Port your existing macOS app to Apple silicon by creating a universal binary and modifying your code to handle architectural differences. A universal binary looks no different than a regular app, but its executable file contains two versions of your compiled code. One version runs natively on Apple silicon, and the other runs natively on Intel-based Mac computers. At runtime, the system automatically chooses which version to run on the current platform.
To build a universal binary, you need Xcode 12 or a later version, which adds arm64 to the standard list of build architectures for macOS binaries. When you open your project and do a clean build, Xcode creates a universal binary automatically if your project uses the standard architectures. If you use custom makefiles or build scripts, add the arm64 architecture to your build system.
After you create a universal binary, test it on both architectures and determine whether you need to make additional changes. macOS frameworks shield apps from most architectural differences between platforms, but some differences may still require you to change your code. In addition, architectural differences may affect your app’s performance and require further changes.
