How do I restore the old Launchpad in macOS Tahoe

wiggle321 wrote:

What's even weirder is the apparent need to get me to agree that you're right, that your preferences is thesuperior one.

? I did no such thing? There were two options, one of them required fewer inputs, only one tap, and less precise cursor movement. Those are objectively advantages, but that was only comparing launchpad to the workaround suggested, absolutely NOT comparing launchpad to spotlight.

That's exactly what you're doing. You're asking me to say that LaunchPad is objectively better than the current "Apps." I maintain that it is a matter of personal preference.

MacBook Pro macOS 20.01

I want my Mac to work for ME and with ME. Taking away the Launchpad has been a step back. How do I get my Launchpad back?

However, I do appreciate the colors added back to my folders. Those little dots were terrible for quick visual perception..

JF10752 wrote:

Have they fixed this yet? Every SINGLE TIME I GO TO LAUNCH AN APPLICATION I GET ANGRY.

In my years of teaching people how to use technology, both professionally and as a hobby, I've learned a number of important lessons. One of the most significant is that it's very hard to learn new skills or information if you're angry. Once upon a time, you learned how to use LaunchPad. You can learn how to use Apps (or Spotlight). But you do have to make the effort. The anger only hurts you.

My personal opinion is that LaunchPad is not coming back. But you should still submit feedback. I could well be wrong.

"Don't sweat the small stuff...and it's all small stuff." - Richard Carlson

This isn't about learning new skills. He's quite capable of using Apps or Spotlight. He's angry because it's annoying to have to go hunt for an app, when you previously had it in front of you in milliseconds with the flick of a mouse.

He's annoyed because he had organized his apps in launchpad, over years and years of use, in locations and groups that made sense to him and then Apple suddenly waltzed into his life and rearranged everything--without even asking for anyone's input.

It's one thing for upper management to replace the inboxes on your desk, whiteboard on your wall and filing cabinet with brand new equipment. It's completely absurd to walk into work one day and find out they've moved them to the office next-door, so every time you need to use them, you have to get up and walk 25 feet. Especially when you're one of the people who uses those all day long.

Telling that guy that he will better learn how to use the file cabinet next-door when he isn't angry anymore, isn't helpful. He knows how to use the file cabinet. He's angry because the new process completely interrupts his workflow.

Apple could easily bring back launch pad and make it optional in settings. Or, they could allow third party apps to use the hot corners. Either of those solutions would be acceptable.

Hopefully, Apple will come to the realization that "Apps" is useless because users already could search for their apps way more efficiently using Spotlight. It's way more efficient to use the same process for all your searches... I doubt any avid Spotlight users will even use "Apps." It's a place-holder for novice users. Whereas LaunchPad provided a different functionality that many users depended on.

Advanced users learned to pair it with a hot-corner and it was the fastest solution for opening apps. They are the ones who are most affected by this and the loudest voices protesting the change.

baneyw wrote:

He's angry because it's annoying to have to go hunt for an app, when you previously had it in front of you in milliseconds with the flick of a mouse.

Many people find change annoying.

He's annoyed because he had organized his apps in launchpad, over years and years of use, in locations and groups that made sense to him and then Apple suddenly waltzed into his life and rearranged everything--without even asking for anyone's input.

Fair point, as long as you keep in mind that Apple doesn’t force anyone to upgrade to a new version of macOS. Developer betas then public betas come out long before the official release of a new macOS. I have never used Launchpad, but I knew it was gone from Tahoe before I upgraded (which I did on launch day).

Apple could easily bring back launch pad and make it optional in settings. Or, they could allow third party apps to use the hot corners. Either of those solutions would be acceptable.

They could. Posting such requests here is as effective as whispering them aloud in an empty room.

Hopefully, Apple will come to the realization that "Apps" is useless because users already could search for their apps way more efficiently using Spotlight.

Apps is effectively a shortcut to Spotlight’s apps pane. Launchpad was an app, so Apple replaced it with another app. Presumably many people kept Launchpad in the Dock (where it was by default), and accessed it from there, so a replacement app is anything but useless to some.

It's way more efficient to use the same process for all your searches... I doubt any avid Spotlight users will even use "Apps." It's a place-holder for novice users.

So novice users don’t matter? Mmmmkay.

Whereas LaunchPad provided a different functionality that many users depended on.

Indeed. And many users couldn’t care less about it.

Advanced users learned to pair it with a hot-corner and it was the fastest solution for opening apps.

As an advanced user, I find the Dock is the fastest solution for opening apps. Hot corner with Launchpad is move cursor to corner, move cursor back then click. Dock is move cursor to Dock then click. One move and a click is faster than two moves and a click. No advanced math required to count the steps.

