If you've opened an older app on macOS 27 and seen a warning about Rosetta, it isn't a formality. Apple has confirmed that Rosetta 2 stays available throughout macOS 27, and that starting with macOS 28, Intel-based apps won't open. The only exception is a subset of Rosetta functionality for older, unmaintained games that rely on Intel frameworks.

macOS 28 is expected next fall. That gives you roughly a year, which sounds like plenty until you discover the Intel-only printer driver, the audio plug-in your whole project depends on, or the utility whose developer disappeared in 2021.

This guide covers how to find every Intel-only component on your Mac, not just the apps you can see in Finder, and what to do about each.

What's changing, exactly

  • macOS 27 Golden Gate: Intel apps still run through Rosetta 2. Apple's release notes state that if Rosetta was previously installed, it isn't automatically restored after upgrading; macOS offers to install it the first time you open an Intel app.
  • macOS 28: Intel-based apps won't open. A limited form of Rosetta remains for certain older games.
  • Universal apps are fine. Apps that contain both Intel and Apple silicon code run natively and aren't affected.

Apple started warning about this in macOS 26.4, with alerts when launching Intel apps. Golden Gate makes the warnings more prominent.

Step 1: Check Apple's built-in list

Golden Gate includes a list of Intel apps you've used recently.

Go to System Settings > General > About, find Intel-based Apps, and click Details. You'll see Intel apps opened on this Mac in the past year. Hover over an app to show it in Finder or move it to the Trash.

It's a good start, with two blind spots: it only lists apps you've actually opened recently, and it doesn't show components that load inside other apps, like plug-ins and drivers.

Step 2: Scan every app, not just recent ones

System Information can show every installed app with its architecture. Hold Option, open the Apple menu, choose System Information, then go to Software > Applications and sort by the Kind column. Apps marked Intel are Intel-only.

For a faster, copyable list, run this in Terminal. It checks the main executable of every app in both Applications folders and prints the Intel-only ones: 

find /Applications ~/Applications -maxdepth 3 -name "*.app" -prune 2>/dev/null |
while IFS= read -r app; do
  exe=$(defaults read "$app/Contents/Info" CFBundleExecutable 2>/dev/null) || continue
  archs=$(lipo -archs "$app/Contents/MacOS/$exe" 2>/dev/null) || continue
  [[ "$archs" == "x86_64" ]] && echo "Intel-only: $app"
done

lipo -archs prints the CPU architectures inside a binary. x86_64 arm64 means Universal. arm64 means native. Only x86_64 on its own is a problem.

Step 3: Check plug-ins, the most common surprise

Plug-ins load inside a host app, so they don't show up in any app list. On Golden Gate there may not even be a Rosetta prompt: audio producers have reported Intel-only plug-ins silently disappearing from Logic Pro after upgrading.

Scan audio plug-ins (Audio Units, VST, VST3, AAX):

find /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins -path "*/Contents/MacOS/*" -type f 2>/dev/null |
while IFS= read -r bin; do
  [[ "$(lipo -archs "$bin" 2>/dev/null)" == "x86_64" ]] && echo "Intel-only: $bin"
done

The same approach works for other plug-in folders. Common locations include /Library/Internet Plug-Ins, ~/Library/Application Support/ subfolders for creative apps, and /Library/QuickLook.

Step 4: Check printer and scanner drivers

Printer and scanner drivers are reported to be the single largest category of Intel holdouts, and they're easy to forget because you install them once and never think about them again.

List installed printers:

lpstat -v

Scan vendor driver files for Intel-only binaries:

find /Library/Printers /Library/Image\ Capture -type f 2>/dev/null |
while IFS= read -r f; do
  [[ "$(lipo -archs "$f" 2>/dev/null)" == "x86_64" ]] && echo "Intel-only: $f"
done

Files that aren't executables are skipped automatically, because lipo can't read them.

Step 5: Decide what to do with each one

Put everything you found into a list and sort it into four groups.

1. An update exists. Check the developer's site or the App Store. Many apps went Universal years ago, and you may simply be running an old copy. For paid apps, check whether the Apple silicon version requires an upgrade fee, and budget for it now.

2. A replacement exists. For abandoned apps, find an actively maintained native alternative. Do this during a quiet month, not the week macOS 28 comes out. Test the replacement with your real files.

3. The system can replace a driver. Many network printers support driverless printing through AirPrint or IPP Everywhere. Remove the printer in System Settings > Printers & Scanners, add it again, and choose the AirPrint or Secure AirPrint option if offered. If basic printing works, you may not need the vendor driver at all. You might lose some advanced features, like certain finishing options, so test what you actually use.

4. Nothing replaces it. This is the hard group: specialized hardware drivers, industry software, old plug-ins tied to archived projects. Your options:

  • Keep one Mac on macOS 27. It will keep running your Intel apps. Apple typically continues security updates for previous macOS versions for a period, though it doesn't publish a fixed schedule, and an offline or lightly used machine lowers the risk.
  • Render or export now. For audio and video projects that depend on Intel plug-ins, bounce or export affected tracks and archive the project while it still opens.
  • Contact the developer. Small developers sometimes ship an update when enough customers ask, especially with a clear deadline.
  • Don't count on virtualization. Apple silicon can't run Intel macOS in a normal virtual machine. Full x86 emulation exists, but it's far too slow for most real work.

What about games?

Apple says a subset of Rosetta will remain in macOS 28 for older, unmaintained games that rely on Intel-based frameworks. Which titles qualify, and how that will work in practice, hasn't been detailed yet. If gaming is the only reason you rely on Rosetta, you're in a better position than users of Intel-only productivity software, but don't assume every game will keep working.

A timeline that works

  • This month: run the scans above and make your list.
  • Next three months: update what can be updated, test replacements for abandoned apps, try AirPrint for printers.
  • By spring: the only items left should be ones with no replacement. Decide which Mac stays on macOS 27 or how you'll archive affected work.
  • When macOS 28 betas appear in June: test your remaining apps on a spare volume or a second Mac, not your main machine.

The end of Rosetta has been coming since 2020, and for most people it will pass without incident. The Macs that get caught out are the ones where nobody checked the plug-ins folder. It takes ten minutes to make sure yours isn't one of them.