How do I restore the old Launchpad in macOS Tahoe

Kurnbread wrote:

Launchpad was the most advanced way to single handedly open an app. Periodt.

Perhaps for you it was. For me, it was not. I removed Launchpad from my Dock and kept on opening apps in the says that work best for me.

Kurnbread wrote:

Launchpad was the most advanced way to single handedly open an app. Periodt. They killed it so they could try to sell more Vision Pros

I can launch apps no-handed. Do I win a prize?

Tell Apple what you want to see here:

Product Feedback - Apple

And, while you keep hoping that Apple adds it back, try one of the third-party replacements.

Kurnbread wrote:

There are people who use a stylus (aka Spotlight) and those who do not (Launchpad).Unfortunately, the stylus people are in charge now.

Lol. I don't use a stylus (even though I got an Apple Pencil Pro to go along with my iPad Pro M5, I use it maybe once a month). I just put the apps I use in the Dock and it's a short trackpad move and a click/tap to open them. Mostly, they're already open in one of my several Spaces and use a three-finger swipe or the App Switcher (Command-Tab) to move between them. If it's an app I use infrequently, then Command-A or Command-U takes me to the folder and I double-click the app. Done.

There are people who use a stylus (aka Spotlight) and those who do not (Launchpad).Unfortunately, the stylus people are in charge now.

Never used a stylus on a Mac in my life. I can't even imagine how that would help launch an app. Prior to Spotlight being able to find them, I just opened the Applications folder as I've done for over 40 years.

wiggle321 wrote:

Of course this forum doesn’t drive Apple decisions, but it’s valuable for sharing experiences. I’ve filed feedback with Apple and encourage others to as well.

I have. The changes in Spotlight are great. I use command-space command-4 multiple times a day.

While LaunchPad may be gone, there are the same ways there have always been to look at apps as a grid. Even without a third-party app. I suspect the number of third-party apps, however, will diminish over time just as the number of "Finder replacement" apps has.

Apple devices will never meet all the needs of all the people who use them. I think expecting that is unreasonable. There will always be people for whom something different than what Apple offers is preferable for whatever reasons. And that's exactly why there are third-party developers. Apple doesn't have to expend resources maintaining something only a small percentage of users care about. Users still get choices and may even have more ability to influence a small developer than they ever would with Apple.

wiggle321 wrote:

Where I think we’re talking past each other is that this thread isn’t really about “Spotlight got new features” (or even “can you launch apps by typing”).

It was just an example of feedback I gave Apple regarding Tahoe.

I really have no interest in debating the virtues of LaunchPad over any other option. And there are lots of options.

I also don't appreciate that you deliberately misquoted me to further your narrative that I am uncaring or oblivious. I did not say "not worth the effort." Tone trolling is a waste of everyone's time.

Best of luck.

IdrisSeabright wrote:

wiggle321 wrote:

Where I think we’re talking past each other is that this thread isn’t really about “Spotlight got new features” (or even “can you launch apps by typing”).

It was just an example of feedback I gave Apple regarding Tahoe.

I really have no interest in debating the virtues of LaunchPad over any other option. And there are lots of options.

I also don't appreciate that you deliberately misquoted me to further your narrative that I am uncaring or oblivious. I did not say "not worth the effort." Tone trolling is a waste of everyone's time.

Best of luck.

Fair point, you didn’t write “not worth resources” verbatim, you wrote “Apple doesn’t have to expend resources…” No misquote was intended. Also, you didn’t use the term “edge case,” that was my shorthand for how resource/percentage language can land in accessibility discussions, not intended to be read as a quote or an attempt to put words in your mouth. I started with “I’m sure this wasn’t your intent” because I was trying not to ascribe motives, only to point out that intent and impact don’t always align, especially around accessibility-related workflows. I suspect we’d agree that minority usage isn’t a good reason to dismiss accessibility-impacting regressions, and if my wording suggested otherwise, that wasn’t my intention.

I don’t want anyone to feel personally targeted in a technical discussion. My intent was to address the general wording and how it can land, not you or anyone else as a person. I understand it didn’t come across that way to you. If you have a preferred way to phrase that kind of point so it stays squarely on the issue, I’m genuinely open to it.

I haven’t updated yet and I’m trying to understand what the built-in options actually are, and I think it would also help others arriving here via search who are trying to set Tahoe up in a way that works for them. If you haven’t looked into that, no worries, totally fair. But if anyone does know the answers, I’d appreciate it.

• Are Spotlight’s Apps results (⌘Space -> ⌘1) and the new Apps view/launcher the same feature, or separate?

• Can either be opened directly in a variety of ways (Hot Corner? Trackpad gesture? Dedicated shortcut?), or do you always have to open Spotlight first?

• Is there a pointer-only workflow without typing, without requiring small/tightly packed targets?

• Are there any controls for tile size/spacing/layout density in the new Apps view, or is it fixed? (I mean target size/spacing rather than global text scaling, because precision needs and vision needs don’t always correlate, for instance Apple Music’s List Size option can increase text and row height without changing system-wide text size.)

