Frequently asked questions

Yes, on Apple silicon Macs, unless the app gets a native version. Apple has announced that macOS 27 is the last release that supports Rosetta, the technology that translates Intel code. In macOS 28, Intel-only apps will no longer open; Apple keeps Rosetta only for some older games. Apps already built for Apple silicon are not affected.

In Finder, select the app and choose File › Get Info: “Kind: Application (Intel)” means Intel-only; “Universal” or “Apple silicon” means it keeps working. For a full list, open System Information › Software › Applications and look at the Kind column. Keep86 will include a free scanner that does this for you and points to native versions where they exist.

You can, on the Mac you have now, for a while. But Mac models introduced after macOS 28 is released ship with macOS 28 or later and can’t be downgraded to macOS 27, and older macOS releases stop receiving security fixes over time. Keep86 lets you keep your Mac up to date and still use the apps you depend on.

No. macOS 27 is free, and Keep86 downloads it from Apple’s servers during setup. Your apps need their own valid licences — the same ones you use today. Some apps may ask you to activate them again inside the virtual Mac, as they would on a new computer; that is between you and the app’s developer.

Rosetta 2 is Apple’s translation layer that lets Macs with Apple silicon run apps built for Intel processors. It translates an app’s code, usually before the app first opens. Apple has announced that macOS 27 is the last version that supports it for apps, so Intel-only apps stop opening on macOS 28.

Nobody publishes a complete list. Homebrew’s public package data, checked on 5 October 2026, marks 765 of the 7,780 Mac apps it packages as needing Rosetta — about one in ten. Homebrew mostly covers free and developer software, so this is a lower bound rather than a full count.

Find your Intel-only apps, update those that have a native version, keep the installers and licence keys of the rest, export important data to open formats and back up your Mac. Then decide for each remaining app: an alternative, staying on macOS 27, or a virtual Mac such as Keep86.

Keep86 is planned for October 2026, before macOS 28 is released. It will cost €5.99 a month, €27 for 6 months or €39 a year, VAT included, after a 7-day free trial that requires only your email address. Join the launch list and we’ll write to you only about the launch.

On the 6-month and annual plans, you keep the last version of Keep86 you received, and your kept apps continue to work with it; you only stop receiving new versions and compatibility updates. The monthly plan stops working at the end of the paid month plus a 7-day grace period. You can return at any time.

Install Keep86, enter your email address and type the 6-digit code we send you. You get 7 days with all features, and no card is required. The trial is available once per Mac and per email address. When it ends, your kept apps stop opening in Keep86 until you choose a plan; nothing on your Mac is deleted.

One Mac per licence. If you replace your Mac, deactivate the old one on your account page (or in the app) and activate the new one; it takes a minute. Moving a licence between your own Macs is fine; sharing it with other people is not.

Yes. The prices you see include VAT for buyers in the European Union, and the receipt shows the VAT for your country. Payments go through PayPal; where PayPal offers it, you can also pay by card without a PayPal account. Business purchases are not offered, because Apple’s licence allows macOS virtual machines only for personal use.

Use the free trial first: it is the full app, so you know whether your apps work before you pay. EU consumers also have the statutory withdrawal right described on the refunds page, including when it ends for digital content you start using. If something goes wrong, write to us; we read every message.

This isn’t known yet. Keep86 depends on macOS 28 still allowing a macOS 27 virtual machine to use Rosetta, and Apple hasn’t announced anything about it. We will test this on the first macOS 28 betas, expected in June 2027, and publish the result here.

We expect most 64-bit Intel apps that run on macOS 27 today to work, but we only say “works” after testing an app ourselves. Known exceptions: apps that need OpenGL or OpenCL, Mac App Store sign-in, drivers or kernel extensions, and 32-bit apps. The compatibility database shows each app’s real status and the date it was checked.

Those apps show a whole second Mac desktop in a window, and you work inside it. Keep86 hides that desktop: each kept app gets its own windows on your normal desktop and its own Dock icon, and the virtual Mac sleeps when you don’t need it. If you’re comfortable working inside a virtual machine window, UTM and VirtualBuddy are free.

A Mac with Apple silicon (M1 or newer) running macOS 27 or later. We recommend 16 GB of memory (8 GB is enough for light apps), and you need about 65 GB of free disk space during setup and about 40 GB afterwards. Intel Macs don’t need Keep86: they run Intel apps natively.

Usually you won’t need it: Apple says Rosetta keeps working for some older, unmaintained games that rely on Intel-based frameworks. Games that use OpenGL also won’t display correctly inside the virtual Mac, because its graphics don’t support OpenGL. Keep86 is designed for everyday apps, not for games.

The virtual Mac uses Apple’s paravirtualized graphics, which support Metal but not OpenGL or OpenCL. Apps that draw with OpenGL may open with blank or broken windows. Some apps switch to other drawing methods and work normally; the compatibility database shows the result for each app we test.

Signing in to the Mac App Store inside a macOS virtual machine isn’t supported by Apple, so App Store purchases can’t be downloaded again inside the virtual Mac. Many App Store apps already run natively on Apple silicon; for those that don’t, ask the developer whether a direct-download version exists.

Choose Apple menu › About This Mac. “Chip” followed by Apple M1, M2, M3, M4 or later means Apple silicon; “Processor” with an Intel name means an Intel Mac. The end of Rosetta affects Apple silicon Macs. Intel Macs run Intel apps natively but can’t install macOS 27.

Yes, for personal use. Apple’s macOS licence allows up to two extra copies of macOS in virtual machines on a Mac you own or control, for personal, non-commercial use and a few developer purposes. That is why Keep86 is sold for personal use only. macOS 27 is downloaded from Apple; we never host or redistribute it.

Only what the licence requires: a licence ID, a device key, a hashed hardware ID, an optional device name you choose, and the app version. Your apps, files and what you do with them stay on your Mac. The website uses no tracking and no advertising cookies.