Universal binary

Article summary

The universal binary format is a format for executable files that run natively either on both PowerPC-based and x86-based Macs or on both Intel 64-based and ARM64-based Macs. The format originated on NeXTStep as "Multi-Architecture Binaries", and the concept is more generally known as a fat binary, as seen on Power Macintosh. With the release of Mac OS X Snow Leopard, and before that, since the move to 64-bit architectures in general, some software publishers such as Mozilla have used the term "universal" to refer to a fat binary that includes builds for both i386 (32-bit Intel) and x86_64 systems. The same mechanism that is used to select between the PowerPC or Intel builds of an application is also used to select between the 32-bit or 64-bit builds of either PowerPC or Intel architectures. Apple, however, continued to require native compatibility with both PowerPC and Intel in order to grant third-party software publishers permission to use Apple's trademarks related to universal binaries. Apple does not specify whether or not such third-party software publishers must (or should) bundle separate builds for all architectures. Universal binaries were introduced into Mac OS at the 2005 Apple Worldwide Developers Conference as a means to ease the transition from the existing PowerPC architecture to systems based on Intel processors, which began shipping in 2006.…

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