following versions work in Catalina, but have these known issues.

Adobe appVersion(s) compatible with Catalina
Adobe Creative Cloud apps 2020
2019
Acrobat Pro & Standard DC 2019 (subscription or non-subscription)
Adobe Acrobat Pro & Standard 20172017
Adobe Connect10
Adobe Digital Editions 4.5
Adobe Photoshop Elements 2020
Adobe Premiere Elements2020

Most older Adobe apps were created using 32-bit architecture and do not work in Catalina. We have no plans to update apps that we no longer support or develop. The following table lists some common 32-bit Adobe apps that are not compatible with Catalina. (It is not a comprehensive list of all older 32-bit Adobe apps.)

Adobe ProductStatus and alternatives
Creative Cloud apps – 2018 release and earlierNo updates planned. We recommend that you upgrade to the latest release of Creative Cloud apps.
CaptivateUpdate scheduled end of 2019
Creative Suite appsNo updates planned. We recommend that you upgrade to Creative Cloud.
FuseNo updates planned. Find free characters on Mixamo.
Presenter Video ExpressNo updates planned. We recommend moving to Adobe Captivate.
SpeedGradeNo updates planned. Certain features have been integrated into Premiere Pro, which is 64-bit compliant.

Uninstall 32-bit apps before upgrading to Catalina

Before you upgrade to Catalina, we recommend that you uninstall your 32-bit Adobe apps. Older uninstallers are also 32-bit apps and don't work in Catalina.

Adobe compatibility with catalina

If you already upgraded to Catalina, you can use the Creative Cloud Cleaner tool to uninstall older versions of Creative Cloud apps.

If you've kept Acrobat DC or Creative Cloud apps up to date, they are already 64-bit compliant.

With

You can update your apps using the Creative Cloud desktop app. See how to update your apps to the latest versions.

Are there issues using current Adobe apps in Catalina?

See the following documents for known issues with Adobe apps and macOS Catalina:

  • Enterprise: Known issues with Creative Cloud packages on macOS Catalina

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