Launchpad screenshots

Bring back Launchpad


In macOS 26 Tahoe, after fourteen years of service, Launchpad was killed. Since 2011, millions of people used it countless times per day to visually organise and quickly launch apps they need. Starting with macOS Big Turd Sur, Apple developers has been destroying the system beautiful UI, adding low-effort features and "fixing" what worked well.

With Launchpad, I say no more! For me, it's like Start menu on Windows. I don't want to add all apps I need to my Dock. I don't want to type in Spotlight every time I need to open something not in my Dock. macOS is not a ChatGPT! Below are options to bring the Launchpad back:

Update: the best Launchpad clone at the moment – LINK

Method #1: Terminal commands

⚠️ Not working since macOS 26.0 beta 5

1. Open terminal and type sudo mkdir -p /Library/Preferences/FeatureFlags/Domain
2. Enter your password
3. Type sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/FeatureFlags/Domain/SpotlightUI.plist SpotlightPlus -dict Enabled -bool false
4. Reboot

Method #2: Creating a folder with aliases

1. Create a new folder somewhere, then go to Applications folder. ⌘+A to select all apps, then choose 'Make Alias' in the context menu. Move all created aliases to your folder
2. Add your folder with aliases to the Dock
3. Right click on the folder in Dock to change how it looks and how content is shown

This "solution" from the past may come in handy if you use 5 to 10 apps frequently. However, you can't reorder anything, the grid is a mess, and your Dock has one extra folder.

Note, that the content in folder can't be reordered

Method #3: Third-party apps

Although nothing can compare to the native solution, third-party apps may recreate the look and feel of the Apple Launchpad.

As of September 2025, my #1 choice for Launchpad alternative is AppHub. It features design similar to the original Launchpad, smooth animations and icon movement, advanced grid customization, keyboard controls, dark mode, and more: 

AppHub link Download trial version

Other honorable mentions include QAL Pro (not a Launchpad clone, but can be used as some kind of an alternative), and LaunchNow (only basic functionality).

Contact me

Tell about your ideas on how to bring the Launchpad back.
But please don't write me from @t-online.de mail. It blocks all my attempts to respond!

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