I have an older macBook Pro

[usonian]

2. OK. I think this is the deal.

I did a web search, and the very question turns up a LOT.
https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffab&q=Mac+Os+Catalina+10.15.7.+Now+my+Microsoft+Word+and+Photoshop+don%27t+work.&ia=web
And a lot of people have/had the same exact problem.

The reason being that MacOS Catalina stopped support for 32-bit apps.
Bummer. Apple posted that notice long ago, but of course, you had no reason in the world to have seen it, getting an all-at-once update to the OS.

I *do* think that the Apple person should have told you!!!!!
This was a big crossing of the Rubicon for Apple and older 32-bit apps.

And I do think it's why I stuck my old imac (before the display quit working) with 10.14 Mojave and told a friend not to go beyond that if he was running old 32-bit apps..

"Downgrading" an OS and keeping you apps and data is way harder than upgrading, so I won't send any links I may have gathered in my journeys. It is way complex.


I hope this helps, even if the answer leaves even me pissed off.

I use GIMP and Libre Office.
Even the free Mac Office apps (Pages and so on) are very MS-compatible, if not 100%