How to remove icons from Launchpad that do not have "X"

I looked up that Launchpad Cleaner program at the link above, and it seems pretty cool. I also came across and ultimately decided to go with the other one talked about in this discussion a FREE shareware program called Launchpad Controller. It's a pretty cool tiny app that adds itself to the "System Preferences" panel, and it basically adds a "Preferences page for Launchpad" to your system. Simply, it lets you turn on/off icons in "Launchpad" as you like, and does not affect any of the other functions of Launchpad.

It's actually a BETTER fix than if Launchpad was working correctly for me anyhow. As it turns out, when one checks the "x" on the icons (when they are jiggling) they are also deleting the program from their

applications folder (dumb huh) [Like what if someone had checked the "x" on an uninstall app? LAME].

So, here is the link to the website (it's in Danish I think, you can google translate it) to learn more about it, but it was a great solution to my problem.

Launchpad Controller: http://chaosspace.de/launchpad-control/

I've found a way to clean it up without using any of these other apps like AppCleaner etc.

Please follow instructions on this link.

http://toucharcades.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/clean-out-launchpad-completely.html

It also contains instructions on how to put them back if you wished too.

Its basically using a command which is on the link in the Terminal application to do it for you. It's easy to pick and choose which ones you want in there afterwards.

Although the terminal command does remove the icons, it also corrupts the database. Once you've done it, OS X Lion will re-populate all of your icons every time you restart your computer, or log out, then log back on.

Google "Launchpad Manager" instead - there are some really good apps out there that do it for you - for free.

They also have in-app purchase options for advanced operations like alphabetical ordering and saving your launchpad layout.

Nikolai Yde wrote:

Finder > Applications. Drag the application OUT of the Applications folder, and it should not appear in Launchpad.

A word of caution here...

While applications may seem to function well when dragged out of /Applications folder,

/Applications is where updates look for them.If you move apps from the /Applications folder or even move apps out of their enclosing folders, within the /Applications folder, you're looking for trouble down the road.

Hi guys,

If you just want to remove the icons without uninstalling the app, check out http://launchpadcleaner.com/

It's free, with an in-app purchase option to unlock advanced features, like alphabetical ordering, backup/restore, ...etc.

Open finder. Go > Enclosing Folder. Repeat until you get to your Hard Drive. Then find your user account. Open Applications folder in your user account. That's where my unwanted icons were stored, not in the applications folder for "every" user.

I have some problem with removing some application from my launchpad and the easiest way that I did was
finder>application> then drag the application to the trash that cant be removed from the launchpad .
It worked

I am new to apple OSX and I am a bit confused. I have deleted an app which I have downloaded from app store. I have deleted the app as required from the application folder. Now, however, I have still these apps in the launchpad. I can also get the X next to the app icon and can also click delete the icon, but then nothing happens. The icon does not appear. What do I do wrong. It is quite difficult to remove the apps icons from launchpad. Can someone help?

OK, I see this post is originally from 2011, but I have a similar problem (doubled icons in the LaunchPad) that I want to get rid of and can't. I am running Yosemite 10.10.5 on an early 2012 MacBookPro 15". Clicking and holding the icon makes them all shake, but there is no "x" and after dragging the icon to the Trash, it just pops back out and takes its place in the LaunchPad right back where it was.

The reason I am replying here is that in attempting this procedure of finding the .db file to delete it, my install of Yosemite doesn't have a Dock folder under /User/Library/Applications Support, so I'm wondering where it went. It sounds like this would work if I could find the correct location. I have a /Library/Application Support, but no Dock under that.

Any help is appreciated. Please note I am talking about removing a doubled icon from the LaunchPad, NOT the Dock, and not uninstalling the app.

I found with El Capitan you follow the following steps and the icon is removed from Launchpad:

Finder

Go

Recent Folders

Chose application

Drag to Trash and it's gone from Launchpad

If it's not in recent you will have to find elsewhere.

I had the same problem and could not find the answer. Sorted it myself, so I thought I would share this in the hope that it may work for you if none of the other answers work.

Go to finder or spotlight search, type in the name of the application you want to delete - it should appear and then simply drag it to the trash. Should be gone from launcher now also, may need a restart, although mine did not.

OS X El Capitan 10.11.5

Go to Finder and hold (Command+Up Arrow) and then go to Applications and then delete the application that you don't want in your Launchpad anymore, this will also permanently delete the application.

- TheTechGenie

There doesn't seem to be a way that still works to remove them. However, you can take all the junk and collect it into folders and then ignore the folders full of the junk.

It was designed to be like the iOS interface. When you delete an application from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod, it's icon disappears from the iOS screen. LaunchPad follows that model.

TUAW has a "nuclear" option, that deletes all of the icons out of Launchpad. You can then "start over" and drag the application icons that you want to show on to the Launchpad icon on the doc.