Applications not supported in MacBook Air running macOS 12.1 update

What is the model year of your MacBook Air?

The model year of a MacBook Air is available at Apple menu > About This Mac.

A mid 2013 and early 2014 MacBook Air can be upgraded to the latest version of Big Sur macOS 11 but no later.

An early 2015 and 2017 MacBook Air can be upgraded to the latest version of Monterey macOS 12 but no later.

A 2018 and 2019 MacBook Air can be upgraded to the current version of Sonoma macOS 14 but no later. 

For all of the above, see instructions in: How to download and install macOS - Apple Support

A 2020 or later MacBook Pro can be upgraded to the current version of Sequoia macOS 15. See: How to upgrade to macOS Sequoia - Apple Support

It’s not too surprising that many apps no longer support a MacOS which was has had 6x subsequent versions released.

Check here to see if your particular MBA’s MacOS can be upgraded (Check the entry for “Newest Compatible Operating System” for your particular model)

Identify your MacBook Air model - Apple Support

If your MBA can be updated to a newer MacOS, this is how to go about it:

Update macOS on Mac - Apple Support

Your tag line indicates that you are running macOS 11.7 (Big Sur).

Big Sur is no longer one of the "most recent three" supported by vendors like Adobe and Microsoft – and has not been for years. Even macOS 13.* (Ventura) is about to fall out of the "most recent three" (with Apple's release of macOS 26 (Tahoe) this fall.). Big Sur also does not get the most recent versions of Safari.

There are some applications that you can use to extend the useful life of a machine running Big Sur. These include

• Many third-party Web browsers, such as Firefox and Brave.
• The LibreOffice office suite
• The GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP)
• The commercial Affinity V2 applications (Photo, Designer, Publisher)