About & Privacy

What is Rosetta Check?

Rosetta Check is a macOS app and companion website. The app scans your Mac to identify which installed applications are Intel-only, Universal, or native Apple Silicon. This website aggregates data contributed by Mac users who opt in, helping the community see which Intel apps are most common and surface AI-generated migration guidance for each one.

As Apple removes Rosetta 2 in macOS 28 (late 2027) — knowing which apps need attention helps you plan ahead.

Rosetta Check is a single-developer project, built and maintained by Neil Johnson. The macOS app, the catalogue website, the blog posts and the data analysis behind them are all the work of one person in their own time. There is no team, no investors and no third-party SDKs.

The project exists because the Apple silicon transition is mostly described in headlines and rarely in numbers. Rosetta Check aggregates anonymous, opt-in scan data from thousands of Macs so the picture is grounded in what people are actually running, not what vendors say they support.

Find me on LinkedIn or X (@jonnokid).

The Rosetta Check macOS app is private by default. All scanning happens locally on your device. The app makes no network connections unless you explicitly choose to contribute your scan results.

What the app accesses on your Mac

• Application metadata (name, version, architecture) via Spotlight
• File modification dates to show when apps were last updated
• App bundle sizes to show disk usage
• UserDefaults to store your preferences (like scan on launch)

What the app does not do

• Does not collect personal information of any kind
• Does not make network connections unless you opt in
• Does not include analytics, telemetry, or tracking frameworks
• Does not access contacts, photos, location, or other sensitive data
• Does not share data with any third party

Contributing scan results is entirely optional and requires a deliberate action. When you choose to contribute, the app sends only a minimal summary of your Intel-only apps — no personal information is ever included.

What is sent when you contribute

What is never sent

• Your name, email, Apple ID, or any login credentials
• Your IP address (the server does not store it)
• Any files, documents, or personal data
• Apps that are not Intel-only (native and universal apps are excluded)
• Anything that could identify you as a person

• No cookies (except Cloudflare's security cookie, which we do not control)
• No user accounts or login required
• The server does not store IP addresses long-term

Website Analytics

We use Plausible Analytics — a lightweight, open-source, privacy-friendly analytics tool.

• No cookies set by Plausible
• No personal data collected or stored
• No cross-site or cross-device tracking
• All data is aggregated — individual visitors are never identified
• Fully compliant with GDPR, CCPA, and PECR without a cookie banner

AI Recommendations

For each Intel-only app we generate a recommendation that explains what the app does and how to handle it before Apple removes Rosetta 2 in macOS 28 (late 2027) — whether that means downloading a native build, switching to a maintained alternative, or accepting that the app has been abandoned. AI-generated entries are clearly labelled. The directory also accepts community-submitted suggestions, which our team verifies with a checkmark after manual review.

When a Mac that previously reported an Intel-only app later detects that the same app has been updated to a native Apple Silicon version, Rosetta Check automatically reports this as a "sighting". This helps the community know that a native version is available — even before the directory is updated.

What is sent for a sighting report

• The app's bundle ID (e.g. com.microsoft.Word)
• The native version number detected
• The reported CPU architecture (e.g. Apple Silicon)
• Your device hash (the same random identifier used for contributions)

How your privacy is protected

• Sighting reports contain no personal information — only app metadata
• The device hash is randomly generated and cannot be linked to you or your Mac
• Each device is limited to prevent spam — only 2 reports per 24 hours
• Only devices that have previously contributed can report sightings
• The website only displays an aggregate count (e.g. "Spotted · 6") — individual reports are never shown

Get the macOS App

Download Rosetta Check for macOS to scan your system and optionally contribute to the community dataset.