• Does the new Apps view suggest likely apps based on usage, and is it accurate enough to reduce typing in practice?

• I hear it sorts apps into categories, can you move apps around or create your own categories?

Best of luck, and thanks in advance to anyone who can confirm the Tahoe specifics above.

Barney-15E wrote:

Nobody here can bring it back.

Also completely irrelevant.

Nobody here can do anything, except try to guess / justify Apple decisions.

LaunchPad was horribly inefficient. I had to open a window, move my mouse around, click on something, maybe more than once if it was in a folder. With Spotlight Ieave my hands on the keyboard, cmd-space, type two or three letters and hit return. Way more efficient.

You could have just pressed F4 to open it.

If you had apps in a folder you could bave moved them out of the folder.

All way more efficient than your stumbling around.

Launchpad also had a search box

So, to clarify -

• Launchpad - Press F4, type a few letters
• Spotlight - CMD+Space, type a few letters

Glad you're now almost as efficient as the rest of us - keep working on it.

You could have just pressed F4 to open it.

No, I would have had to press fn+F4. I use zero of the meta-keys, so have it set to be Fkeys. Executing that shortcut requires stretching beyond the normal touch-typing region and is impossible because both keys are “assigned” to the left hand. So, I have to look at the keys to get to the shortcut.

If you had apps in a folder you could bave moved them out of the folder.

Everybody here complains about not being able to categorize them as they wish. As in, put them in a folder. If I didn’t need them in a folder (I don’t), I’d just open the Applications folder like I have done for 40+ years.

All way more efficient than your stumbling around.

I don’t stumble around at all because I never used the iPhone interface on my Mac.

• Launchpad - Press fn+F4, type a few letters

• Spotlight - CMD+Space, type a few letters

So, I guess you agree it is easier to use Spotlight since the shortcut is easier to execute.

perpdog wrote:

Nobody here can do anything, except try to guess / justify Apple decisions.

No, we can provide options for the system as it currently exists. We can also direct you to submit feedback to Apple, who can, should they choose, do something about it.

Complaining and speculating are actually not permitted.

JackSix wrote:

On the next release, can Apple give us the option for the older launchpad?

Nobody here works for Apple in that capacity (or at all), and we are prohibited from speculating on Apple decisions.

The one in Tahoe is a just a massive web of icons, hard to find what I'm looking for.

That’s how I felt about LaunchPad. Never found any utility in it at all.

@Barney

"LaunchPad was horribly inefficient. I had to open a window, move my mouse around, click on something, maybe more than once if it was in a folder. With Spotlight Ieave my hands on the keyboard, cmd-space, type two or three letters and hit return. Way more efficient. "

> Nope. Not for me and "those of use who can't stand using spotlight". I assume you're an office worker or writer, ie on the keyboard all the time. I'm a musician and use the mouse most all the time. I have no interest in leaving the mouse, typing cmd-spc, then typing in the name of the application. I have (had) a launchpad button set on my Logitech mouse, so I press that, then the click the app in launchpad. Badda bing, two clicks, no futzing around typing things in.

"And completely irrelevant. Nobody here can bring it back."

> This kind of sentiment is typical on forums. Nothing wrong with it. I see you have a bunch of posts. Surprised you haven't noticed this, nor the value of it. You really don't need to respond with a snarky comment, which is completely irrelevant.

"Perhaps they were just like those of us who couldn’t stand using LaunchPad."

When you look into it, you'll find quite a few people lamenting the loss of launchpad - those who aren't 'those of you.'

I taught usability for years at the university level. The smartest approach would have been to leave launch pad for "those of use who can't stand using spotlight," since it's at the OS level, vs making a change in a game, for instance. The sophomoric design of iOS 26 is perhaps indicative that they are putting the wrong people on usability. As far back as 2005 we had undergrads who were coming up with this same "glassy" look, with bulbous window corners, etc, very similar to 26. They were roundly criticized in usability testing, for all the reasons you're reading/seeing in the wild now. Then, Windows did it, and quietly backtracked and got rid of it. Now it's Apple's turn I guess. Steve Jobs famously said "we don't do usability testing." And there you have it.

FYI: If you invoke the ghost of Steve Jobs in support of your position, you have automatically lost.

This is technical support forum. If you want to argue about Apple's design choices, go do it on reddit or Facebook or X.

Your opinion of how it should work is completely irrelevant. We deal if facts, not opinions.

You make the incorrect assumption that I am trying to win something. Let the kiddies do that sort of thing.

You have decided that it is strictly a technical forum: Your opinion of how it should work is completely irrelevant.

IdrisSeabright wrote:

Owl-53 wrote:

We can live in Olden Days

And like the dinosaurs, perish

Or we can adapt and move on

You kids, always telling the old folks to adapt! /sarc

Age brings wisdom; wisdom brings the courage to question what we think we know.

So says the Sage of 🇨🇦 / 🇹🇭