How to Check if Your macOS is 32-bit or 64-bit

Charlotte Bayley

Updated: June 6, 2025

This post will guide you though how to check if your macOS is 32-bit or 64-bit.

• 1. macOS Is a 64-bit Operating System by Default
• 2. Identify CPU Architecture: Intel vs Apple Silicon
• 3. Use Terminal to Check System Architecture
• 4. How to Check Whether Apps Are 64-bit or 32-bit
• 5. Common Pitfalls
• 6. TL;DR

1. macOS Is a 64-bit Operating System by Default (Since macOS Catalina)

Starting from macOS Catalina (10.15), Apple dropped support for all 32-bit apps, and the operating system itself is exclusively 64-bit. If you're running Catalina or later, your OS and apps must be 64-bit.

You can verify your macOS version by clicking: Apple Menu → About This Mac

Check the version number (e.g., 10.15 = Catalina, 11 = Big Sur, 12 = Monterey, etc.).

2. Identify CPU Architecture: Intel vs Apple Silicon

The CPU architecture tells you whether your Mac is using Intel (x86_64) or Apple Silicon (arm64). Both support 64-bit, but some low-level behaviors differ.

Step 1Click the Apple Menu → About This Mac

Step 2Look under "Chip" or "Processor":

If it says Apple M1/M2/M3, then you're using ARM64 architecture, 64-bit only.

If it says Intel Core i5/i7/etc., you're on x86_64, and should check further.

Here is the cheat table:

3. Use Terminal to Check System Architecture

If you're comfortable with the Terminal, use this command:

uname -m

Interpretation:

x86_64 → 64-bit Intel CPU

arm64 → 64-bit Apple Silicon (M1, M2, etc.)

i386 → 32-bit Intel CPU (rare, ancient Macs only)

You can also check the CPU architecture explicitly using:

sysctl -n machdep.cpu.brand_string

This will return something like:

4. How to Check Whether Apps Are 64-bit or 32-bit

If you're on macOS Mojave (10.14) or earlier, you might still be able to run 32-bit apps.

Here's how to check which apps are 32-bit:

Step 1 Click About This Mac → System Report

Step 2 Under Software, click Applications

Step 3 Wait for it to load (can take a few seconds)

Step 4 Look at the column “64-Bit (Intel)”

If it says Yes, the app is 64-bit

If it says No, the app is 32-bit and won’t work on Catalina or newer

5. Common Pitfalls

macOS itself hasn’t been 32-bit for over a decade—only very old versions like Snow Leopard or Leopard were.

Confusing the CPU architecture with app architecture is common. Even a 64-bit Mac may have 32-bit apps (before Catalina).

Some command-line tools may still run as 32-bit binaries if manually compiled that way.

6. TL;DR

Remember, if you're on a 64-bit Mac, all apps and software must be 64-bit. If you're on a 32-bit Mac, only 32-bit apps will work.

Reference Websites: how do I know if my mac is 32 or 64 bit?