Rosetta May Be Removed From M1 Macs in Some Regions on macOS 11.3

Installing the upcoming macOS 11.3 software update on an M1 Mac may result in Rosetta 2 being removed in one or more regions around the world.

rosetta 2
In the third beta of macOS 11.3 seeded to developers for testing today, MacRumors contributor Steve Moser uncovered new strings in the beta's code indicating that "Rosetta will be removed upon installing this update." Another new string reads "Rosetta is no longer available in this region. Applications requiring Rosetta will no longer run."

Apple did not specify which regions where Rosetta 2 would be "no longer available," and no further details are known at this time.


Rosetta 2 enables Macs powered by Apple silicon like the M1 chip to run x86 apps built for an Intel-based Mac. The translation layer works in the background when a user opens an app compiled only for Mac computers with an Intel processor, and automatically translates the app for use with Apple silicon the first time the app is run.

It's unclear why macOS 11.3 might remove Rosetta 2 on M1 Macs in some regions, but perhaps there are legal or copyright reasons involved. Apple did not immediately respond to our request for comment, but we'll provide an update if we hear back.

The third beta of macOS 11.3 also adds some new settings with imagery for mapping game controller buttons to keyboard layouts, according to Moser's code-level findings, but we are not fully sure what this entails.

Tag: Rosetta
Related Forum: macOS Big Sur

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Top Rated Comments

diamondsw Avatar
44 months ago
It they disable Rosetta then the whole Apple Silicon transition is dead in the water. No one will trust the platform to not vanish out from under them. Just knowing this codepath exists is horrifying.
Score: 53 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cmaier Avatar
44 months ago

Sounds like Intel's lawyers found something usable in the proverbial attic...
Nope. Then it would be the U.S., and it won’t be the U.S.

More likely it has to do with export controls - something about Rosetta is technology that can’t be exported to certain “hostile” countries. That’s my bet, anyway.
Score: 47 Votes (Like | Disagree)
calstanford Avatar
44 months ago
Hahaha. Good luck with those ARM chips then
Score: 37 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NexusUser Avatar
44 months ago
Wow, I just bought an M1 Mac Mini, if they remove Rosetta 2 then it's going back!
Score: 37 Votes (Like | Disagree)
turbineseaplane Avatar
44 months ago
"How to kill Apple Silicon Macs before they really even get rolling"
Score: 36 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TouchMint.com Avatar
44 months ago
Umm this isn’t good at all..
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)