Apple’s latest operating system, macOS Catalina (10.15) was released on 7 October 2019. The new macOS Catalina no longer supports older (32-bit) applications – this means that if you update from Mojave (or earlier) versions of the operating system, some of the software that you rely on may stop working.
What do I need to do?
- Before you upgrade to macOS Catalina you must also ensure that all your data has been backed up (i.e. a separate copy securely stored in a physically different location, such as the University filestore). Any data on the macOS device could be lost and unrecoverable if there are unexpected issues during the upgrade process.
- If you have any items of 32-bit software which you rely upon, they must be updated to a newer 64-bit version before you upgrade to Catalina – See either the University’s website on software, or the individual software supplier’s webpages for Catalina-compatible versions.
- Before you run the Catalina updater – either on a personal or a University managed macOS device – you must check to see if have any old (32-bit) applications that you still use. For more information on how to check your applications, see our Knowledge Base article for further instructions.
- If no newer version exists, you must not upgrade to Catalina or else the software will no longer work and cannot be fixed. It is not possible to downgrade a macOS device back to Mojave – it would need to be wiped and the older operating system and applications re-installed from scratch.
What if I need help?
iSolutions is currently working on a fully tested version of macOS Catalina for University macOS devices and will release it over the next few weeks.
If you need further assistance, please call ServiceLine at 023 8059 2626 (Ext. 25656).
