Adobe CS 32 bit unable to run on Mac OS Catalina 64 bit

[Amington]

Is there any other way I can run 32 bit software (Adobe CS4) on a 64bit Mac OS Catalina, besides downloading Parallels (I thought was mostly used for running windows on Macs), or VMware Fusion (which I never heard of)?
I do not need nor want to upgrade to higher CS versions.
If there are no other options, can anyone tell me if Parallels has worked for them in this instance; running Adobe CS4 32 bit on a 64 bit Mac OS Catalina?

Thanks so much!

 

[Cory Cooper]

Hello and welcome.

Catalina doesn't support any 32-bit applications, so there isn't a workaround to run it directly.

Yes, you could use Parallels or VMware Fusion and install on older version of OS X/macOS, then install Adobe CS4. That should work, since it is running in a 32-bit compatible version of macOS in a virtual machine. I haven't tried it personally with Adobe CS4 however, but have run other 32-bit applications in a VM.

Adobe CS4 is quite old though...it came out during OS X Tiger 10.4 days. I would definitely check to see if Parallels/Fusion support those older OS X/macOS versions as a Guest OS. I believe the current version of Parallels only supports back to OS X Lion 10.7.

Hope that helps,

C

 

[Amington]

Ugh, I know I need a newer version of CS, but its just not a necessity, especially now. I also do not want to upgrade to Creative Cloud and pay a monthly fee. Sigh.

Thank you so much for you info, I really appreciate it!

-Amington

 

[Cory Cooper]

No worries...

Yeah, the last version of Adobe Creative Suite I bought was CS4 as well. I also don't want to pay monthly/annual subscriptions, and have found several replacements for the Adobe apps, which I actually prefer and use on a regular basis:

Photoshop
GraphicConverter
Affinity Photo
Pixelmator/Pixelmator Pro

Illustrator
Affinity Designer

InDesign
Affinity Publisher

I also don't use and Microsoft applications on my personal devices, for similar reasons. I prefer Apple Pages/Numbers/Keynote, and the Google G Suite apps Docs/Sheets/Slides.

Be well,

C

 

[Amington]

Ugh, I don't like chaaaange. haha!
Appreciate the info on the alternative programs!



-Amington

 

[Cory Cooper]

Oh, I understand that!

Let us know if you have additional questions.

Be well,

C