Do You Miss LaunchPad in MacOS Tahoe? Using the New LaunchPad, Plus a LaunchPad Alternative
macOS Tahoe 26 adds some new features, but it also has taken a prominent popular feature away on the Mac, and that is the removal of the dedicated LaunchPad app from macOS Tahoe. LaunchPad is the simple app launcher that is kind of iOS-like and has been on the Mac for a longtime, visible in the Dock for quick access to apps, and by keyboard shortcut. It was quite popular, so it makes sense that this change is impacting a fair number of Mac folks.
To be clear, while the LaunchPad app itself is removed from Tahoe, it has actually just been reincorporated into Spotlight, the MacOS Search feature. But itās not quite the same, either visually or in functionality, and a fair number of Mac users who really liked Launchpad are disappointed by this change.
If you miss LaunchPad in macOS Tahoe, weāre going to offer you two solutions. First, weāll show you how to use the new LaunchPad interface within Spotlight, and second weāll introduce you to a free replica app that brings a LaunchPad alternative to macOS Tahoe.
Option 1: Use the New LaunchPad in macOS Tahoe in Spotlight
Using the newly redesigned LaunchPad within Spotlight is an option for many Mac users, and itās actually pretty simple to use the app launcher.
- āØ
- Hit Command+Spacebar to bring up Spotlight, then hit Command+1 within Spotlight to bring up the LaunchPad equivalent app launcher in Spotlight
- Type the name of the app you want to launch or browse through the app listings or category headers to launch your apps from Spotlight Launchpad
Many macOS Tahoe users will quickly adapt to the new Spotlight Launchpad experience and find that it serves the same functionality they had before. Since may Mac users, myself included, have long used Spotlight as an app launcher anyway, the inclusion of LaunchPad into Spotlight like this makes some degree of sense. But itās important to remember that many Mac users specifically preferred LaunchPad and liked keeping the app launcher separate and easy, so the merging of it within Spotlight isnāt what theyāre looking for. If thatās you, the next solution might be preferable to you.
Option 2: Use Launchie, a Free LaunchPad Replacement for Mac
Launchie is a free app available on Github that aims to replicate the look, feel, and functionality of the original LaunchPad. Itās not a precise replica, but itāll be close enough for many Tahoe users who miss the old LaunchPad.
- āØ
- Get Launchie free from Github here (or the app site here)
- Open Launchie and drag it into your Dock on the far left, just like the original LaunchPad
- Access Launchie at any time with the universal keystroke: Command+K (this can be customized if you wish)
āØ
(By the way, I’m using the Clear icon appearance in Tahoe which is why the icons are subdued in color, but if you use the default colorful icons they’ll look like your standard MacOS app icons as they did in prior versions of MacOS and Launchpad)
Launchie has many of the original Launchpad features available to it, including the ability to drag and drop to reorder the apps, custom folder options for organizing, and customizable keyboard shortcuts and hotkeys.
Can I restore the old LaunchPad to MacOS Tahoe?
A fair amount of people are wondering if it’s possible to restore the old LaunchPad again in MacOS Tahoe 26, but as of now that does not seem to be possible. If you still have a Mac running Sequoia, you might be able to copy the Launchpad.app into Tahoe and see if it runs for you, but I haven’t tried this directly myself though I will explore this later, and there are not any successful reports online of anyone getting that approach to work. Just assume that you can’t restore the old Launchpad to MacOS Tahoe, and use either the new Launchpad experience, or a third party app like Launchie. If there’s any change to this as an option, we’ll keep you updated.
–
macOS Tahoe 26 brings some significant visual changes to the Mac with the introduction of the Liquid Glass interface scheme, along with some new features too, but the removal of LaunchPad has been particularly frustrating for some Mac users. Try out the two solutions above and see which works for you.
What do you think? Do you like the new Launchpad interface within Spotlight on Tahoe, or do you miss and prefer the old classic LaunchPad? Did you find another LaunchPad alternative, or a different approach to using LaunchPad in macOS Tahoe? Are you postponing your upgrade to MacOS Tahoe because of this, or any other reason? Share your experiences, thoughts, and ideas in the comments!
I miss Launchpad as I used to categorise my apps, eg, photography, office, system, etc. I hardly remembered the names of the apps (old age), but I remembered the categories and the icons. A bit Lounchpad is gone.
I’ve never used Launchpad but I feel for you guys who used it. Here’s what I use: Drag the Applications folder onto the dock, and right-click on it and set it to “Grid”. Now when you click the Applications folder in your dock, it brings up something very similar to Launchpad. I’ve used this for years and years, and it works great for me..
Removing Launchpad was a huge mistake. What did Apple have to lose by keeping it AND adding the new Spotlight search?! People who chime in to say “I never used it in X number of years” come across as arrogant IMHO. A decent, humane response would be “I never used it but Apple should have kept it for those that did”. This reminds me of why the touchbar was such a failure when it could have been a resounding success. It failed because Apple added it to replace the F-keys rather than adding it above that row of physical keys. Users should be given OPTIONS! Don’t want to use a feature? Then don’t. But don’t force that choice on everyone that wants to keep using said feature.
Is that your biggest problem, that people did not care about your usage of Launchpad?
Those screen shots remind me of Windows 11 Start menu. Just wondering who is copying who? The original LauchPad just felt more like something for a tablet then a Mac. I never used it, mostly because I used Mac’s before that feature came about. Snow Leopard still my fav MacOS or back then OSX. Simple straight forward UI nothing special but it worked.
Have not upgraded any devices to 26 yet, waiting for a couple revisions to fix bugs. LaunchPad for me was never a feature when I started using Mac’s so I never really bothered using it. But like anything you do use and count on, when that goes away its a retraining of your muscle memory. I imagine if it gets much attention a developer may try replicating its function, or reactivate it if its still buried somewhere in 26. I am one who doesn’t like change either unless it really fixes something that truly is broken.
Before I upgraded to macOS 26, I had created a keyboard shortcut for the LaunchPad (Command+Option+L). After upgrading, that keyboard shortcut is still there, but it opens the Applications window of Spotlight, which can function as a LaunchPad. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a way to create a new keyboard shortcut for Spotlight.
I notice that OSXdaily’s presentation of the LaunchPad substitute, is set out in Alphabetical order.
What is the secret to enable this luxury to occur?
Perhaps it is necessary to use it frequently? I just revisited the twenty icon display to find a high use App demoted from its bottom row position to its alphabetical location. If the miniturised substitute was cabable of expansion, and being left in a selected area for at least the remainder of the session, then those with less nimble fingers would be somewhat less dissatisfied.
In my experience Apple are guilty of publishing lists in random order, and that is unhelpful.
I have never used Launchpad in its various guises in all the 40 years I have been using Macs. I use Spotlight and Spotlight alone, Same on my iPhone or iPad.
I dont have time to look through the 80 to 100 plus Apps that I use so I simply search by their name, bastante rapido! In fact pretty much anyone would be mad to use Launchpad if they know the name of the App.
Typical. Techies make totally unhelpful changes. If they have gone where I sent them, they should be very warm.
A french web site gives a way to restaure the old LaunchPad :
https://www.macg.co/macos/2025/07/astuce-reactivez-lancien-spotlight-et-launchpad-dans-macos-26-302413
I haven’t try it as I stay on Sequoia :)
This was a handy trick, but it no longer works in the final release version of Tahoe and breaks Spotlight by implementing. Perhaps Apple will allow it again in the future, and they should! More user choice is always better!
Launchpad was “simply” more transparent in full screen mode.