What is Most Current Mac OS System Compatible with Lightroom 5

I'm using Lightroom 5 on a macbook with OS 10.11.6, El Capitan. I need to upgrade the OS system, but not certain Lightroom 5 will work with newer systems. My current version of Lightroom was an outright purchase with no annual subscription. I don't use it often enough to warrant upgrading Lightroom.

Lightroom 5 will do fine up until Mojave. It seems it can also still run on Catalina but you can’t uninstall it and reinstall. And I remember people reporting lots of problems with LR on Catalina so I would think twice about that. But on Mojave LR 5 should run just as it does on El Capitan.

If you don't use it much I'd look into an alternative, unless you really need LR's DAM. There is free software like darktable. Look for deals on Affinity which is like PS. I got mine for $25 but that was a few years ago. I never use it but I couldn't pass it up at that price.

There have been so many changes since LR5 was introduced. Even Macs photo editor is pretty good I read. I just did a quick search for free software.

https://www.wix.com …e-photo-editing-software/

The only reason I'm saying it might be time to move on as LR5 is it's 12 years old. That's a lifetime in the computer world. Like Levina stated it will run on newer versions but might has issues. You can't install LR5 or LR6 on Catalina or Big Sur. Monterey is around the corner, all are 64 bit. The issue is while they are 64 bit capable the installer is 32 bit. So LR has to be installed on an older version like Mojave or earlier and then you can upgrade to a newer OS.

Also I'm not sure how important security is to you. I rely on Apple for that. Apple only supports the current and two previous versions. When Monterey comes out, it and only Catalina and Big Sur will be supported. Someone discovered a back door leak and there was huge security update about a month. Personally I upgrade to a new OS within a few weeks of release. I keep reading about waiting for 6 months to a year but I have have never encountered any problems.

So you probably haven't spent money on software in a while. Maybe time to invest. I think ON1 (which is standalone) will import LR catalogue if you need that.

Another option is the good old free Canon's DPP. It's very capable. Get Affinity, PS Elements or a free developer to finish if you feel you need that step. Personally I think DPP lacks an export sharpening tool.

So in summary. I would not try to hang to LR5. Maybe 5 years ago but it's just getting too old to keep up with all the changes.

You might try asking about LR5 compatibility here. A lot of knowledgable people.

https://www.lightroomq​ueen.com/community/