They are the ones who are most affected by this and the loudest voices protesting the change.

If a tree falls in the woods, will Apple hear it?

Do you dump all of your silverware into a drawer and search for them? Or do you separate them so you can visually locate them and find them? Muscle memory task can be very quick if you do something enough times. To me all I see is just a giant drawer with stuff just dumped into it with no organization. When things are in folders and you only have one hand free to use a mouse it makes it super easy to navigate. Now if you just want to use the mouse you have to scroll and hunt for the app you are looking for.

baneyw wrote:

This isn't about learning new skills. He's quite capable of using Apps or Spotlight. He's angry because it's annoying to have to go hunt for an app, when you previously had it in front of you in milliseconds with the flick of a mouse.

I'm sorry. I didn't realize that poster was a personal friend of yours. I can't figure out any other way you would actually know so much about what they are thinking based on such a short post.

He's annoyed because he had organized his apps in launchpad, over years and years of use, in locations and groups that made sense to him and then Apple suddenly waltzed into his life and rearranged everything--without even asking for anyone's input.

Apple does ask for input. It's called the Public Beta.

Apple could easily bring back launch pad and make it optional in settings. Or, they could allow third party apps to use the hot corners. Either of those solutions would be acceptable.

As it is unlikely that they will do that, my advice address the actual issue as it is now, not a vain hope for the future.

Hopefully, Apple will come to the realization that "Apps" is useless because users already could search for their apps way more efficiently using Spotlight. It's way more efficient to use the same process for all your searches... I doubt any avid Spotlight users will even use "Apps." It's a place-holder for novice users. Whereas LaunchPad provided a different functionality that many users depended on.

Yes, Spotlight is, in my opinion, the fastest way. But that's just my opinion. Unlike you, I don't presume to speak for other people.

Advanced users learned to pair it with a hot-corner and it was the fastest solution for opening apps. They are the ones who are most affected by this and the loudest voices protesting the change.

Again, the speaking for other people... Speaking as an "advanced user," I think hot corners are a waste of time. They require that I remove my fingers from the keyboard. Spotlight does not. I know a lot of the "advanced users" on this forum. Very few of them are protesting this, either because they don't care or because they've submitted their feedback in the appropriate way and have moved on.

But again, what I like or what you presume everyone likes is irrelevant. "Apps" and Spotlight are what Apple offers now. People either need to learn to use it or they need to find a third-party option they like. Staying angry about it serves no useful purpose.

zZKableZz wrote:

Do you dump all of your silverware into a drawer and search for them? Or do you separate them so you can visually locate them and find them?

If Spotlight could find them and hand them to me, I would. But physical objects are not digital information. The analogy is specious.

Muscle memory task can be very quick if you do something enough times. To me all I see is just a giant drawer with stuff just dumped into it with no organization. When things are in folders and you only have one hand free to use a mouse it makes it super easy to navigate. Now if you just want to use the mouse you have to scroll and hunt for the app you are looking for.

So tell Apple:

Product Feedback - Apple

I don't fit all my apps on the Dock, nor would I want to do so. My dock has 27 apps on it, and those are the ones I use >95% of the time. I have room for a few more when using the internal display on my 16" MBP (top), and room for a whole lot more when using my ultrawide 5K:2K display (bottom).

My Applications folder has 107 apps in it, and Launchpad is limited to showing 35 of them at a time...that means I would need 4 panes in Launchpad to access all of my apps. On the rare occasions when I need to open an app that's not on the Dock, I simply press Command-Shift-A and that shortcut opens the Applications folder, which is sorted by name in List view. Very easy to open any less commonly accessed app I need, and in a way that is faster than swiping to the 3rd or 4th pane of apps in Launchpad.

Having said that, I do sympathize with those who relied on Launchpad. I would not be happy if Apple took away the Dock and Launchpad was the only way to launch apps. But I like to think that I'd adapt.

Well, that's certainly not faster than Launchpad with a hot corner. You said the dock was the fastest way to launch apps. What about all those apps that don't fit on the dock?

Oh, you thought you were telling us something we don't already know?

Of course we put our most frequently used apps on the dock. Did you think otherwise? Like, maybe we deleted all the apps from the dock? Really?

We arranged our other apps in Launch Pad. We used folders to organize them. The apps we used the most were located nearest the hot corner we assigned inside Launch Pad, where it was most convenient. The apps we used less frequently were stored elsewhere, or in folders with related apps.

