Mac 64 Bit Wrapper For 32 Bit Apps
At last year's Worlwide Developer's Conference (WWDC), Apple announced to Mac app developers that macOS High Sierra 'will be the last macOS release to support 32-bit apps without compromise.' Now, in the macOS High Sierra 10.13.4 beta, Apple is notifying users of the impending change, too.
In the beta release notes, Apple says:
To prepare for a future release of macOS in which 32-bit software will no longer run without compromise, starting in macOS High Sierra 10.13.4, a user is notified on the launch of an app that depends on 32-bit software. The alert appears only once per app.
When users attempt to launch a 32-bit app in 10.13.4, it will still launch, but it will do so with a warning message notifying the user that the app will eventually not be compatible with the operating system unless it is updated. This follows the same approach that Apple took with iOS, which completed its sunset of 32-bit app support with iOS 11 last fall.
Developers and users curious about how this will play out will be able to look at the similar process in iOS for context. On January 1 of this year, Apple stopped accepting 32-bit app submissions in the Mac App Store. This June, the company will also stop accepting updates for existing 32-bit applications. iOS followed a similar progression, with 32-bit app submissions ending in February of 2015 and acceptance of app updates for 32-bit apps ending in June of 2015.
And before you say, 'Well, that's just the Mac App Store,' note that Apple also said the following this week:
If you distribute your apps outside the Mac App Store, we highly recommend distributing 64-bit binaries to make sure your users can continue to run your apps on future versions of macOS.
Developers have a couple of tools already available to them to help with this transition. First off, there is now a Terminal command which will force an app to run in 64-bit mode, allowing its developer to see if it encounters any issues in what will eventually be a 64-bit-only environment. Apple has also made new diagnostic tools available for testing 64-bit compatibility in the newly released Xcode 9.3 beta.
Jul 04, 2019 According to all Apple has said, there will be no way to run 32-bit apps short of installing a Virtual Machine and running Mojave or earlier in the Virtual environment. In order for a 32-bit app to operate in 64-bit memory space, the OS has to map 64-bit addresses to the 32-bit space of the app.
These are Apple's notes on those Xcode tools:
The last macOS release to support 32-bit apps without compromise is macOS High Sierra. Make sure future releases of your app are 64-bit compatible by using new diagnostic tools in Xcode 9.3 beta and testing on macOS 10.13.4 beta. This version of Xcode also builds 64-bit apps by default.
Xcode 9.3 also includes features to help developers address battery drain caused by their software. You can use the Terminal command to test which apps you currently use still need to be updated. Apple's instructions are as follows:
The next release of macOS after High Sierra will begin to restrict 32-bit apps and will feature 'aggressive' warnings about the coming change. Apple has not said at exactly which point support will be phased out completely.
-->Note
Office 365 ProPlus is being renamed to Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise. For more information about this change, read this blog post.
Summary
Existing Office 2016 for Mac customers will be seamlessly upgraded to 64-bit versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote as part of the August product release (version 15.25). This affects customers of all license types: Retail, Office 365 Consumer, Office 365 Commercial, and Volume License installations.
Deployment options for the 64-bit update
AutoUpdate (MAU)
Customers who use Microsoft AutoUpdate (MAU) to keep their Office applications up-to-date will see a 'regular' monthly update notification when their selected channel is upgraded to 64-bit builds. Depending on which version is installed on the local computer, MAU will offer either a delta or full update. The update package size does not change between 32-bit and 64-bit versions. Also, MAU can deliver a delta update when applicable to update a user from 32-bit to 64-bit applications. Therefore, customers won't experience a sharp increase in download activity. For the release to the Production channel, customers will see '(64-bit)' in the update title to make them aware that this is a 64-bit update.
For information about how to use the MAU, see Check for Office for Mac updates automatically.
Manual updates
The August release of Office for Mac is available for manual download. The following file provides a 64-bit package to replace existing 32-bit applications with 64-bit variants during installation:
Download the Microsoft Office 2016 for Mac August update package now.
