Important Update: End of Support for Intel Mac and Windows 10 in Future SketchUp for Desktop Releases

SketchUp
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1

Hi everyone,

As we work toward future SketchUp for Desktop releases, I want to share an important system requirements update. To ensure long-term platform stability and to leverage modern hardware architecture, upcoming versions of SketchUp will see a couple compatibility changes. Those that we know will be impacted by these changes should also have received an email, but I want to spread the word to minimize future friction at update time.

End of Support for Intel Mac – For future SketchUp for Desktop releases, Apple Silicon will be required for macOS installation. Because of this change, support is ending for Mac models from 2019 or earlier.

  • If you are currently using an Intel Mac, you will not be able to install these future updates, e.g. SketchUp for Desktop 2027.0 (when available).

  • However, SketchUp version 26.2 will remain a fully supported legacy version for your device.

  • Your next steps: You can choose to stay on SketchUp 26.2, or you can upgrade to newer Mac hardware if you wish to update future versions of SketchUp.

Windows 11 Requirement – Additionally, future versions of SketchUp will require Windows 11.

  • This means that Windows 10 and earlier operating systems will not be supported. While SketchUp may still install on Windows 10, as an unsupported operating system, you may see unexpected instabilities.

  • Unlike the Mac transition, this generally focuses on a software update path rather than a hardware replacement.

  • Your next steps: To successfully install and run future releases of SketchUp, please ensure that you update your operating system to Windows 11 beforehand.

Complete requirements can be found on the Help Center at the Hardware & Software Requirements page. This page will continue to be updated as any new information comes our way.

Thanks for being part of the SketchUp community! Please feel free to drop any questions below.

Happy Sketching,
Dan

2

Thanks for the update. Since SketchUp Desktop 2027.0 is mentioned, can you share whether it is the next planned release and, if so, whether there’s an approximate release window? Also, will the Windows 11 and Apple Silicon requirements take effect starting with 2027.0? Even a rough timeframe would help users plan ahead.

3

I think they’ve made clear that 27.0 is the next full upgrade (as opposed to a bug patch) and that it won’t support Intel Macs. They may drop hints, and there are sometimes leaks by beta testers, but they never announce a target date ahead of the actual drop.

4

Hey again,
Steve is correct, the next release will be a major version release, 27.0. Also correct that 27.0 will not support Intel Mac.

As for timing, I cannot give a specific date, but I’d encourage you to look back to our SketchUp 2026.0 release to make assumptions about our annual release timeframe. :wink:

Hope that helps!
Dan