Building a Vectorworks Compatibility Checker
9 March 2026 · Alexis Skeates
One of the things I deal with regularly is making sure clients running Vectorworks are on supported operating systems. It sounds simple, but when you're managing a mix of macOS and Windows machines across multiple versions of Vectorworks, it gets messy fast.
The Problem
Vectorworks release a new version every year, and each version supports a specific set of operating systems. Apple also has its own EOL lifecycle, and on top of that we need to consider Cyber Essentials v3.2 compliance — which requires that operating systems are still receiving security updates.
Trying to cross-reference all of this from separate data sources every time a client asks "can I upgrade?" was tedious.
The Tool
I built a compatibility matrix that pulls together:
- Vectorworks versions 2021–2026 with their supported OS versions
- macOS and Windows compatibility side by side
- Apple EOL dates so you can see at a glance if a Mac is still supported
- Cyber Essentials v3.2 compliance indicators — flagging any OS that's fallen out of support
It's a single page where you can quickly check whether a client's setup is compliant and what their upgrade path looks like.
Why It's Useful
Instead of digging through Vectorworks system requirements, Apple's security update pages, and the Cyber Essentials scope — it's all in one place. When a client calls and says "I'm on Vectorworks 2023 running Monterey," I can give them an answer in seconds rather than minutes.
You can find it on the Tools page.