Apple will limit Rosetta to older games from macOS 28 onwards

Apple will limit Rosetta to older games from macOS 28 onwards

28 October 2026: Apple has set the end of Rosetta as a general tool: on Macs with Apple silicon it will translate any Intel app only up to macOS 27. "Starting with macOS 28, the next major macOS release, Rosetta functionality will be available only for certain older, unmaintained games that rely on Intel-based frameworks," its support page now says. Every other Intel-only app, plug-in or helper will stop working once a Mac moves to macOS 28.

Not yet independently verified. Apple's support page carries no publication date and gives no release date for macOS 28. The date here is the day we read it and the day Reuters reported the change. We will update this when it can be confirmed, and remove this note.

What users are already seeing

Users who open an Intel-based app now get a notice that support is ending, warning that the app or a component it uses will not work with a future release of macOS, named as macOS 28. Apple's page says Rosetta remains available on any Apple silicon Mac running macOS 27 or earlier, where it is still installed on demand the first time an Intel app is opened.

The transition to Apple's own chips began in 2020, so the remaining Intel-only software is mostly one of three kinds: older line-of-business tools that are no longer maintained, specialist software whose vendor never shipped a Universal build, and small components inside otherwise current apps.

The components inside current apps

That third group is the one most IT teams will miss. Apple warns that some apps "include or use components, such as extensions or updaters, that need to be updated separately", and that plug-ins and add-ons installed from a different developer need their own updates. An app that shows as Apple silicon in Finder can still load an Intel-only audio plug-in, printer driver, VPN helper or licence manager, and that piece is what will fail.

Finding Intel software across a fleet

Apple's own method is per machine: select the app in Finder, choose Get Info, and look at Kind, which reads "Application (Intel)" for software that needs Rosetta. Reuters reports that macOS 27 also lists Intel-based apps under System Settings, General, About. For a fleet, the same information is available from software inventory in a device management tool, which can report each installed binary's architecture.

Apple's advice for each app it finds is to replace it with a Universal or Apple silicon version from the App Store, the developer's site or the app's own update menu, and to ask the developer whether one is planned if none exists. Where the answer is no, the realistic choices are to hold those Macs on macOS 27 or to replace the software before the upgrade.

Timing

Apple has not given a date for macOS 28, and the support page sets no end date for Rosetta on macOS 27 either. Managed fleets can defer a major upgrade for a period through device management, which buys time but does not change the outcome.

Our catalogue lists 8 mobile device management products, several of which report app architecture in their inventory views.

Related on TrustList:

• AssetView flaw lets a logged-in Windows user gain SYSTEM rights
• Freshworks agrees to buy Torii to track SaaS and AI spending

Sources

• Apple Support: If you need to install Rosetta on your Mac (Intel-based apps on a Mac with Apple silicon) (read 2026-10-28), 28 October 2026
• The Hindu (Reuters): Apple phasing out full Rosetta support in upcoming macOS updates, 28 October 2026