Parts inside apps

Apps carry parts that macOS runs alongside them: a login helper, a Share extension, a widget, an updater. Each part is its own program, so an app can run natively while one of its parts is made only for Intel processors. Apple says it too: “Some apps might include or use components, such as extensions or updaters, that need to be updated separately.” (Apple Support)

Parts inside apps in the sidebar lists every app with a part that stops. Its verdict reads like this:

OPENS AFTER macOS 27 · TWO PARTS WON’T “Runs natively, but its login helper and Share extension are Intel only. After macOS 27 the app opens; those two parts won’t.”

If no app has one, the section says “No app has a part that stops after macOS 27.”

What stops

• Login helper: it won’t start by itself when you log in.
• Share extension: it won’t appear in the Share menu.
• Finder extension: its badges and menu items in Finder won’t appear.
• Widget: its widget won’t show.
• Quick Look preview: pressing Space won’t preview its files.
• Spotlight importer: Spotlight won’t find text inside its files.
• Plug-in: the feature it adds won’t load.
• Extension: the feature it adds won’t work.
• Helper: the feature it helps with won’t work.
• Background service: the work it does in the background won’t happen.
• System extension: the device or network feature it adds won’t load.
• Updater: it won’t be able to update itself; update it by hand.
• Built-in library: the parts that use it won’t work.

What it’s made of

Open an app to see WHAT IT’S MADE OF: the app itself and each part that matters, with what it is and whether it runs natively. Click a piece to see its technical line: the file inside the app and the processors it’s made for.

Some pieces say they don’t count, and why:

• Not used on this Mac: an Intel file with an Apple silicon copy beside it. Only the Apple silicon copy runs here.
• Not part of the app itself: a tool deep inside the app that macOS never runs as part of it, such as a tool it carries for other Macs.

These are shown so nothing is hidden, but they never change the verdict. That’s why an app that runs natively is called native, even when it carries Intel files.

What to do

1. Choose Check for Updates in the app, or look on the developer’s site. For an app from the App Store, update it there when a new version arrives.
2. Read again. A new version shows as running natively.