I recently updated my MacBook Pro to Catalina to see if it would resolve some performance issues I was experiencing on my mac and now GarageBand and won't work. I try to download update for GarageBand and app store is saying I need Big Sur which is not supported on my machine. How can I download a version of Garageband that is compatible with Catalina?
I just downgraded from Big Sur to Catalina. Initially I had the same problem. I couldn't download a compatible version from the App Store. But clicking on my name in the bottom left-hand corner to reveal my purchases worked for me. I found GarageBand in my list of purchases and I was able to download a Catalina compatible version. So it's out there! Maybe it's critical that GB shows up in your purchases.
Another suggestion - if you've got GarageBand for Catalina on another Mac (or a friend does), it may be possible to send the app via sharing on iCloud Drive. I was able to do this with MainStage. A friend of mine has High Sierra on his MacBook and wanted to download MainStage for all the extra sounds that gives. No-go from the App Store... I dragged the app to my desktop and sent it to him via iCloud Drive. He's really not so good with computers but was still able to get it up and running...
I just downgraded from Big Sur to Catalina. Initially I had the same problem. I couldn't download a compatible version from the App Store. But clicking on my name in the bottom left-hand corner to reveal my purchases worked for me. I found GarageBand in my list of purchases and I was able to download a Catalina compatible version. So it's out there! Maybe it's critical that GB shows up in your purchases.
Another suggestion - if you've got GarageBand for Catalina on another Mac (or a friend does), it may be possible to send the app via sharing on iCloud Drive. I was able to do this with MainStage. A friend of mine has High Sierra on his MacBook and wanted to download MainStage for all the extra sounds that gives. No-go from the App Store... I dragged the app to my desktop and sent it to him via iCloud Drive. He's really not so good with computers but was still able to get it up and running...
Following these steps helped me reinstall last compatible version of garage band on Catalina
This process worked for me. I pulled an 2012 Mini out of the closet to run GarageBand and iMovie. Went to the App Store to download both and got the you are screwed message. Clicked on my name as suggested and was able to download them both. Saved me a lot of grief and money.
Same issue experienced, was not able to download a compatible version of Garageband using the AppStore.
The solution described in this post worked for me. However, one more step was required:
(Macbook Pro late 2015, Catalina 10.15.7)
Reinstalling it from the purchased page of the app store didn't work for me. When opened the first time, the app tries to update and download the newer version. I had a similar problem to the OP, I had to erase and reinstall the drive on my MBP and in the process lost Garageband, and a reinstall from Purchased or an old disk image doesn't work. Less than a month after the release of Big Sur it feels like apple have turned their backs on so many users. It's intensely frustrating.
You can do it if you can access another Mac with garageband (ideally with the same OSX version as yours).
You have to be a bit familiar with Airdrop, navigating your disk, the Terminal and the command-line.
1) On your friend's Mac you share the garageband.app with Airdrop:
The garageband.app is located in /Applications.
2) On your Mac you accept the file, it goes in the Download folder.
3) On your Mac, In a Terminal you type:
sudo mv Downloads/Garageband.app /Applications
You wil be asked your Mac connection password.
4) If all went good, you can now open Garageband on your Mac.
That’s a good question! I haven’t tried this but my first guess would be to sign in to an account which has GarageBand already, download it and get it running, then sign back into your son’s account.
This doesn't resolve the issue. I also tried to download Garageband to my quite recent Macbook Pro 2019, running Catalina (and there are other reasons I can't update to Big Sur yet), and have the same announcement: Can't download, you need Mac OS11 or newer. This is ridiculous! Big Sur has just been announced, and suddenly the "old" OS becomes obsolete. I find it's usually a bad idea to download new OS update in the first 6 months or so after announcing them, since most software on the computer doesn't support the new OS fully yet and they are full of bugs. This is sooo much better on the Windows platform.. maybe time to move there permanently.
I tried raising this one as well. Here is my question with some alternative help. I still have the issue but thought it might be helpful for those reading to go down the feature request route. Ive tried the advice above but I dont have a more recent version of Garageband downloaded to reinstall. All my versions are too old.
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/252072982?answerId=253936903022#253936903022
Try this: go to the app store, click your name in the bottom left hand corner. Under "Purchased by xx" find GarageBand, and click the cloud shaped download icon next to it. You should be offered a Catalina compatible version.
Insane that it doesn't do this from the GarageBand page on the app store.
Still running fine for me after installing from a clean install of Catalina. I don't seem to get offered an update when it opens. GarageBand 10.3.5.
I have automatic updates set not to install automatically though, don't know if that helps.
No suggestion here seems to work.
There doesn't seem to be a GarageBand compatible with Catalina. What the actual ****? And I can't play any of the files/songs I've worked on now.
I am not able to upgrade to Big Sur, and I'm not in the market for a new computer. My MacBook Pro is still working.
Come on, Apple. Don't be so f*cking greedy.
We need a version for Catalina. Do it now, please.
What if you are not RE-downloading it but downloading it as a new iCloud account on a Catalina Mac. I just made one for my son since he is old enough now and he wants to use Garage Band. I do not want to upgrade to Big Sur yet, and am actually being advised by many other music app makers NOT to upgrade yet. This is absolutely ridiculous apple!
lf8w6 wrote:
What if you are not RE-downloading it but downloading it as a new iCloud account on a Catalina Mac. I just made one for my son since he is old enough now and he wants to use Garage Band. I do not want to upgrade to Big Sur yet, and am actually being advised by many other music app makers NOT to upgrade yet. This is absolutely ridiculous apple!
If your son sharing your Mac and has a different account, he should be able to use GarageBand, if you installed it for all users in the central Applications folder. If he has an own Mac use family Sharing to give him access to your purchases, see: What is Family Sharing? - Apple Support
Thank you. This seems to be letting me download a compatible version.
But I have to say that after 15 years of supporting Apple and their products, this is the last straw for me. I am done with these c*ckjockeys now. They can go take a long soak in their nearest toxic waste dump.
Unable to install GarageBand on Catalina
