32 bit support on Catalina 10.15

[TomFilin]

I'm new to this forum, so sorry if this post is in the wrong place etc, but I have a problem that I think a large number of people will have in the coming months.
My wife has just updated her Mac Book Pro to Catalina 10.15 and as we all know 32 bit support has gone. She had several 32 bit apps running on the Mac machine, and I just wanted to know if VirtualBox 5.2 would run on Catalina 10.15 and support her old Mac 32 bit apps, such as Outlook 2011?

Thanks for any support you give.

[socratis]

I just wanted to know if VirtualBox 5.2 would run on Catalina 10.15

VirtualBox has been a 64-bit-only application since the first day on OSX. But you don't want to run 5.2, you're going to run 6.x, the latest...

support her old Mac 32 bit apps, such as Outlook 2011?

VirtualBox does not run applications, it runs Operating Systems. You need to get a hold of a 10.6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13 installer and install that in VirtualBox as a guest, and then install your favorite app in that guest OS.


On a personal note: Outlook?

[TomFilin]

Yes I know that VirtualBox runs OS's in a virtual box, and allows apps to be run in the box, on the new virtual machine with the chosen OS installed in the VM box. I asked about 5.2 because I think that is the last VirtualBox that supports 32 bit apps running a 64 bit OS that supports 32 bit apps in the VM box.
My question was asking if anybody had looked into the problem of Macs Catalina dropping 32 bit support, and using VirtualBox as the VM OS box as an answer to keep running the 32 bit apps on the updated Catalina machine.

Thanks for the response.

[socratis]

Yes I know that VirtualBox runs OS's in a virtual box, and allows apps to be run in the box

I asked about 5.2 because I think that is the last VirtualBox that supports 32 bit apps running a 64 bit OS that supports 32 bit apps in the VM box.

These are contradictory statements. VirtualBox cares about the OS aspect only. And it can run 64-, 32-, 16-, and I believe 8-bit Operating Systems. All of VirtualBox versions can deal with such GUEST OSes. I can still run the 32-bit only 10.6 on any Mac be it 32- or 64-bit. Now... what apps you run, or what the Guest can run, that's a different question and it depends on the Guest OS.

BTW, you don't run Apps in the (Virtual)box, you run the apps in the Guest OS, which runs on VirtualBox. Once you let that sink in for a minute, you'll understand the difference...

Catalina dropping 32 bit support, and using VirtualBox as the VM OS box as an answer to keep running the 32 bit apps

I have a feeling that this question will become really prominent in the near future...

The only thing I don't understand is: if you have a real need to run 32-bit apps, why on Earth did you even upgrade to 10.15? Why?

[operation420.net]

You would install VirtualBox on Catalina. You would then install and older MacOS with 32 bit app support inside VirtualBox. Then you would install/run the app in the older OS in Vbox...