If you’ve recently upgraded to an Apple Silicon Mac and downloaded or transferred apps from an older machine, you may want to see which apps are optimized for Apple Silicon and which Intel apps are running under the Rosetta translation layer. Here̵
Tip: If you are considering buying an M1 Mac, here’s how to make sure your Mac’s apps are compatible before purchasing.
First, click on the Apple logo menu in the top left corner of your screen and select About This Mac.
In the window that appears, click the “System Report” button on the Overview tab.
Select Software> Applications from the sidebar menu in the System Information window.
You will then see a list of all the applications installed on your Mac. Focus on the ‘Kind’ column. If an application is optimized for Apple Silicon, you will see “Apple Silicon” next to it in that column.
You can even click the “Child” column heading and sort all your apps by architecture support, so that all “Apple Silicon” apps are listed together.
If an app is not optimized for Apple Silicon, the Child column will display “Intel”. In that case, when you run the app, it will run through Apple’s Rosetta 2 translation layer.
If your favorite app isn’t optimized for Apple Silicon yet, don’t worry. Apple’s first Apple Silicon Macs, which are part of the M1 chip, will provide a platform for developers to move their applications to the new Mac architecture. If the app is still getting regular updates, chances are the developer will support Apple Silicon very soon, so keep an eye out for updates. Good luck!
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