Adobe confirms that from version 27, its flagship video and audio software will require Apple Silicon, signalling the end of support for Intel-based Macs and a decisive move towards Apple’s newer hardware architecture.
Adobe has confirmed that the next major release of its flagship video and audio tools will end support for Intel-based Macs, drawing a clear line under one of the last major software holdouts on Apple’s older hardware. From version 27 onwards, Premiere, After Effects, Media Encoder and Audition will require Apple Silicon, meaning an M1 chip or later, and will no longer launch on Intel Macs. According to Adobe’s own community notice, users who stay on version 26.x will still receive security patches for a limited period, but the new features, performance gains and AI functions added in version 27 will be reserved for Apple’s newer chips.
The change reflects more than a product decision. It is a direct consequence of how Apple Silicon is built. Unlike Intel systems, Apple’s chips use a unified memory design that lets the CPU, GPU, media engines and Neural Engine work from the same pool of memory, rather than shuttling data between separate components. That architecture is central to the faster exports, hardware-accelerated effects and AI-based features Adobe is now building into its creative apps. Apple’s Rosetta translation layer also cannot solve the problem in reverse: it helps Intel software run on Apple Silicon, but it cannot add missing hardware to an Intel Mac.
This is not Adobe’s first step away from Intel Macs. MacRumors reported earlier this year that Apple intends macOS 27 to be the last major Mac operating system to support Intel machines, with models including the 2019 Mac Pro, the 2020 13-inch MacBook Pro with four Thunderbolt 3 ports, the 2020 27-inch iMac and the 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro among the remaining holdouts. That wider platform shift helps explain Adobe’s timing. The company is moving in step with Apple’s own hardware roadmap rather than maintaining separate development paths for a shrinking Intel base.
The practical effect will be felt most sharply by professionals in post-production, broadcast, podcasting and motion graphics who have delayed hardware upgrades. Adobe’s subscription model means Intel Mac users will continue to pay the same Creative Cloud fees even as the feature set moves on without them. There is no lower-cost Intel tier. Users who need the latest tools will have to move to Apple Silicon, while those content to remain on current hardware can stay on version 26.x for now. Windows users are unaffected, and Adobe has separately expanded native support for Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Series on the Windows side.
For studios, the decision is another signal that Intel-era Macs are now in managed decline rather than active development. Security updates may buy time, but they do not alter the underlying ceiling. Apple has already stopped making Intel Macs, and Adobe’s latest move means one of the most widely used creative software suites is now fully aligned with Apple’s post-Intel future.
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