Updated October 2026 · checked against Apple's current requirements
No. Writing Tools are part of Apple Intelligence, and Apple Intelligence only runs on Macs with Apple silicon (M1 or later) or a MacBook Neo. No setting, update or macOS version adds it to an Intel Mac. If you want AI rewriting on an Intel Mac, you need an app that doesn't depend on Apple Intelligence, such as Rewrite, which runs on Intel with macOS 12 or later.
Choose Apple menu → About This Mac.
Apple's requirements list Macs with M1 or later and the MacBook Neo, and nothing else (Apple's Apple Intelligence requirements). Apple Intelligence runs its language models on the Mac itself, sending larger requests to Apple's Private Cloud Compute, and Apple built that around its own chips. Apple hasn't announced Apple Intelligence for any Intel Mac.
| Option | What it takes | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Buy an Apple silicon Mac | Any Mac with M1 or later, or a MacBook Neo, on a current macOS | The only way to get Apple's own Writing Tools |
| Copy and paste into ChatGPT or Claude | A browser tab and an account | Works anywhere, but you leave your app for every edit, and the full text goes to the AI |
| Rewrite | macOS 12 or later, Intel or Apple silicon, plus a ChatGPT or Claude account | Rewrites in place in any app; the rewrite runs in the cloud, with names and numbers masked first |
Rewrite is a menu-bar app for macOS 12 (Monterey) or later, on Apple Silicon and Intel. In any app with a text field, double-tap Option (or any key you pick) and the sentence you're writing is replaced at the caret with a clearer version, in your voice. It takes free-form instructions like "shorter" or "warmer", and a double-tap of Control on a highlighted message drafts a reply.
It doesn't use Apple Intelligence. It runs on your own ChatGPT account (a free one works) or a Claude Pro or Max plan. Before text leaves your Mac, names, organizations, email addresses and phone or card numbers are swapped for placeholders, and the real values are restored on your Mac afterward. The rewrite itself happens in the cloud; Rewrite has no servers of its own.
| Rewrite | Apple Writing Tools | |
|---|---|---|
| Runs on Intel Macs | Yes, natively since v0.7.13 | No |
| Oldest macOS | macOS 12 (Monterey) | Needs a macOS version with Apple Intelligence |
| Works in | Any app with a text field | Apps using Apple's standard text views |
| Where it runs | Your ChatGPT or Claude account, identifiers masked on your Mac | On-device and Apple's Private Cloud Compute |
| Price | Free while in beta | Free on a supported Mac |
Free while in beta · macOS 12+ · Apple Silicon & Intel · signed & notarized direct download
Apple hasn't announced it. Its current requirements list only Macs with M1 or later and the MacBook Neo.
No. Apple Intelligence depends on the chip, not the macOS version, so updating an Intel Mac doesn't add Writing Tools.
Yes. Rewrite runs natively on Intel and Apple silicon Macs with macOS 12 (Monterey) or later, in any app with a text field.
A free ChatGPT account works. Claude needs a Pro or Max plan. Rewrite itself is free while in beta.
It's a different trade. Apple keeps everything on-device or on its Private Cloud Compute. Rewrite masks names, emails and numbers on your Mac, then sends the masked text to your own ChatGPT or Claude account. If no text may ever reach a third-party model, Apple's approach is the more conservative one.