Following the launch of Macs powered past Apple silicon, numerous third-political party apps have been updated to ensure they are optimized to run on Apple's custom processors. Fifty-fifty if an app hasn't been updated, Apple's non-Intel Macs tin still run them, thanks to Apple'due south Rosetta 2 translation layer. But how do yous know which of your apps are running natively equally Universal executables and which ones are using Rosetta emulation? Read on to observe out.

m1 macs banner

Universal Apps Explained

When developers update their apps to run natively on Apple silicon, they use something called a Universal binary. Originally, Universal apps referred to executable files that run natively on both PowerPC or Intel Macs. At WWDC 2020 in June, however, Apple announced Universal 2, which allows apps to run on both Intel-based Macs and Apple silicon Macs.

If an app has even so to be updated to Universal ii, an Apple silicon Mac volition nevertheless run it, but it will do and then past converting the Intel x86-64 code using Rosetta 2 emulation software. Even when emulating x86 code under Rosetta 2, the Macs with Apple silicon generally run not-native apps faster than Intel-based Macs, but it's skilful to know which apps have been optimized for the advanced hardware within your M1 Mac. Here'south how.

How to Check for Universal Apps in macOS

  1. Click the Apple tree symbol in the meridian-left corner of your Mac's menu bar and choose About This Mac.
    about this mac
  2. In the "Overview" tab, click the Organisation Study... button.
    about this mac overview copy
  3. In the System Written report window, select Software -> Applications in the sidebar. In the Applications list that loads, look under the Kind column to see whether an app is a Universal binary or a not-native Intel executable.
    check for universal apps copy

In addition to the System Study list, you tin can check individual apps too: right-click an app's icon in Finder, so select Get Info from the contextual carte du jour and expect at its Kind under "Full general."

In addition to the above, iMazing has released a free app [Directly Link] that scans your macOS apps and displays their supported CPU architecture, while repo offers a free menu bar app called Silicon Info that lets yous chop-chop view the architecture of the currently running awarding.

silicon info

Silicon Info menu bar app

Yous can also cheque if an app has been optimized for Apple silicon before you lot even install it, thank you to a website by Abdullah Diaa called Is Apple silicon ready? The site maintains an up-to-date database of apps indicating native ‌M1‌ support, Rosetta 2 only, and those that don't work at all.

It's worth noting that Apple considers Rosetta 2 to be a temporary solution for developers while they remake their existing Intel-based programs to run on Arm-based Macs, meaning they will eventually need to create Universal apps that work natively on both ‌‌Intel and Apple silicon‌‌ machines.

Apple ended support for OG Rosetta three years after its release to smoothen the transition from PowerPC fries to Intel processors, and so if a developer doesn't update their app eventually, information technology may become unusable on Apple silicon machines in the future.

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