2015-ish macbook pro and High Sierra vs Catalina

[EricaV]

Greetings,

I have hesitated to upgrade my OS for a while but now want to consider jumping from High Sierra to Catalina. This is on a 2015 macbook pro. Any information you can share about popular programs that do and don't work with Catalina would be appreicated. I have an old version of Microsoft Office but I can use a license from my husband to move to a compatible version.

I use a program called IExplorer to back up iphones, ipods and ipads . Could not tell if that will be compatible with Catalina. I also use an iphone 8 and do not plan to upgrade.

Any and all feedback appreciated !! Thanks in advance.

 

[nathan_reilly]

I jumped over mojave with my 2013 MacBook Pro about a month ago (from high Sierra, like you). But I use another Mac that can't easily be updated and I'm annoyed that there are significant differences in reminders, notes, etc. that just don't show up on my High Sierra iMac. Now, parallels desktop complains that I don't have the newest Catalina compatible version, even though it seems to run just fine. Also a big headache: air drop now doesn't let me transfer between the two machines, as the iMac is too old now? I wish I'd kept my laptop on High Sierra in the end, there is no wonderful new feature that makes it worth it to me. Just a bit of a headache now. Works okay but things were easier when both computers had the same OS.

not sure about IE explorer...isn't that a web browser?

 

[EricaV]

I jumped over mojave with my 2013 MacBook Pro about a month ago (from high Sierra, like you). But I use another Mac that can't easily be updated and I'm annoyed that there are significant differences in reminders, notes, etc. that just don't show up on my High Sierra iMac. Now, parallels desktop complains that I don't have the newest Catalina compatible version, even though it seems to run just fine. Also a big headache: air drop now doesn't let me transfer between the two machines, as the iMac is too old now? I wish I'd kept my laptop on High Sierra in the end, there is no wonderful new feature that makes it worth it to me. Just a bit of a headache now. Works okay but things were easier when both computers had the same OS.

not sure about IE explorer...isn't that a web browser?

Thank you !! So your comments are about Catalina correct ? Thanks for that feedback.

IExplorer is a non-apple program that allows much more versatility in moving data around iphones, ipads, ipods. It sounds like the microsoft web browser (internet explorer) but it's not !

I like the iExplorer program very much and would recommend it.

iExplorer · iPhone Music, Messages & File Transfer for Mac & PC

iExplorer lets you easily transfer music, playlists, text messages, files and more from any iPhone, iPod, or iPad to a Mac or Windows computer and iTunes.

macroplant.com

 

[Taz Mangus]

According to the link below it indicates that iExplorer is supported on macOS Catalina 10.15.

iExplorer · Mac Release Notes

Macroplant develops industry leading apps including iExplorer and DocHub. iExplorer is the world's leading iPhone to computer transfer app and DocHub is the easiest way to sign any PDF.

macroplant.com

The link below has a list apps that do and don’t work in Catalina. If you don’t find a app listed then maybe post your question to that thread.

Catalina Apps Working/Not working

Note: this is a wiki article Working: 1Password 7.3.0 4D 17.2 Hot Fix 1 Ableton Live 10 Lite Adapter AdGuard for Safari (2.0.4.552) AdGuard for Mac Adobe After Effects CC 2019 (16.1.1) Adobe Audition Adobe Illustrator 2019 Adobe Lightroom Classic CC 2019 (8.2 & 8.3) Adobe Photoshop 2019 Adobe...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[EricaV]

According to the link below it indicates that iExplorer is supported on macOS Catalina 10.15.

iExplorer · Mac Release Notes

Macroplant develops industry leading apps including iExplorer and DocHub. iExplorer is the world's leading iPhone to computer transfer app and DocHub is the easiest way to sign any PDF.

macroplant.com

The link below has a list apps that do and don’t work in Catalina. If you don’t find a app listed then maybe post your question to that thread.

Catalina Apps Working/Not working

Note: this is a wiki article Working: 1Password 7.3.0 4D 17.2 Hot Fix 1 Ableton Live 10 Lite Adapter AdGuard for Safari (2.0.4.552) AdGuard for Mac Adobe After Effects CC 2019 (16.1.1) Adobe Audition Adobe Illustrator 2019 Adobe Lightroom Classic CC 2019 (8.2 & 8.3) Adobe Photoshop 2019 Adobe...

forums.macrumors.com

super helpful- thank you !!!!

 

[Taz Mangus]

super helpful- thank you !!!!

Glad I could help.

 

[honestone33]

First, I would recommend using a cloning program like SuperDuper! or Carbon Copy Cloner to make a bootable backup of your current High Sierra system. Besides either of them proven to be reliable, the resulting backup will be bootable. Also, SuperDuper! is free. I use it, although I eventually opted for the paid version. Only advantage I saw was that the paid version was "somewhat" faster (plus I wanted to support the developer)..

Secondly, this is a more comprehensive (and up-to-date) list of compatible applications:

Application Compatibility Table — RoaringApps

Crowd-sourced application compatibility for macOS, iOS and Windows.

roaringapps.com

I actually depend on it before I make the final move to the newer Mac OS (I will certainly do it with Big Sur. Am using Catalina now on both of my Macs).

Third, it is best if you do a clean, fresh installation of Catalina (OS 10.15.6) onto your Mac, then migrate/copy needed files, folders, settings, apps, etc. from the SuperDuper!/Carbon Copy Cloner backup. Of course, before you make the backup, besides application compatibility, you should "clean" your High Sierra system as much as possible. There are some excellent programs available to help you with that (both free and Commercial), along with doing some tasks on your own. I rely on Onyx, Tech Tool Pro, and my own efforts to help with that.