The latest versions of ChemDoodle 2D (v11) and ChemDoodle 3D (v6) are fully supported on macOS Big Sur (macOS 10.16/11.0) and there are no known issues. In addition to supporting the operating system update, ARM based Macs (like those just released with the new Apple Silicon chip) are also fully supported for ChemDoodle 2D and ChemDoodle 3D with no known issues. All ChemDoodle subscriptions, Lifetime and Site licenses are entitled to the latest versions of our ChemDoodle desktop software with support for the latest operating systems. You may purchase a ChemDoodle license for as little as $19.
On Apple Silicon chip based Macs, ChemDoodle 2D and ChemDoodle 3D currently require Rosetta 2 from Apple. The first time you open ChemDoodle 2D or ChemDoodle 3D, you will be greeted with the following message promting you to install Rosetta 2 (if it is not already installed). Accept by pressing the Install button, and it takes only a few seconds to install. Once Rosetta 2 is installed, you can open ChemDoodle 2D or ChemDoodle 3D again and it will open and run as you would expect. The ChemDoodle applications run very smoothly through Rosetta 2. Natively compiled Apple Silicon versions of ChemDoodle 2D and ChemDoodle 3D are coming next year for even faster and more optimized ChemDoodle performance.
It is also important to note ChemDoodle 2D and ChemDoodle 3D are both signed for Apple Gatekeeper, and are notarized for use directly by Apple. When you open ChemDoodle 2D or ChemDoodle 3D for the first time after downloading it, you will receive the following reassuring message stating "Apple checked (ChemDoodle) for malicious software and none was detected.". You can press the Open button to then open the ChemDoodle software.
Note that versions of ChemDoodle 2D earlier than v11 and versions of ChemDoodle 3D earlier than v6 are not supported and are not tested on Big Sur, and may not be compatible. Initial feedback shows that ChemDoodle 2D v9 and ChemDoodle 3D v4 are NOT compatible with macOS Big Sur. So make sure to avoid updating your working macOS installation if you want to continue using these versions. If you are using ChemDoodle 2D v10 and ChemDoodle 3D v5, you are entitled to use our latest software versions and should update ChemDoodle applications when you switch to Big Sur.