You bought an Apple Silicon Mac (M1, M2, M3 or M4) and one of your older apps will not open — it bounces in the Dock and quits, throws "you can no longer open this application," or the icon is greyed out in the App Store. That app was almost certainly built for Intel Macs only, and it needs Apple’s translation layer, Rosetta 2, to run. This guide walks through installing Rosetta 2, forcing an app to open through it, and what to do when there is no Rosetta path at all.
Why an Intel app won’t open on Apple Silicon
Since 2020, Macs use Apple Silicon chips (ARM-based) instead of Intel (x86) chips. Apps compiled only for Intel do not run natively on the new chips. Apple built Rosetta 2 to translate Intel apps on the fly so they run anyway — usually so smoothly you cannot tell. But Rosetta 2 is not installed by default, and a few very old apps (32-bit or PowerPC) cannot be translated at all. If an app refuses to open, the cause is almost always one of three things: Rosetta 2 is not installed yet, the app is being launched in the wrong mode, or the app is simply too old for any Mac made after 2019.
Step 1 — Check whether the app is Intel-only
Before forcing anything, confirm what you are dealing with:
- Quit the app if it is trying to open.
- Open Finder and go to your Applications folder.
- Right-click (or Control-click) the app and choose Get Info.
- Look at the Kind line. It will say one of three things: Application (Universal) runs natively on any Mac; Application (Apple Silicon) runs natively on your Mac; Application (Intel) needs Rosetta 2.
If it says Intel, Rosetta 2 is your fix. If the Get Info window shows Open using Rosetta as a checkbox, even better — you will use it in Step 3.
Step 2 — Install Rosetta 2
The easiest way to install Rosetta 2 is to simply try opening any Intel app. macOS pops up a dialog that says an update is required to open the application — click Install, enter your password, and it downloads in under a minute. That single install covers every Intel app on your Mac forever; you only do it once.
If no prompt appears, install it manually from Terminal:
- Open Terminal (Applications → Utilities → Terminal, or search for it with Spotlight).
- Type this command exactly and press Return:
softwareupdate --install-rosetta --agree-to-license - Wait for it to finish. When it says the install succeeded, close Terminal.
Now try opening your Intel app again. In the large majority of cases it opens normally from here.
Step 3 — Force an app to open with Rosetta
Some apps ship as Universal but still misbehave on Apple Silicon — a plugin, driver, or older extension inside them was only built for Intel. For these, you can force the whole app to run in Intel/Rosetta mode:
- Quit the app completely.
- In Applications, right-click the app and choose Get Info.
- Check the box labeled Open using Rosetta.
- Close the info window and open the app again.
This is the single most useful trick for audio software, older creative suites, and apps with third-party plugins that have not been updated for Apple Silicon. If the checkbox does not appear, the app is already Intel-only and Step 2 (installing Rosetta) is all you need. Once the app and its plugins are updated, uncheck the box to get back to full native speed.
What to do when there is no Rosetta option at all
If Get Info shows no Open using Rosetta checkbox and installing Rosetta 2 still does not launch the app, the app is likely 32-bit or PowerPC. Rosetta 2 only translates 64-bit Intel apps — it cannot run 32-bit software, which Apple dropped back in macOS Catalina (2019). Your options:
- Check for an updated version. Many developers have shipped an Apple Silicon or Universal build. Visit the developer’s site or the Mac App Store and download the current release.
- Find a modern replacement. For abandoned apps, a current alternative is usually the only realistic path.
- Keep an Intel Mac for that one app. If a single legacy app is mission-critical, a used Intel Mac can run it — though that is a shrinking, dead-end option as macOS drops Intel support.
If the message you are seeing is actually "app is damaged and can’t be opened," that is a different problem — a Gatekeeper/quarantine flag, not Rosetta. See our guide on how to fix "App Is Damaged and Can’t Be Opened".
Rick’s honest take
Ninety percent of "my old app won’t open on my new Mac" problems are solved by installing Rosetta 2 once — the one Terminal command in Step 2. The Open using Rosetta checkbox handles most of the rest, especially for audio and plugin-heavy apps. Only genuinely ancient 32-bit software is a true dead end, and by 2026 almost everything worth running has a native build. If you are weighing whether to stay on Intel for one stubborn app, it is almost always cheaper long-term to move to Apple Silicon and replace that one holdout.
Common questions
How do I know if Rosetta 2 is already installed?
There is no obvious toggle in System Settings. The simplest test is to open any Intel app — if it opens without a prompt, Rosetta 2 is installed. If macOS asks to install an update to open it, Rosetta 2 is not installed yet.
Does running an app through Rosetta 2 slow it down?
Slightly, but on M1 and later the translation is so fast that most apps feel native. Heavy, sustained workloads (large video renders, big compiles) run best in a true Apple Silicon build, so update to a native version when one exists.
Is it safe to check "Open using Rosetta"?
Yes. It only changes how that one app launches and is fully reversible — uncheck it any time. It does not affect your other apps or macOS security.
Can Rosetta 2 run Windows apps?
No. Rosetta 2 only translates Intel Mac apps. To run Windows software on Apple Silicon you need a virtual machine — see can you run Windows on a Mac.
My Mac is too old for the app even with Rosetta. Is it worth anything?
Very likely yes. A working Intel Mac still has trade-in value, and putting it toward an Apple Silicon machine ends the compatibility headaches for good. See our trade-in options or browse the current Apple clearance deals.
Still stuck? Ask Rick.
If an app still will not open after installing Rosetta 2 and trying the Open using Rosetta checkbox, tell us the exact app name and your Mac model — Rick will tell you whether there is a fix or a better machine for the job.