A new version of the Office Suite for Mac has now been released, featuring an Excel app with complete native support for the new Apple silicon machines, according to MacRumors.
In the release notes of the new version, 16.57, Microsoft Excel is now capable of running on M1-powered Macs, including M1, M1 Pro, M1 Max, and upcoming M-chips, without depending on a translation layer like Rosetta 2. This means that everyone using one of the aforementioned chips will get better performance, while the programs will run more efficiently, sparing the battery when using your Mac unplugged. This is especially true for those using the Power Query function within Excel.
“Excel is fully supported on devices with Apple Silicon CPUs: Power Query in Excel for Mac is now natively supported on Apple Silicon processors. If you previously used Rosetta emulator to run Excel, you may now disable it and run Excel natively on your devices.”
The Rosetta 2 translation layer was built specifically for the ongoing ARM transition for Apple’s Mac lineup. It was announced at WWDC 2019 that this transition would last for 2 years, with rumors saying that Apple might complete their ARM Mac lineup in 2022 with a new M-powered Mac Pro, a new iMac 27” and more. The purpose of Rosetta is to grant developers time to update their apps before the transition is complete with minimum loss to the user.
This update applies to most of Microsoft’s available program suites, including Office 365, Office 2019 for Mac, Office LTSC 2021 for Mac, Office 2021 for Mac, and Microsoft 365, which are all available for online purchase as a one-time or as a subscription. The update can either be installed using the Microsoft AutoUpdate function found inside of Word or Excel or by updating through the Mac App Store. Using AutoUpdate can be done by choosing Help and then Check for Updates in one of the mentioned Office programs.