Many of us, also used spotlight search when our hands were on the keyboard. The problem is when we are performing (often many many repeated) functions when they are not.

I perform a lot of functions on my Mac that only require a mouse. One of those functions requires frequent screenshots. I use the screenshot app for that. I don't want to have to reach over to my keyboard every time I want to launch the screenshot app. Mouse/Keyboard Mouse/Keyboard/etc. I also don't want to store it on the dock, because it's just one of many workflows for me. I have better uses for the dock space. Same with utilities like Speedtest. I'm not storing that on my dock. But I use it all the time.

In 2011, assigning Launch Pad to a hot corner was a very popular idea. Many users like me have been using it ever since. Apparently you never discovered the beauty of this little hack. Whether or not you ever discovered it, doesn't make much difference. But if you've never discovered or used it, your opinion of it is meaningless. But just so you know: It was, in fact, the best and fastest mouse-only way to launch apps. Used when your hands are performing mouse or trackpad functions.

Also, your opinion of whether Apple will or will not bring back Launchpad is meaningless. They've brought back many nixed features before. If enough users express discontent with this decision, they will bring it back. Whatever that number is--and there is a number.

Also, your opinion of the merits of discussing this issue in this support forum is meaningless. Yes, many of us know that Apple may or may not see this discussion, or act upon the contents of it. The responses here are extremely helpful for people like me who went searching to find out if there was a way to replace Launch Pad in macOS Tahoe. They apparently aren't useful to you, so I don't know why you're even here??? Perhaps you just mosey along and mind your own business.

So you operate your computer/laptop without looking at it? It doesn’t matter if it’s digital or physical. When things are presented to you. You look at it (unless you are blind and use accessibility options) and interact with it. The physical mouse is not going to move itself. The physical keyboard isn’t going to type itself.

zZKableZz wrote:

So you operate your computer/laptop without looking at it? It doesn’t matter if it’s digital or physical. When things are presented to you. You look at it (unless you are blind and use accessibility options) and interact with it. The physical mouse is not going to move itself. The physical keyboard isn’t going to type itself.

I was specifically answering about the difference in finding a physical object versus finding a digital file. Outside of "Honey, do you know where I left my shoes?" we don't really have a way to search for physical objects without using our eyes. So, yes, finding some way to order the is very helpful. For digital files, however, we can use other methods than simply looking at things to determine if they are what we want. We can use the computer's searching ability, in this case, Spotlight. I don't need to look at a view on the screen and sort through icons visually. I type a few letters (and no, I don't look at the keyboard when I'm typing) and Spotlight finds it.

Oh, I also do a lot of interacting with my devices without looking at them or touching them, using Siri. That includes typing.

I think you might benefit by thinking outside the box a bit. But you use whatever methods work for you. It's all a matter of personal preference.

I would use whatever method that works best for me, but Apple took that away. Now I'm being forced to use a different method that is very apparent that a lot of people don’t like or want.

Either way the 26 update across the entire ecosystem is a complete dumpster fire.

zZKableZz wrote:

“Not for most people.” Definitely haven’t had the best experience with it myself so far. A quick google search says otherwise.

You weren't doing a Google search, you were asking Google's AI. Those are very different things. It doesn't matter much here as this is an unimportant question but you should really learn the difference before you ask an AI a question and trust the answer on something important.

Even what you posted said very little about actual numbers of people. And that's because AI responses are just stringing together words the way they've seen them strung together elsewhere. Most people who are happy with how things are working are not posting on Reddit or elsewhere saying, "Yay, I love macOS 26!!!!" The people who post are doing so because they're unhappy.

This is a very eloquent reply and nails it. Like said previously, launchpad could be better. It worked very well, was completely nonintrusive, and especially with trackpad gestures using it didn't involve the mental trainwreck of calculating the name of the application, how far it's indexed down the alphabetical list, whether it's worth the time to scroll to it, click, nothing happens double click, etc.

When I need to pull up another component it disrupts the entire workflow.

Completely baffling that they'd take this out since it's the system used across their entire ecosystem. I guess my phone's icons are going to go away to? On my tablet? AppleTV?

List / search makes sense when you're looking for something, but like said above, when you arrange your workspace, desktop, or file cabinet to suit your needs, having it suddenly be taken away is counterproductive.

I see a lot of senseless changes being make in OS's and am coming to the conclusion that people who have grown up accustomed to using phones instead of computers are beginning to contribute to ux design.

It also seems there are people who think our computers are unsorted mess heaps and we have to have index and sort for everything.

TBH I would be fine with the fvwm2 application selector, or any program selector, as long as it stayed in the configuration I set it up for.