Retroactive
Retroactive is a free utility that allows users to run discontinued Apple applications on newer versions of macOS. It enables older versions of professional and productivity apps — such as Aperture, iPhoto, iTunes, Final Cut Pro 7, Logic Pro 9, and iWork '09 — to function on modern macOS releases including Ventura, Monterey, Big Sur, Catalina, Mojave and High Sierra. The tool is popular with creative professionals, photographers, and users who rely on legacy workflows that have not been ported to current software versions.
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1 suggestionRetroactive itself is a tool for running Intel-era discontinued apps on Intel Macs, and there is no evidence of active development or a native Apple Silicon build. The last publicly documented release was version 2.0. The fundamental issue is that Retroactive's purpose — enabling old Intel applications to run on newer macOS — depends on Rosetta 2 being present. When Apple removes Rosetta 2 in macOS 28 (September 2028), Retroactive will cease to work, and the legacy apps it helps run will also stop launching. If you are using Retroactive to keep an older professional app alive, you have approximately 27 months to either upgrade to a modern native alternative (if one exists for your workflow) or migrate your files and data to a current tool. Contact the Retroactive developer to ask whether a native Apple Silicon build or a successor tool is planned, but do not rely on this utility as a long-term solution past September 2028. For specific legacy apps, check the vendor's website — many older discontinued applications (such as Aperture by Apple, or Final Cut Pro 7) have modern native replacements or cloud-based alternatives that will continue to work on future macOS releases.
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