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1.14. General Information: Windows 8/10/11, Mac OS X compatibility
Last Updated: March 2023
Applies to Kurzweil 3000 (all versions)
Our general system requirements can also be viewed here:
Our currently supported products are on this page: https://support.kurzweiledu.com/index.php?pg=kb.page&id=1862
You can find information on updating your version of Kurzweil 3000 here: Updating/Patching Kurzweil 3000
Patches are also available for download from our website here: Kurzweil Updates
Some of the versions listed below are no longer supported, please refer to our supported products page listed above for guidance.
Kurzweil3000.com: the Kurzweil3000.com website is fully supported to run on the latest desktop version of Windows and Mac OS. Note that it does require that your web browser support HTML5. The system requirements and supported browsers are listed here: https://www.kurzweiledu.com/k3000-firefly/features.html#web
Windows 8 Compatibility
Kurzweil 3000 (K3000) v12 through v20 are officially supported to run on Windows 8. If you have difficulties running Kurzweil 3000 on Windows 8, make sure you've patched to the latest version of your software.
There is a known issue in older release builds of v12 and v13 (such as what gets installed off an older v12 or v13 DVD) of K3000 where if you update from Windows 8 to Windows 8.1 or to Windows 10 without first being fully up to date with Kurzweil; the K3000 the product will claim the trial has expired on the computer. As such, before you upgrade to Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 it's highly recommended to update to the latest edition available for your version. If you did not get a chance to do this and Kurzweil is stating it is a trial and not allowing you to register; the current fix for this issue is available here.
Windows 10 Compatibility
K3000 v13 through 20 are officially supported to run on Windows 10. If you have difficulties running K3000 on Windows 10, make sure you've patched to the latest version of your software. Please note that versions older than 13 are not supported with Windows 10.
There is a known issue in older release builds of v13 and v14 of K3000 where if you update from Windows 8 to Windows 8.1 or to Windows 10 without first being fully up to date with Kurzweil; the K3000 the product will claim the trial has expired on the computer. As such, before you upgrade to Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 it's highly recommended to update to the latest edition available for your version. If you did not get a chance to do this and Kurzweil is stating it is a trial and not allowing you to register; the current fix for this issue is available here.
Windows 11 Compatibility
Windows 11 is supported with Kurzweil 1000 v14, Kurzweil 3000 v20, and v22 if you are fully up-to-date with these versions.
There is one exception: The Kurzweil 3000 Taskbar feature. Windows 11 does not have the "Toolbars" feature, as such the Kurzweil Taskbar will not operate.
Macintosh OS X Compatibility
K3000 v15 for Mac were native 32-bit applications. Starting with Mac OS Catalina, Mac has disabled 32-bit apps from running. As such, K3000 v15 or earlier is not compatible Mac OS X Catalina or higher.
K3000 v5 is not supported to run on Mac OS 10.9.x or higher. You may encounter problems with scanning, reading, or recognition of PDF files if you're using an older version of K3000 with a newer Mac OS. More details:
- Cepstral Voices (included in K3000 v5) do not function on 10.9.x or higher. We suggest to either upgrade or to use the Alex voice for reading with K3000 v5. Alex comes bundled with OS X.
- K3000 v5 is known to have issues with the recognition of PDF files and/or scanning documents on OS 10.9 or higher. If you encounter these problems, please consider upgrading.
- We no longer support K3000 v5. If you own K3000 v5, please talk to our sales team about upgrading to the latest version of K3000: https://www.kurzweiledu.com/ContactSales.php
K3000 v14 is supported on Mac OS 10.7 through Mac OS 10.11
K3000 v15 is supported on Mac OS X 10.9 through Mac OS 10.14
K3000 v16 is supported on Mac OS Catalina versions prior to 2020, in addition to older Mac OS versions per our general system requirements
K3000 v20 is supported on Mac OS X Big Sur , in addition to older Mac OS versions per our general system requirements
Mac OS X Monterey is not officially supported and is still being certified by our engineers. However, we have had positive feedback that this version operates with the latest version of Kurzweil 3000 v20 for Mac.
How to download the newest and older versions of K3000
You can download the latest full build (e.g. all of the files on the DVD) version of K3000 for Windows from here: www.kurzweiledu.com/k3win
You can download the latest full build version of K3000 for Mac OS from here: www.kurzweiledu.com/k3mac
You can download older full build versions from here: https://www.kurzweiledu.com/k3000-previous-downloads.html
Make sure to download the version and edition that you own. So if you own K3000 v15 Standalone and have not yet upgraded (most likely a paid upgrade), download K3000 v15 Standalone from the older versions link above.