Sequoia Compatible App List: Will my macOS app work?

Downloading beta software to test new features can be fun, but it also has its drawbacks. When we’re talking about a full operating system (OS), things get even worse due to app incompatibility.

One of the good things about Apple is that its beta versions are usually pretty stable. Still, under-the-hood changes sometimes mean important things stop working. To help you determine whether it’s safe to update to the latest macOS, we’ve put together this list of apps that are compatible with Sequoia.

Understanding Application Compatibility

You can think of it as roughly four levels of operating system compatibility. An application can work perfectly, not work at all, require workarounds to work properly — or work with certain limitations.

To simplify things, we have organized the apps into these categories. Only those with some level of incompatibility are listed. If you know of an app that doesn’t work, let us know in the comments.

It’s also important to note that testing was conducted using macOS Sequoia Developer Beta 2, released on June 24. At the time of this writing, this is the latest version available.

Apps that did not work, had limitations, or were required in Developer Beta 1 may work in this release. Similarly, apps that do not work (or have limitations or require workarounds) in this release may work in subsequent betas. Although rare, apps that currently work may encounter problems in future releases.

I have personally tested most of the apps listed below. However, some are based on online reports. Those that I have not tested myself are marked with an asterisk

For these apps, I’ve included a link to the version history where available, so you can check if the developers have acknowledged the issue and released an update that fixes it.

Apps that are not compatible with macOS Sequoia at all

The following apps are, to my knowledge, completely incompatible with macOS Sequoia at this time. They either won’t open at all, or they’ll cause problems that prevent them from working.

Screenshot of macOS Sequoia showing the OneDrive app menu bar widget

Microsoft’s cloud storage service constantly rewrites files, even without changing any folders. This causes performance degradation—the app will use CPU and storage to read/write—and can damage your Mac’s drives.

Apps that require workarounds to be compatible with macOS Sequoia

The following apps are compatible with macOS Sequoia, but they require some interaction from you to work as expected. This can range from a simple button click to changing system files.

A common problem in many applications is the permission to record the screen. Apparently, Apple changed the way the system works in macOS Sequoia with user authorization for this feature required by many applications.

Apps built for macOS Sonoma or earlier will pop up a dialog asking you to authorize screen recording, even if you’ve already done so. This happens every time the app launches. Since each app handles this differently, we’ll refer to this as the “screen recording dialog” from now on and explain how to deal with it for each app.

macOS Sequoia screenshot showing a bug in the screen recording permissions dialog

AltTab usually starts after you log in and “refreshes” itself by restarting every few hours. This is usually invisible to the end user. However, due to the dialog screen recording issue, you will need to re-authorize it every so often.

Barman*

The screen recording dialog box displays every time I boot. Apparently this issue only occurs when I log into my account.

Clean shot X*

Initially, the screen recording dialog completely prevents the screenshot editor from working. This Reddit user discovered that taking a screenshot with the native system shortcut (Command + Shift + 5) and then using Cleanshot X works. The developers have not acknowledged the issue or provided a fix.

Screenshot of the macOS ClickUp application window

The project management app crashes when launched on macOS Sequoia versions 3.3.X. The easiest way to fix the problem is to download the newer version, 3.4.X, from the company’s website. Another workaround is to use the web version, which can be turned into a semi-native app using Safari’s “Add to Dock” feature.

DisplayLink Manager

Another app with a screen recording dialogue issue. Since it prevents the attached display from working, clicking the “Authorize” button can be difficult.

The workaround is to go to System Preferences > Display and temporarily set your DisplayLink monitor to mirror your Mac’s built-in display. Click the button and set it back to “Extend” or “Primary Display” as you normally would. This should be done on every boot. Using the “Screen Mirroring” menu in Control Center may be faster.

The latest DisplayLink Manager app was released in May. The company has not confirmed this or provided a fix yet.

Users of older DisplayLink devices, especially those with DVI or VGA connectors, may be out of luck. These adapters are no longer officially supported and often crash in DisplayLink Manager 1.10.X and later. There’s a good chance these adapters won’t receive a version of the app that’s compatible with macOS Sequoia.

