For example, my Parallels app (which allows me to run Windows on my Mac) wouldn't load after upgrade - and required an update to operate again. You may find that certain apps will require upgrading to work under Big Sur - and, in the early days, there is a chance (lower as time goes on) that you may have an app that does not yet support Big Sur. To make it easier to see the application name and whether it’s 64-bit or not, drag the 64-bit header from the far right to the far left so it’s right next to the “Application Name” column.For those of considering whether to upgrade, I would suggest delaying for a little while - and letting the early versions of Big Sur 'settle in' before taking the risk of upgrading. If you scroll to the far right, you should see a column that says “64-Bit” and the words “Yes” or “No” for each application. To do this, click on the Apple icon in the upper left corner, then on “About This Mac” and then on “System Report.” When the report opens up, scroll down to the “Software” section and click on “Applications.”Īn alphabetical list of applications will appear with various details about each one. How to check for 32-bit programsįor those that are considering an upgrade to Catalina, a good first step is to see what 32-bit programs you are currently running to determine if they are important to you or not. Depending upon which version of the MacOS your computer shipped with, you may have to use an external hard drive to complete the reversion. There is no simple way to go back to the previous version (Mojave), so this option is very time consuming and complicated, as you’ll have to wipe your hard drive and reinstall everything. Though it’s a web-based tool, there are options for editing your documents when you are offline. It includes Docs, Sheets and Slides, which are Google’s version of Word, Excel and PowerPoint, although nowhere near as powerful. If your needs for productivity software are very basic, you may find the free options available from Google through a Google Drive account to be acceptable.

This means you either pay monthly ($6.99 for Home and Student) or annually ($69.99 for Home and Student or $99 for Business) from now on. Microsoft is trying to get users to convert from a single purchase package that will eventually expire to their subscription “SaaS” (Software as a Service) platform known as Office 365. The primary difference in the two packages is the Business version includes Outlook. You can purchase the Office Home and Student 2019 bundle from Microsoft for $149.99 or the Office Home and Business bundle for $249.99.

If you have Office 2016, you should be able to upgrade to the 64-bit version through Microsoft’s standard upgrade process if for some reason it hasn’t already been updated. If your version of Microsoft Office is older than Office 2016 v15.35, you’ll have to choose from a variety of costly or time-consuming and complicated options.

Microsoft office big sur update