This article provides information about compatibility of Meadows DesignMerge software when running on devices that utilize the macOS Big Sur (OS 11) operating system. In brief, DesignMerge software is compatible with Big Sur when running on Intel-based devices, and will also work on Apple Silicon devices if InDesign is run using Rosetta emulation. An Apple Silicon native version of DesignMerge is expected to be released in the near future.

Adobe InDesign Compatibility

Adobe InDesign version 16.3 and above are compatible with Big Sur. This version of Adobe InDesign will also run natively (no emulation) on Apple silicon devices.

DesignMerge Compatibility

The current release of DesignMerge software (v6.73b6) is also compatible with Big Sur, however, this version of DesignMerge is not yet natively compatible with Apple silicon devices.

Therefore, if you install this version of DesignMerge on an Apple Silicon device, you must force InDesign to run under Rosetta 2, which is an emulator that enables M1 processors to run Intel-based apps. The result may be somewhat slower processing. Here is a link to more details about how to set up an app to run under Rosetta:

How to Run Under Rosetta

What to Do?

If you are running Big Sur on an Intel-based Macintosh device, DesignMerge software is totally compatible and requires no emulation or special procedure (in other words, don't worry about it).

If you are running Big Sur on a new Apple Silicon device, you may install the current version of DesignMerge and run InDesign in emulation mode (which will be slower). As an alternative, you can wait for the next release of DesignMerge software, which will support native mode operation on Apple Silicon devices. We expect this release to be available on or before September 15, 2021. All current users will be notified by email when the release is available.

More Details

Please see this link for additional information from Adobe:

Can I run my Adobe apps in macOS Big Sur?