7 Tips to Get the Most Out of Launchpad on Your Mac
Launchpad is an app launcher unique to macOS, and there’s no equivalent in the PC world. It allows you to organize and quickly find all the applications that reside on your Mac.
Sign up forfree
Forgot your password?
Create an account
*Required: 8 chars, 1 capital letter, 1 number
By continuing, you agree to thePrivacy PolicyandTerms of Use.You also agree to receive our newsletters, you can opt-out any time.
1. Use Folders
When you buy a new Mac, it will come with a few stock folders. These folders contain logical groupings of the applications that come standard on a Mac.
While this is a good start, your Mac will not organize for you beyond this point. Each time you download an application onto your Mac, it will be placed in themacOS Launchpadbut not in a folder. And soon enough, you will have multiple pages of applications to scroll through to find the application you want. It’s much faster to group similar applications into folders.
Although there is no limit to the number of folders you can create in the application, it’s best to keep Launchpad limited to one to three pages. You can group similar apps by dragging one application over another. This will create a new folder. You can then title that folder.
2. Keep Folders in Alphabetical Order
Once you’ve created multiple folders to organize your Mac apps, you can group them in Launchpad in a way that makes sense to you. You might choose to group folders on individual pages that all revolve around an activity you commonly do on your computer. This method keeps the number of Launchpad pages on your Mac to a minimum.
We suggest making them easier to find by placing them in alphabetical order. Every time you re-open Launchpad, the folder will be in the new location in alphabetical order. If you end up with an app or two that do not have other apps to group together within folders, it’s possible to either list them alongside the folders in alphabetical order or place them at the end of the folders, whichever works best for you.
3. Standardize Across Multiple Devices
Come up with some folders that work for you and your workflow and standardize them across all your devices. In this way, a particular application will be in the same place on your desktop computer as your laptop. Before long, muscle memory will take over, and you will be able to find your applications much faster.
The same practice can be done on your iPhone and iPad. When it comes to the location of your applications, the more similarities you may have between all your devices, the faster you can find applications on all of them. You may not have the exact same applications on your iPhone as on your Mac, but if your folder names are similar, you will still find your individual applications much faster.
4. Keep Your Organization Up to Date
You will only have to go through this organizational process once for every new computer or device you own. Remember that every time you download a new application, it will not be put into a folder.
You’ll have to periodically go into Launchpad and place your new applications into appropriate folders. If you make this practice part of your downloading procedure, it will be easy to keep your organization up-to-date.
5. Quick Launch From a Hot Corner
By default, you access Launchpad by clicking on its icon in the Mac’s Dock. You can also quickly launch the Launchpad by setting up hot corner on your Mac. You can do this by openingSystem Settingsand clicking onDesktop and Dock.
Scroll to the bottom of the window, and you will see a button forHot Corners. Click on the corner of your choice and set it to Launchpad. If you have multiple Macs, you may want to do the same on them. If possible, use the same corner on every computer, as this will help with muscle memory.
6. Find a Lost App With Search
Sometimes you can forget where you’ve put an app in your folders. This is especially true with applications you haven’t used in a long time. When this happens, you can use the Search box at the top of the Launchpad window to find any application as long as you know its name.
Click onSearchand start typing in the application’s name to find it instantly. Alternatively, you cansearch more efficiently with Spotlight searchusing the keyboard shortcutCommand + Spaceand find any application on your Mac.
7. Put Your Most-Used Apps on Your Dock
The Dock is the strip of iconson the bottom of your Mac’s desktop. Think of it as an extension of the Launchpad itself. A well-organized Dock allows you to find and launch applications on your Mac quickly.
Remove any applications from it that you do not use regularly. Do this by dragging the application to any part of your desktop. Make sure that it is your actual desktop and not an open window. Pause for a moment, and you will get a message to remove that application’s shortcut. Release your mouse button, and the application will disappear. This will not delete the application; it will just remove it from the Dock.
Similarly, go to your Launchpad and pull any applications you often use down to the Dock. Now, drag and rearrange your application icons in a logical order that works for you. You can set up all your Macs similarly so that muscle memory can do its job.
Unlock the Potential of Launchpad on Your Mac
There’s no doubt that the more organized you are, the faster you will be able to speed through your day-to-day workflow on your computer. So, taking a moment or two to manage all your apps in Launchpad will save you a significant amount of time every time you use your Mac.
Hopefully, you were able to put some of the valuable tips we discussed here to good use and unlock the full potential of your Mac’s Launchpad.
You can work more efficiently on a Mac that’s organized. So, here are some valuable tips to give you a head start.
Goodbye sending links via other apps.
Make sure you don’t miss these movies and shows before Netflix removes them.
You can’t call this offline, Notion.
These are the best free movies I found on Tubi, but there are heaps more for you to search through.
Unlock a world of entertainment possibilities with this clever TV hack.
