diff --git a/docs/install.md b/docs/install.md
index c40785ac..ec6e7f63 100644
--- a/docs/install.md
+++ b/docs/install.md
@@ -60,7 +60,13 @@ Check the output of running `npm install --verbose sharp` for useful error messa
 
 ## Apple M1
 
-libvips must currently be installed via Homebrew before installing sharp.
+If you are using ARM64 Node.js, which can be checked using:
+
+```sh
+node -p "process.arch === 'arm64'"
+```
+
+then libvips must currently be installed via Homebrew before installing sharp.
 
 ```sh
 brew install vips
diff --git a/install/libvips.js b/install/libvips.js
index 8c0f4a6b..b6026e28 100644
--- a/install/libvips.js
+++ b/install/libvips.js
@@ -74,6 +74,9 @@ try {
     if (arch === 'ia32' && !platformAndArch.startsWith('win32')) {
       throw new Error(`Intel Architecture 32-bit systems require manual installation of libvips >= ${minimumLibvipsVersion}`);
     }
+    if (platformAndArch === 'darwin-arm64') {
+      throw new Error("Please run 'brew install vips' to install libvips on Apple M1 (ARM64) systems");
+    }
     if (platformAndArch === 'freebsd-x64' || platformAndArch === 'openbsd-x64' || platformAndArch === 'sunos-x64') {
       throw new Error(`BSD/SunOS systems require manual installation of libvips >= ${minimumLibvipsVersion}`);
     }
diff --git a/lib/libvips.js b/lib/libvips.js
index 87e9bc44..6316f96f 100644
--- a/lib/libvips.js
+++ b/lib/libvips.js
@@ -37,6 +37,15 @@ const cachePath = function () {
   return libvipsCachePath;
 };
 
+const isRosetta = function () {
+  /* istanbul ignore next */
+  if (process.platform === 'darwin' && process.arch === 'x64') {
+    const translated = spawnSync('sysctl sysctl.proc_translated', spawnSyncOptions).stdout;
+    return (translated || '').trim() === 'sysctl.proc_translated: 1';
+  }
+  return false;
+};
+
 const globalLibvipsVersion = function () {
   if (process.platform !== 'win32') {
     const globalLibvipsVersion = spawnSync(`PKG_CONFIG_PATH="${pkgConfigPath()}" pkg-config --modversion vips-cpp`, spawnSyncOptions).stdout;
@@ -82,7 +91,10 @@ const useGlobalLibvips = function () {
   if (Boolean(env.SHARP_IGNORE_GLOBAL_LIBVIPS) === true) {
     return false;
   }
-
+  /* istanbul ignore next */
+  if (isRosetta()) {
+    return false;
+  }
   const globalVipsVersion = globalLibvipsVersion();
   return !!globalVipsVersion && /* istanbul ignore next */
     semver.gte(globalVipsVersion, minimumLibvipsVersion);