What is Rosetta 2 — and what happens when Apple removes it?

Rosetta 2 is software Apple ships with macOS to translate Intel Mac apps so they run on Apple Silicon hardware. The RoaringApps crowd-sourced database tracks which apps work natively on Apple Silicon, which still require Rosetta, and which don’t run at all — because for many users the distinction is invisible until something breaks. Apple has now set a hard end date: Rosetta 2 will be discontinued with macOS 28, arriving in 2027.

What is Rosetta 2?

Rosetta 2 is a translation layer built into macOS that converts Intel (x86_64) instructions into ARM code that Apple Silicon processors understand. Apple shipped the original Rosetta in 2006 to handle the PowerPC-to-Intel transition; Rosetta 2 arrived in November 2020 alongside the M1 chip and macOS Big Sur. It runs invisibly in the background — most users never know it is there.

How do I know if my app is running under Rosetta 2?

Open Activity Monitor, add the Architecture column, and look for “Intel” next to any running app. On macOS 27 Golden Gate and later, you can also go to Settings > General > About > Intel-Based Apps to see every app on your Mac that requires Rosetta. In Finder, selecting an app and pressing ⌘I shows whether it is Universal or Intel-only under Kind.

Does Rosetta 2 slow my apps down?

There is some overhead, but for most productivity apps the difference is not noticeable day-to-day. CPU-intensive workloads — rendering, audio processing, games — are more likely to show a gap between Rosetta and a native Apple Silicon build.

Is Rosetta 2 being removed?

Yes. At WWDC 2025, Apple announced it would keep Rosetta 2 available through macOS 27 as “a general-purpose tool for Intel apps to help developers complete the migration.” Starting with macOS 28 — expected in 2027 — Rosetta 2 will be discontinued for most apps. macOS 26.4 (February 2026) began showing a warning notification each time you open an app that requires it, and macOS 27 does not install Rosetta automatically — it prompts for authentication on the first launch of any Intel app.

What happens to my apps when Rosetta 2 is gone?

Intel-only apps will stop launching on macOS 28. Your options are to stay on macOS 27, switch to an Apple Silicon native build if one exists, or find an alternative. You can check any app’s compatibility status on RoaringApps before upgrading.

Is there any exception to the shutdown?

Apple will keep a narrow subset of Rosetta for “older unmaintained gaming titles that rely on Intel-based frameworks.” Most apps — productivity software, utilities, and audio plugins — are not covered by this exception. For musicians, this is significant: older VST2, AU, and other Intel-only plugins from developers who have stopped updating their software will stop working, including workarounds like running a DAW in Rosetta mode to host Intel-only plugins.

See which apps on your Mac still require Rosetta — and find Apple Silicon native alternatives — in the RoaringApps compatibility table.