Wondering whether a specific app runs natively on your Apple silicon Mac or through Rosetta? On macOS Tahoe you can check each app’s processor type in a few seconds. This is different from checking your Mac’s chip, it tells you how an individual app is built.

Check an App’s Kind with Get Info

  1. Open Finder and go to your Applications folder.
  2. Select the app you want to check.
  3. Press Command + I (or right-click and choose Get Info).
  4. Look at the Kind field:
    • Application (Apple silicon) means the app runs natively on Apple silicon.
    • Application (Intel) means the app is Intel-only and runs through Rosetta.
    • Application (Universal) means the app supports both Intel and Apple silicon.

Check Running Apps in Activity Monitor

Activity Monitor shows how apps are running right now.

  1. Open Activity Monitor from Applications > Utilities (or search with Spotlight).
  2. Click the CPU tab.
  3. Find the Kind column. If you don’t see it, right-click the column header and enable Kind.
  4. Read the value for each process:
    • Apple means the app is running natively on Apple silicon.
    • Intel means the app is running under Rosetta translation.

Check with Terminal

You can also confirm an app’s architecture from the Terminal.

file /Applications/AppName.app/Contents/MacOS/AppName

The output lists the supported architectures, such as arm64 (Apple silicon) and x86_64 (Intel). An app showing both is universal.

Why This Matters

  • Performance: Native Apple silicon apps generally run faster and use less energy than Intel apps running through Rosetta.
  • Compatibility: Some older Intel apps may need Rosetta installed to run at all.
  • Battery life: Native apps are more efficient, which helps on MacBooks.

Checklist

  • Use Get Info to see an app’s Kind.
  • Enable the Kind column in Activity Monitor to check running apps.
  • Prefer Apple silicon or Universal apps when available.

How to Get More Help