Language tool

The grammar correction app displays a blank window on every startup. You can close it without any problems, and the app works just as well. Opening LanguageTool settings from the menu bar may display a blank window next to the Settings dialog, but it still works.

Adobe Premiere Pro*

Users have reported that Adobe Premiere Pro hangs a few seconds after opening any project. The current workaround is a bit of a nuclear solution. You’ll have to delete your preferences and cache (by holding Shift and Option while launching the app) and reload your plugins.

Apps compatible with macOS Sequoia, but in a limited scope

The following items may or may not require workarounds to work. However, these apps are not fully compatible with macOS Sequoia. Expect them to have fewer features compared to older versions of macOS.

Apple Music

This application may function normally or may have problems rebuilding the library. There is apparently no workaround yet. The good news is that the problem is not widespread, so there is a chance you will not encounter it.

BlueStacks Android Mac Emulator

Opening the Android emulator with other apps running causes Kernel Panic and the computer immediately restarts. Closing each app before opening BlueStacks and reopening them after the Android VM starts can help, but can also cause Kernel Panic.

Elgato Wave Link*

One report on Reddit mentions that the companion app for Elgato’s Wave microphones, Wave Link, is having trouble installing a virtual audio source. This means you’ll likely be able to use the volume mixer for every app except the microphone. Elgato last updated the app in April.

idle assets idleassetsd Unknown to many people, idleassetsd is a system process responsible for downloading the slow-motion screen savers introduced in macOS Sonoma. This app is expected to download a huge amount (i.e. “tens of GB”) of data if you install multiple screen savers. However,

It is known to “work illegally” and download such files even if you disable this feature. idleassetsd The solution to this problem on macOS Sonoma is simple: use a firewall app like LuLu or Little Snitch to block idleassetsd from Internet access. On macOS Sequoia, however, this may not be enough. This process can also use a lot of CPU processing power. If this is the case for you, you need to disable

sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.idleassetsd.plist

using the following command:

How to Use iPhone from Mac with iPhone Mirroring Featured Image

In this case, the limitation is simple. The iPhone Mirroring app requires a T2 Security Chip to securely connect to your iPhone. There is one Sequoia-compatible Mac that doesn’t have the T2 chip required by the app: the 2019 iMac. Other than that, as of the second macOS Sequoia Developer Beta, iPhone Mirroring has been working flawlessly.

Substitute*

One Reddit user said the popular icon replacement app is “buggy” on macOS Sequoia. No further details were provided.

Rogue Amoeba Loopback and Sound Source*

According to the developers, most of the Rogue Amoeba apps work. Loopback is currently buggy, and SoundSource doesn’t work. The official advice is to avoid the macOS Sequoia betas if you rely on these apps. You can also sign up for betas on the company’s website.

Reflector mds_storesApple’s native system-wide search feature can cause two problems in macOS Sequoia. Indexing is CPU-intensive, which is common in mdsthe main component of Spotlight, have been present here since Spotlight was introduced. On Sequoia, mds_stores, mdworker AND

may also display a message about a problem reading and writing a large amount of data to the disk. idleassetsdI wrote an article about this and

sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.metadata.mds.plist

which provides detailed information about both issues. In short, the solution is to disable Spotlight indexing with the following command:

This will essentially turn Spotlight into an online-only search tool. But it will stop Spotlight from damaging your SSD.

macOS 15 Sequoia Tiling Options in the Menu Bar

Apple finally introduced native tiling with macOS Sequoia. However, those using older Macs or non-Apple keyboards may have difficulty getting the keyboard shortcuts to work.

This is because one of the required keys is the Globe/Fn key. Intel-based Mac models from 2018 to 2020 that are compatible with macOS Sequoia have a “non-globe” Fn key. I haven’t been able to confirm whether the shortcut works on those models.

On an older MacBook sharing a keyboard with a macOS machine, the Sequoia doesn’t work. Likewise, the Logitech MX Mechanical Mini, which has native macOS keys.

Magnification*

One user reported issues with screen sharing and microphone usage during Zoom meetings. The issue may have been fixed in the latest version, released July 1, but the company did not specify that in the bug fixes.

Most apps are compatible with macOS Sequoia