Can I force a reinstall of Rosetta for Mac silicon?

Question

Can I force a reinstall of Rosetta for Mac silicon?

I was presented the Rosetta installation dialog when launching WhatsApp desktop (apparently an Intel app and the only thing currently on the App Store). I managed to cancel the installation during the OS request for password approval. This resulted in "An error occurred while installing the selected updates." Only option: Done button.

Now Rosetta install is no longer offered for the app launch; the result is the same error-occurred-during-installation dialog. I would have expected the same option as if I had selected "Not now" if the original install steps, before OS request for approval. I.e. the offer to install Rosetta the next time I attempted to launch the Intel app.

I've trashed my Intel app to force a download and reinstall by the App Store, but upon launching I still experience the same behavior. How can I force a reinstall of this apparently os-level library?

MacBook Pro (2020 and later)

Posted on Mar 4, 2022 10:09 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

dialabrain

Level 10

125,141 points

Mar 4, 2022 11:18 AM in response to Doogie Browser

Run this command in the Terminal…

softwareupdate --install-rosetta

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Answer 2

dominic23

Level 10

83,952 points

Mar 4, 2022 11:10 AM in response to Doogie Browser

Rosetta 2 will install on an Apple Silicon Mac.

If you need to install Rosetta on your Mac - Apple Support

Quote:

See the information labeled Kind:

- Application (Intel) means the app supports only Intel processors and needs Rosetta to work on any Mac with Apple silicon.
- Application (Universal) means the app supports both Apple silicon and Intel processors, and uses Apple silicon by default.

For universal apps only, the Info window includes the setting “Open using Rosetta.” This setting enables universal apps such as web browsers or email apps to use plug-ins, extensions, and other add-ons that haven't been updated to support Apple silicon. If a universal app doesn't recognize an add-on that you installed for the app, you can quit the app, select this setting, and try again.

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Answer 3

Mar 6, 2022 11:34 AM in response to dialabrain

Thanks `dialabrain` - exactly what I needed, worked like a charm!

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Answer 4

Mar 6, 2022 11:33 AM in response to dominic23

Thanks Dominic23, but I did actually know all that - my problem statement kinda described I had an Intel app, but yes, it's not a Universal app, and yes, Rosetta can be reached from Get Info. The problem comes when you accidentally cancel the install, specifically when you're doing the equivalent of sudo in the UI (password or TouchID). From the UI, you're now stuck, as described.

If you're an Apple Bot, hey Apple, here's some supervised learning for you. If you're not a bot, I appreciate the try. `dialabrain` actually posted exactly what I needed - a command-line way to force-install Rosetta. Worked like a charm.

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