iMac can’t open any applications after updating to Catalina

Question

iMac can’t open any applications after updating to Catalina

i have a late 2013 iMac and whenever i try to open google chrome or a game application, it just bounces for a while and then says it’s not responding. i can open safari, but i can’t use the online game i play that uses flash.

i had yosemite before updating, and then i got catalina. it was working fine on yosemite; but i updated because i wanted to use final cut pro. i tried undownloading final cut pro because i thought it might be a part of the problem, but it didn’t help.

how can i fix this or figure out what’s wrong, why can’t i open applications?

i tried shutting it down, unplugging it, and waiting for a while. i also tried shutting it down and when i turn it on pressing d, but it said no issues. i’m not very tech-savvy, but i’ll try any advice

Posted on Dec 13, 2019 7:27 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

den.thed

Level 10

81,694 points

Dec 13, 2019 7:41 PM in response to corgilovesyou

Sorry, but old 32bit applications no longer work in macOS Catalina.

see > 32-bit app compatibility with macOS High Sierra 10.13.4 and later - Apple Support

Reply

Answer 2

dialabrain

Level 10

124,409 points

Dec 13, 2019 8:33 PM in response to den.thed

den.thed wrote:

Using System Information as outlined in the Apple Support Article that I posted.

Go to: Apple > About This Mac > System Report > Software > Applications

FWIW, that doesn't work so well in Catalina. There is no longer a 32/64bit column so you would have to click on every app to check.

Reply

Answer 3

dialabrain

Level 10

124,409 points

Dec 13, 2019 8:37 PM in response to corgilovesyou

corgilovesyou wrote:

animal jam, it gives me an “allow flash” pop-up and when i do, the game is just a black screen

I found the site but I can't test it without an account which I'm not willing to create. Sorry.

Reply

Answer 4

dialabrain

Level 10

124,409 points

Dec 13, 2019 8:49 PM in response to corgilovesyou

corgilovesyou wrote:

i don’t think i can download a software to do that either because i can’t open any application that didn’t come with a mac

That can't be the case seeing you have Google Chrome installed. That doesn't come with a Mac.

Reply

Answer 5

den.thed

Level 10

81,694 points

Dec 13, 2019 9:07 PM in response to dialabrain

dialabrain wrote:

FWIW, that doesn't work so well in Catalina. There is no longer a 32/64bit column so you would have to click on every app to check.

Ack' my bad, thanks for the heads up. I haven't fully made the transition to Catalina and only occasionally run it on an external SSD.

Reply

Answer 6

Dec 13, 2019 8:20 PM in response to den.thed

how do i check if an application is 32bit or 64bit?

Reply

Answer 7

dialabrain

Level 10

124,409 points

Dec 13, 2019 8:21 PM in response to corgilovesyou

corgilovesyou wrote:

i can open safari, but i can’t use the online game i play that uses flash.

Just curious, which online game? Safari is the last Mac browser that still supports Flash.

Reply

Answer 8

dialabrain

Level 10

124,409 points

Dec 13, 2019 8:22 PM in response to corgilovesyou

corgilovesyou wrote:

how do i check if an application is 32bit or 64bit?

Get this: https://www.stclairsoft.com/Go64/

Reply

Answer 9

den.thed

Level 10

81,694 points

Dec 13, 2019 8:28 PM in response to corgilovesyou

Using System Information as outlined in the Apple Support Article that I posted.

Go to: Apple > About This Mac > System Report > Software > Applications

Reply

Answer 10

Dec 13, 2019 8:30 PM in response to dialabrain

animal jam, it gives me an “allow flash” pop-up and when i do, the game is just a black screen

Reply

Answer 11

Dec 13, 2019 8:38 PM in response to den.thed

in the software tab, it just says “no information found”. i don’t think i can download a software to do that either because i can’t open any application that didn’t come with a mac

Reply