diff --git a/components/esp_app_format/CMakeLists.txt b/components/esp_app_format/CMakeLists.txt
index 95e20d0341..27a3d2ffd6 100644
--- a/components/esp_app_format/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/components/esp_app_format/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -11,7 +11,13 @@ idf_component_register(SRCS ${src}
 if(NOT BOOTLOADER_BUILD)
     # esp_app_desc structure is added as an undefined symbol because otherwise the
     # linker will ignore this structure as it has no other files depending on it.
-    target_link_libraries(${COMPONENT_LIB} INTERFACE "-u esp_app_desc")
+    if(CONFIG_IDF_TARGET_LINUX AND CMAKE_HOST_SYSTEM_NAME STREQUAL "Darwin")
+        # On MacOS, the linker expects the exact mangled symbol name (with leading underscore)
+        # to be present in the object file.
+        target_link_libraries(${COMPONENT_LIB} INTERFACE "-u _esp_app_desc")
+    else()
+        target_link_libraries(${COMPONENT_LIB} INTERFACE "-u esp_app_desc")
+    endif()
 
     if(CONFIG_APP_PROJECT_VER_FROM_CONFIG)
         # Ignore current PROJECT_VER (which was set in project.cmake)
diff --git a/components/esp_app_format/esp_app_desc.c b/components/esp_app_format/esp_app_desc.c
index 60d5bbd823..e40c9fd5a7 100644
--- a/components/esp_app_format/esp_app_desc.c
+++ b/components/esp_app_format/esp_app_desc.c
@@ -20,7 +20,11 @@ static const char *TAG = "app_init";
 #endif
 
 // Application version info
+#if defined(__APPLE__) && CONFIG_IDF_TARGET_LINUX
+const __attribute__((weak)) __attribute__((section("__RODATA_DESC,.rodata_desc")))  esp_app_desc_t esp_app_desc = {
+#else
 const __attribute__((weak)) __attribute__((section(".rodata_desc")))  esp_app_desc_t esp_app_desc = {
+#endif /* #if defined(__APPLE__) && CONFIG_IDF_TARGET_LINUX */
     .magic_word = ESP_APP_DESC_MAGIC_WORD,
 #ifdef CONFIG_APP_EXCLUDE_PROJECT_VER_VAR
     .version = "",