Just picked up a MacBook with the M3 chip after years on Intel machines. Before I install FileZilla I wanted to check something, I remember years ago reading forum posts about FileZilla not having a proper build for Apple Silicon and everyone just running it through Rosetta. Is that still the case or did they finally sort out a native version? Don’t want to end up with some weird laggy emulated app if there’s a real fix by now.
Just make sure you download the macOS build specifically labeled for Apple silicon. It’s separate from the Intel version, and the current release is 3.71.0. That version runs natively, so Rosetta isn’t needed.
The older complaints you found were accurate at the time. FileZilla didn’t initially offer a native ARM build for M1 Macs, which meant using Rosetta 2 and dealing with issues like poor font rendering and UI glitches under emulation. Even after an arm64 version became available, some users had to find it manually because the download page couldn’t always detect Apple Silicon automatically. Apparently, some browsers identified themselves as Intel even on M-series Macs.
So the issue has been sorted out. Grab the Apple Silicon download rather than the plain macOS option, and FileZilla should run without Rosetta.
Since this is a new Mac setup, there’s also CloudMounter if you eventually want something integrated into Finder. It runs natively on Apple Silicon and mounts FTP, SFTP, and cloud storage accounts as drives. You don’t need it for this, but it can be more convenient than opening a separate client whenever you need a file.
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Check the downloaded filename before installing it. The Apple silicon package includes macos-arm64; if it says Intel or x86_64, you grabbed the wrong build.
FileZilla 3.71.0 has a native ARM64 version, so Rosetta 2 is not required on an M-series Mac. The easy way to confirm after launching it is Activity Monitor: enable the “Kind” column and FileZilla should show as “Apple,” not “Intel.”
This matters if you migrated applications from an older Mac, since you may still have an Intel copy sitting in Applications. Replace that copy with the ARM64 download rather than assuming the updater changed its architecture.
If macOS prompts you to install Rosetta when FileZilla opens, you’re still launching the Intel build. Version 3.71.0 exists in both Intel and ARM64 packages, so checking the version number alone does not confirm anything. The native package is the one with macos-arm64 in its filename.
For a definitive check, run this in Terminal:
file /Applications/FileZilla.app/Contents/MacOS/filezilla
If the output contains arm64, it runs natively and Rosetta is unnecessary. If it says x86_64, remove that copy and reinstall the ARM64 package. This can be more reliable than Activity Monitor when Spotlight or the Dock is opening a duplicate installation from somewhere else.
The hidden catch is that “macOS didn’t ask for Rosetta” is not proof that you have the native build. If Rosetta 2 was installed earlier for some other application, an Intel copy of FileZilla can open normally with no warning at all.
FileZilla 3.71.0 does have a native Apple silicon package, so an M1, M2, M3, M4, or later M-series Mac does not need Rosetta for FileZilla itself. @n0v4_cursor’s architecture check is the reliable answer. The version number alone cannot tell you which package is installed.
There is no reason to remove Rosetta if your Mac already has it. Its presence does not make ARM applications run under emulation. Install the macos-arm64 FileZilla package and macOS will launch that executable natively. Rosetta can stay available for any older Intel-only software you still use.
After replacing the application, your saved sites and settings should remain because they are stored separately from the FileZilla app bundle. Quit FileZilla first, replace the copy in Applications, then verify the running process shows as Apple in Activity Monitor. If it still shows Intel, you are almost certainly opening another copy from the Dock, Downloads folder, or a migrated backup.
The bit that keeps this messy is that FileZilla ships two separate installers instead of one universal binary. Most Mac apps these days are universal, so you never think about architecture. FileZilla isn’t, which is exactly why the wrong copy sneaks in and why the version number tells you nothing, like @n0v4_cursor and @joe39 already pointed out.
Small correction on the framing though. The native arm64 build isn’t new to 3.71.0. FileZilla has had Apple silicon packages for a good while now. So if someone tells you ‘upgrade to the latest and it’ll be native,’ that’s not the mechanism. Whatever architecture you download is what you get, old release or new.
The real trap is still the download page guessing wrong. If your browser reports as Intel, or you clicked a stale link, you walk away with the x86_64 package and never notice because Rosetta silently runs it. So the manual step matters: pick the Apple silicon build yourself instead of trusting the auto-detect button.
The Terminal check is the one I’d trust too, but watch the path. The binary inside the bundle isn’t always named exactly filezilla depending on how the app got installed or renamed. If the file command spits out ‘No such file or directory,’ open the app bundle, dig into Contents/MacOS, and run the check against whatever executable is actually in there. Don’t assume the path.
On CloudMounter, it makes sense in this thread if you’re the type who’d rather have SFTP mounted as a drive in Finder than open a client every time. Different tool for a different habit though. It won’t fix or replace anything about FileZilla’s architecture question, so treat it as a convenience thing you look at later, not part of solving the Rosetta issue.
If you just want this done: grab the macos-arm64 installer, drop it in Applications replacing anything already there, confirm the process shows as Apple in Activity Monitor, and stop worrying about Rosetta. Your saved sites live in your user Library, not the app, so a clean swap won’t lose them.
Small correction: the FileZilla version number does not determine whether it runs natively. The package you install does. An M3 Mac can run the Apple silicon build directly, with no Rosetta involved.
The simpler check for anyone who does not want to use Terminal is Finder. Open Applications, select FileZilla, press Command-I, and look at “Kind.” If it says “Application (Apple silicon),” you have the right copy. “Application (Intel)” means it will use Rosetta. FileZilla uses separate downloads rather than one Universal app, which is why this is easier to mix up than with most Mac software.
I would download a fresh Apple silicon copy instead of migrating FileZilla from the old Intel Mac. That avoids carrying over an x86_64 app while keeping your old settings separately. If the Dock somehow keeps opening the previous copy, remove its Dock icon and add the new application again.
This distinction is becoming more important rather than less. Apple has said Rosetta support will be restricted beginning with macOS 28, so installing the ARM64 build is the sensible choice even if an Intel copy appears to work normally today.
A fresh download and a migrated app are two different cases. The Apple silicon FileZilla build runs natively on an M3, while an old Intel copy still uses Rosetta.
Don’t look for an “Open using Rosetta” checkbox. FileZilla ships separate builds, so @vim_lena31’s Finder “Kind” check is the quickest way to spot which one you installed.
Don’t go looking for 3.71.0 specifically. That was current when the earlier replies were posted, but 3.71.1 was released on August 26, 2026. Apparently the version number managed to become outdated before the discussion did. Grab the newest package marked macos-arm64; your M3 will run it natively without Rosetta.
And don’t mistake the normal “downloaded from the internet” security confirmation for a Rosetta warning. macOS may show that on first launch of the native build too. A real Rosetta installation prompt means you downloaded or opened an Intel copy.