Welcome to the Sketchpad Beta Test

This site is for beta-testers of The Geometer’s Sketchpad for Macintosh, version 5.1. This version is fully 64-bit and features native support for Apple Silicon, and is compatible with Mac OS X 10.15 (Catalina) and 11.x (Big Sur). Version 5.1 is functionally similar to Version 5.0, with the addition of 64-bit and Apple Silicon support as well as a few minor new features.

Download. Existing Sketchpad customers and other authorized beta testers can find the latest beta version available to download here. If you are already using a beta version of GSP 5.1 you can also choose Check for Software Updates from Sketchpad’s Help menu to access the latest beta version. New versions are released periodically.

Test. Be aware that beta versions are not commercially-supported software and contain defects ("bugs") both known and unknown. The purpose of the beta test is for you to identify the unknown bugs and report them to us, so that we can fix them in later versions. This means you use beta software at own risk, and you should backup your documents before using them with beta versions of software.

Your normal use of Sketchpad is an excellent way to "test" the beta version; it is designed to behave normally!

Report. To report defects or problems in any beta version of Sketchpad, please report the defect by e-mail here. In this e-mail, please include:

  • the build number of the beta version you are using (a four digit number such as 3022 that you can find on any beta version’s application name, or on the application’s startup screen)
  • a description of the perceived defect (including steps to reproduce, if possible)
  • any screenshots you can take documenting the appearance of the defect (a picture’s worth a thousand words)
  • any Sketchpad document that you care to attach that demonstrates the defect

We will respond by e-mail if we need more specifics on your report. Your feedback is very valuable; it’s why we host a beta test. So if you see something wrong, please report it!

Questions? If you have questions relating specifically to this beta test, please contact Daniel Scher at McGraw-Hill Education. Unrelated to this test, McGraw-Hill Education has recently stopped selling new licenses to Sketchpad. If you have questions about your license, Sketchpad’s future, or McGraw-Hill’s sales policies, please contact their Support Center directly.