Rosetta 2 is the translator that lets Intel apps run on Apple silicon Macs. macOS 27 Golden Gate is the last version where it works for everything. Apple has said that from macOS 28, expected in fall 2027, Rosetta will remain only for certain older, unmaintained games that rely on Intel-based frameworks. Every other Intel-only app will stop opening.

That sounds far away. It isn’t: for most people, fall 2027 is two or three app update cycles, and some of your Intel apps have no developer left to update them. This is a countdown plan: build the list today, sort it into four piles, and spread the work over the next year.

Step 1: List your Intel apps in two minutes

The quickest list comes from Terminal. Paste this and press Return:

system_profiler SPApplicationsDataType | awk '/^    [^ ].*:$/{name=$0; intel=0} /Kind: Intel/{intel=1} /Location:/{if(intel) print name, $0}' > ~/Desktop/intel-apps.txt

It takes a minute to run, then creates intel-apps.txt on your Desktop with the name and location of every Intel-only app macOS knows about. Universal and Apple silicon apps aren’t included, because they aren’t affected.

Prefer not to use Terminal? Hold Option, choose Apple menu > System Information, select Applications under Software, and sort by the Kind column. Anything marked Intel belongs on your list.

Check a single app

For a one-off check you don’t need the whole list. Select the app in Finder and press Command-I; the Kind line says whether it’s Intel, Universal or Apple silicon. Activity Monitor shows the same for running apps: choose View > Columns > Kind and look for Intel next to the process.

Step 2: Add the Intel code you can’t see

Apps are the easy part. The things that surprise people are components that don’t appear in the Applications folder. Our guide to finding every Intel-only component covers each one in detail; at minimum, check:

• Audio plug-ins in /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins. Your DAW may run natively while one plug-in forces a project into Rosetta.
• Printer and scanner drivers. Old drivers are one of the most common Intel-only leftovers.
• Login items and background helpers in System Settings > General > Login Items & Extensions.
• Command-line tools. If /usr/local/Homebrew exists on an Apple silicon Mac, you’re running an Intel copy of Homebrew migrated from an old Mac. The native copy lives in /opt/homebrew.

To check a single plug-in or tool, run file on it in Terminal. If the output mentions only x86_64 and not arm64, it’s Intel-only. For bundles such as plug-ins, point it at the executable inside the bundle, in Contents/MacOS.

Step 3: Sort every item into four piles

Pile	What it means	What to do
Update	A Universal or Apple silicon version already exists	Update now. It is usually free and often faster.
Wait	The developer is active and has promised a native version	Note the promise and check again every few months
Replace	The developer is gone, or has said no	Choose and test an alternative this year, not in 2027
Keep alive	No replacement exists and you can’t lose it	Plan a Mac or virtual machine that stays on macOS 27

Be ruthless with the list. Many Intel apps turn out to be things you haven’t opened in years. Delete those now; they aren’t worth planning around.

Three questions help with the borderline cases:

• Is there a newer version? Check the developer’s website, the app’s own update check or the Mac App Store.
• Has the developer said anything about Apple silicon? Release notes, forums and support pages are the places to look.
• Could you do the same job in another app? If so, it belongs in the Replace pile.

Keep a simple tracker

A plain spreadsheet or note is enough. Use one row per item, with these columns:

• Name and version
• Pile: Update, Wait, Replace or Keep alive
• What you’re waiting for, or what you chose instead
• A date to check again

Give each of the four piles a deadline from the calendar below. A list without dates is likely to still be a list in fall 2027.

The “keep alive” options

• Stay on macOS 27 on one Mac. Rosetta keeps working on Golden Gate for as long as you stay on it. A spare Apple silicon Mac that never upgrades to 28 can keep Intel apps running for years, though it will eventually stop receiving security updates.
• A macOS 27 virtual machine. Apple silicon Macs can run macOS in a virtual machine with apps like UTM or Parallels. Keep a Golden Gate VM for the one Intel app you can’t replace. Test whether Rosetta works inside the VM for your specific app now, while you still have time to find another route.
• Intel Macs don’t help here. They can’t run Golden Gate at all and top out at Tahoe. An old Intel Mac can still run Intel apps natively, but it no longer gets new macOS features.

Whichever you choose, treat a machine frozen on macOS 27 as a special-purpose tool. It will eventually stop getting security updates, so keep it away from your daily email and banking.

What about games?

Apple’s exception covers certain older, unmaintained games that rely on Intel-based frameworks. It doesn’t promise that every Intel game will work, and it doesn’t cover game launchers, mod tools or anti-cheat software. If games matter to you, keep them in your list and check again when macOS 28 betas arrive next summer.

A countdown calendar

• This week: run the list, delete what you don’t use, update everything in the Update pile.
• By the end of 2026: contact developers in the Wait pile, and pick replacements for the Replace pile.
• Spring 2027: finish moving your work into the replacement apps, and set up any keep-alive Mac or VM.
• June 2027, WWDC: Apple announces macOS 28. Check the first betas against your list.
• Fall 2027: don’t upgrade until your list is clear, or you’ve accepted what you’ll lose.

Before you upgrade to macOS 28

• Make a backup you’ve actually tested.
• Run the list again and compare it with your tracker.
• Test the keep-alive Mac or VM before you need it.
• Read the first reports on your most important apps once macOS 28 is out.
• Hold off on your main Mac until nothing important is still Intel-only, or you’ve accepted the loss.

The short version

macOS 28 won’t save your Intel apps: apart from some older games, Intel-only software stops opening. Build the list now with one Terminal command or System Information, add plug-ins, drivers and command-line tools, and sort everything into update, wait, replace or keep alive. You have about a year, which is enough if you start this week.