Microsoft released a new version of the Office for Mac productivity suite, which includes an updated Excel application that provides native support for Apple Silicon Mac devices. According to the release notes that came with version 16.57, Excel will now run natively on Macs powered by Apple’s M1 series processors without the use of the Rosetta 2 translation layer, which means that any computer with an M1, M1 Pro or M1 Max processor of Mac users can expect better performance and energy efficiency when working with Excel spreadsheets.
Excel is fully supported on devices with Apple Silicon CPUs. Power Query for Excel for Mac is now natively supported on Apple Silicon processors. If you were using the Rosetta emulator to run Excel before, you can now disable it and run Excel natively on the device.
The latest updates are available for Office 2019 for Mac, Office LTSC 2021 for Mac, and Office 2021 for Mac, which are available as a one-time purchase from retail stores or through a volume licensing agreement. Users can get new versions from Microsoft AutoUpdate (MAU). To use Microsoft AutoUpdate, start an Office application, such as Word or Excel, and select Help->Check for Updates.
The following is the specific update content
Excel
- Import data from local files with Power Query. Now you can use Power Query to import data from local Excel workbooks, text and CSV files.
- Screenshot Protection: Office now prevents screenshots and screen sharing of sensitive files protected by Microsoft Information Policy.
- Excel is fully supported on devices with Apple Silicon CPUs. Power Query for Excel for Mac is now natively supported on Apple Silicon processors. If you previously used the Rosetta emulator to run Excel, you can now disable it and run Excel natively on your device.
Outlook
- File Answers in Mac Outlook
PowerPoint
- Protect sensitive information: Office now prevents screenshots and screen sharing of sensitive files protected by Microsoft Information Policy.
Word
- Protect sensitive information: Office now prevents screenshots and screen sharing of sensitive files protected by Microsoft Information Policy.
- Get back to work faster while collaborating: When you disconnect while collaborating with others, Word automatically refreshes your document with the latest changes.
Apple has built a Rosetta 2 translation layer that enables Macs to run x86-64 code written for Intel Macs. In contrast to OG Rosetta (a version that allows PowerPC applications to run on Intel-based Macs), the code is not interpreted in real time. Instead, the translation process for Rosetta 2 happens entirely on the first boot, although there is a slight performance hit during the initial x86-64 instruction translation.
Apple says Rosetta 2 is a temporary solution for developers to make their existing Intel-based programs run on Arm-based Macs, meaning they will eventually need to create native apps for Apple Silicon devices. Notably, Apple ended support for the OG Rosetta three years after its release.