applicatons m2 vs intel

32-bit applications won't run on M1/M2-family Macs … or on any Intel Mac running Catalina or later. To find what 32-bit applications are installed on your system,

• Select About This Mac in the Apple () menu.
• Click on System Report…
• Click on Applications in the sidebar.
• Wait.
• When the Mac has built the list, click on the 64-bit (Intel) column header to sort by that field (grouping all of the applications for which the answer is "No," for easier reading).

This will catch most 32-bit vs. 64-bit issues. Note that the discontinued one-time-purchase versions of Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom had 32-bit installer and activation code, and so won't install on Apple Silicon Macs – even though in many cases, the applications themselves were 64-bit.

WebSmiths wrote:

I have an intel 2015 Mac. Now looking at M2 Air.

Is there a list of Intel chip applications that are incompatible with M2 chips?

I suggest that you determine which apps you need then check on their site whether or not they are compatible with the silicon Macs. There are thousands/millions of apps that are incompatible and the list would be too long to include here, and some apps may be missed.

roaringapps.com might have that. It just caused my older browser to crash (I almost never have that happen) which means that for a site that is supposed to be used by those trying to compare the compatibility of old hardware and software with newer things, it is a bit self-contradictory.

Most applications that are 64 bit should work and some may use Rosetta when started up. I have never had an issue since I check any "unique" app with the provider to ensure compatibility.