Native

Updated: 09/12/2023 by Computer Hope

Native may refer to any of the following:

1. In general, native refers to software or hardware designed to run on a particular system. For example, native software only runs on a specific platform (e.g., Windows) but not on another platform (e.g., macOS) without an emulator or being compiled for that platform.

Note

If a program or game is cross-platform, it means it can run on multiple platforms.

2. When discussing a programming language, see our native language and native compiler for further information on these terms.

3. With computer files, see our native file format page.

4. With computer monitors and resolutions, see our native resolution page.