Rosetta Check
Rosetta Check is a macOS utility that scans installed apps and plug-ins to show which still rely on Rosetta and which are native to Apple Silicon.
What is Rosetta Check?
Rosetta Check is a Mac utility for auditing software compatibility during the Apple Silicon transition. It helps users identify which installed apps, plug-ins, drivers, and embedded components still depend on Rosetta, so they can plan updates or replacements before those Intel-only components become a problem. The app highlights whether software is Intel-only, Universal, or native Apple Silicon, and it can surface App Store availability and migration guidance for detected items. This makes it useful for individual Mac users, IT teams, and anyone maintaining a mixed software setup on Apple Silicon hardware. Rosetta Check is published by Neil Johnson and is designed for macOS workflows where checking app architecture and future compatibility matters.
Key features
- Scan installed Mac apps to identify Intel-only, Universal, and Apple Silicon software.
- Detect Intel-based plug-ins and embedded components inside app bundles.
- Show which items still require Rosetta to run on Apple Silicon Macs.
- Help plan upgrades or replacements for older Intel-only software.
- Check whether a native version is available for some detected apps.
- Export scan results for review or fleet management workflows.
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Safety overview
Status: Mostly safe
Rosetta Check's behavior is consistent with its purpose as a compatibility-audit utility. It reads app metadata on your Mac to determine architecture and can make network requests for App Store lookups and community recommendations. An optional community-sharing feature can upload anonymous app metadata if you enable it, so review that setting if you do not want to contribute scan results.
Recommendation: Keep Rosetta Check if you want an easy way to review which apps and plug-ins on your Mac still depend on Rosetta. If you have already finished your compatibility audit and no longer use the app, removing it should mainly affect saved scan history and any export workflow you set up.
Common paths
/Applications/Rosetta Check.app
Support paths
~/Library/Containers/com.neiljohn.rosettacheck/Data/Library/Application Support/RosettaCheck
Preference paths
~/Library/Containers/com.neiljohn.rosettacheck/Data/Library/Preferences/com.neiljohn.rosettacheck.plist
Container paths
~/Library/Containers/com.neiljohn.rosettacheck
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