The 32-bit processor was the most popular processor used by computers until the early 1990s. Sometimes you’ll see the formatting as “32-bit” or “x32.” These two formats represent the same thing. In laymen’s terms, this is where you see units of measurements regarding 1s and 0s and can apply to computer networking or memory. If the software developer chooses not to do this, users can utilize a virtual machine with Parallels Desktop to run their favorite applications on their Mac.īy means of Lifewire’s definition, a bit is shorthand for binary digit. In order to continue using your favorite 32-bit applications on macOS Catalina, the software developers will need to update the software to support 64-bit.