How To Force Apps To Run With Rosetta In M1 Mac

writemereview
3 min readMar 26, 2021

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In this article, we have discussed the ways using which you can force apps to run with Rosetta in M1 Mac. With the introduction of the new M1-architecture built Mac Mini, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air, Apple has started to roll on to its most-awaited ARM processor architecture from Intel x86. However, in order to ensure that the apps that were developed for Intel processors can work efficiently on ARM architecture-based Macs, Apple built Rosetta. It is a translation layer that will help the Intel apps to run efficiently on M1 Macs. With that said, you can also run the native M1 applications via Rosetta and on that note, let’s get started with the instructions on how to force apps to run with Rosetta on M1 Macs.

How to Run Apps with Rosetta

It’s isn’t necessary that everyone would want universal apps to run with Rosetta using the emulation techniques. However, there are few cases where you might have to do it. So, the question arises, why would you need to force apps to run with Rosetta under emulation? After all, Rosetta would be emulating the apps, which is the indication of slower processing, and it will certainly lead to more battery drainage. Isn’t it? But there are certain reasons as to why the users would want the apps to run in Rosetta rather than natively running on the Mac. Primarily, it might be the requirement of the developer who only wants to check how his code is performing in both the environment: the native M1 as well as in Rosetta. Also, there are exceptional use-cases where a specific part of a particular M1 app might not respond well with ARM; however, the issue might get fixed while that part is run with Rosetta. So, whatever may be the reason, it’s actually pretty easy and straightforward to run applications in Rosetta mode on an M1 Mac. But, before we proceed further to the instructions, please be noted that you can run only the universal apps with this method– the ones that are coded for both Intel and ARM processors. This, by default, makes them run natively on Intel and ARM architecture-based Macs.

How to Run Universal Apps in Rosetta on M1 Mac

You can run universal apps in Rosetta on M1 Mac, using the steps that we have mentioned below. For this example, we have used Safari in Rosetta on the M1 MacBook Air. However, this can be done using any other universal app.

  1. On your Mac, you need to launch the Applications folder.
  2. Further, you need to head over to the universal app that needs to be run in Rosetta and further right-click on it.
  3. Now, you need to tap on the context menu that appears on your screen and tap on “Get Info.”
  4. Further, enable the checkbox under the General category that states “Open using Rosetta.”
  5. Now, exit the “Get Info” dialog box, and you are ready to move on.
  6. Now, whenever you open the app, it will be launched with Rosetta emulation.

So, these were the steps using which you can run universal apps in Rosetta on your M1 architecture-based Mac. The method listed above will be pretty helpful for the developers who want to check how their code is performing on their Macs. Moreover, this method can be used to differentiate between the speed variations of an app in Intel and the M1 architecture-based chipset.

So, what’s your opinion on these instructions. Have you ever needed to run an app with Rosetta on your M1 architecture-based Mac? Do let us know using the comment section below. With that said, if you are planning to buy a new M1 architecture-based Mac, you can easily check the compatibility of the apps.

Source: https://writemereview.com/blog/how-to-force-apps-to-run-with-rosetta-in-m1-mac

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