macOS Ventura includes support for Rosetta in ARM Linux VMs

Macbook Air M1 (Image credit: Daniel Bader / Android Central)

What you need to know

Apple announced macOS Ventura at WWDC this week.
The 13th iteration of macOS includes some pretty major updates to Mac.
One new feature brings support for Rosetta in ARM Linux Virtual Machines using Apple silicon.

Apple announced a slew of updates to Mac with macOS Ventura at WWDC this week, including a new feature that will let users take advantage of Rosetta inside ARM Linux virtual machines.

macOS Ventura will let users run x86_64 Linux binaries under ARM Linux using the same Rosetta translation software that lets users run Intel apps on Apple silicon. From Apple:

In macOS 13 and later on Mac computers with Apple silicon chips, the Virtualization framework supports Rosetta in ARM Linux virtual machines (VMs). Rosetta is a translation process that allows users to run apps that contain x86_64 instructions on Apple silicon. In macOS, this allows apps built for Intel-based Mac computers to run seamlessly on Apple silicon; Rosetta allows the same capability for Intel Linux apps in ARM Linux VMs.

Whoa this is wild. The new macOS will translate Intel Linux binaries running in ARM Linux VMs. https://t.co/sgYeW0n26wWhoa this is wild. The new macOS will translate Intel Linux binaries running in ARM Linux VMs. https://t.co/sgYeW0n26w— Wesley Moore (@wezm) June 7, 2022 June 7, 2022

Apple does note that Rosetta "doesn't support the bootstrapping or installation of Intel Linux distributions on Mac computers with Apple silicon using the Virtualization framework" but that Intel Linux distributions can run using the Virtualization framework on Intel Macs without the need for translation.

Applications of the new update could include using Steam inside of Linux or x86 apps in Ubuntu inside Parallels.

macOS Ventura also includes updates to its window management, new connectivity and productivity tools and new Continuity features including an option to turn your iPhone into the webcam on a Mac.

The first developer beta of macOS Ventura is out now, and a public release should become available next month.

Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design. Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9

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