Rosetta ends with macOS 27 Golden Gate
Intel apps stop working
on the Mac.
macOS 27 Golden Gate is the final release of macOS to include Rosetta. When macOS 28 arrives in autumn 2027, Intel-only apps no longer launch on Apple silicon. Not slower. Not with a warning. They stop.
Until macOS 28, estimated 13 September 2027.
The official word
This is not a rumour. It is Apple’s own timeline.
“Rosetta was designed to make the transition to Apple silicon easier, and we plan to make it available for the next two major macOS releases — through macOS 27 — as a general-purpose tool for Intel apps to help developers complete the migration of their apps.”
- Since spring 2026
macOS 26.4 and later
Users get a system notification every time they launch an app that relies on Rosetta, telling them to move to an Apple silicon version.
- 14 September 2026
macOS 27 Golden Gate
The final release to support Rosetta. Intel-only apps still run here — this is the last year they do.
- autumn 2027 — estimated 13 September 2027
macOS 28
Rosetta is gone. Intel-only apps no longer launch on Apple silicon. Only certain older, unmaintained games that rely on Intel frameworks keep working.
“Upcoming changes to Rosetta support for Intel-based macOS apps”, posted 1 September 2026. Intel Countdown is an independent project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Apple Inc.
What actually happens to you.
If you use a Mac
- Every Mac sold since late 2020 is Apple silicon. If an app you rely on is Intel-only, it stops launching when you install macOS 28.
- Staying on macOS 27 keeps the app alive, but it also means no more security updates once Apple moves on.
- You cannot fix this yourself. The only fix is the developer shipping a native build — which is what this page is for.
If you ship a Mac app
- Build and distribute a universal binary. It runs natively on Apple silicon and still covers the Intel machines you have left.
- Your users are already seeing Apple’s nag screen on every launch. That is a year of friction before the app breaks outright.
- Dependencies count too. One Intel-only framework, helper, plug-in or installer is enough to take the whole app down.
Your move
Report the app you can’t lose.
Every report is a vote. We count them, publish the ranking, and take the loudest names straight to the people who make those apps — with a number attached, so “a few users asked” becomes something they have to answer for.
One report takes about twenty seconds. Vote for as many apps as you need — one at a time.
- Reports so far
- 0
- Apps named
- 0
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The most wanted.
Ranked by how many people said they cannot do without it. Updated the second you vote.
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