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Volume License Service Center
Volume License customers typically get their Office 2016 software from the Volume License Service Center (VLSC). These builds are refreshed infrequently and are typically aligned with new language editions. The VLSC will continue to offer 32-bit installers (15.23) until November 2016. However, all updater packages that are released after August will be based on 64-bit builds. Therefore, a VLSC customer who updates either manually or through AutoUpdate will be transitioned to 64-bit builds.
In the Mail app on your Mac, if the Send button is dimmed in the toolbar of your message, or your message can’t be sent using the outgoing mail server, try these suggestions. Make sure the outgoing (SMTP) mail server is specified as directed by the provider of your email account. Mac mail app not sending emails without. Jan 13, 2017 Apple Mail, the email application included with macOS, has some confusing account setup screens. If emails you send appear to be coming from the wrong address—for example, emails you send from your personal address are being sent from your work address, or vice versa—you can tweak your email account settings to fix this problem. Sep 16, 2019 You might see a status icon such as a lightning bolt or warning symbol next to your account's inbox in the Mail sidebar, or in the upper-right corner of the Mail window.Click it to learn more. If the status is Network Offline, make sure that your Mac is connected to the Internet, then try again. If the status is Login Failed, check with your email provider to be sure that your account is set.
More Information
64-bit only
The Mac operating system has been 64-bit for several years. Unlike for Windows, there's no choice between running a 32-bit or 64-bit version of the Mac operating system. Similarly, we won't offer a choice between 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Office 2016 for Mac. After each 'channel' is transitioned per the rollout schedule, only 64-bit builds will be available.
Effect on third-party applications and add-ins
The transition to 64-bit Office for Mac was announced in April 2016. IT Pros will want to understand which compiled add-ins are deployed to the users whom they manage so that they can assess the effect of the upgrade. The following Microsoft Office website summarizes the issues that affect the more common add-ins that are used together with Office 2016 for Mac:
Tools for inspecting product architecture
To verify the architecture of an Office application (that is, to understand whether you have a 32-bit or 64-bit build), start the application, open the Activity Monitor, and then enable the Kind column.
You can also use the file command in a terminal session to inspect the binary. For this use, type file -N <path of binary>.This method can be used with for any binary file, including third-party add-ins.
Mac 64 Bit Wrapper For 32 Bit Apps Windows 7
The file command returns one of three values.
| Return value | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Mach-O 64-bit executable x86_64 | 64-bit binary |
| Mach-O executable i386 | 32-bit binary |
| Mach-O 64-bit executable x86_64 | FAT binary (compatible with both 32-bit and 64-bit processes) |
| Mach-O executable i386 | FAT binary (compatible with both 32-bit and 64-bit processes) |
Mac 64 Bit Wrapper For 32 Bit Apps Windows 10
Options for reverting to 32-bit installations
There may be situations in which the customer has to change code that's not 64-bit ready. If customers can't immediately move forward to 64-bit builds, we will make available a one-time 32-bit update for the 15.25 release in addition to the default 64-bit updates. The 32-bit updates will be available only for manual download from the Office CDN.
The latest 32-bit release of Office 2016 for Mac (15.25.160818) can be downloaded from https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=823192.
Customers who manually install the 32-bit release won't be offered the 64-bit version of 15.25 through MAU. However, MAU will offer the 64-bit version of 15.26 in September 2016. Therefore, customers have a limited time to remain on 32-bit builds.
If a customer has already upgraded to the 64-bit update of Office for Mac 15.25 and wants to revert to the 32-bit version, follow these steps:
- Exit all open Office 2016 applications.
- Start Safari, and then browse to https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=823192 to start the download of the 32-bit installer.
- Double-click the downloaded package, and then follow the instructions.
The 64-bit installation has a build date of 160817. The 32-bit version has a build date of 160818.