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Cannot Type in Launchpad

If I activate Launchpad on my MacBook Pro, I can type in the first few letters of an application's name to find its icon. On my iMac, it doesn't take the keyboard input at all.

It is too hard to find the application by inspection, because Launchpad produces a visual jungle of icons spread over many pages, all applications have the same importance (uninstall is just as important to Launchpad as my word processor is), organizing them is manual and tedious, and "folders" of icons can only go one level deep. So I want to use Launchpad's command-line feature to find applications.

How can I fix Launchpad to enable the typing feature?

iMac, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2), Mid-2007

Posted on Nov 17, 2012 11:40 AM

47 replies

Nov 18, 2012 9:20 AM in response to the0pticnerve

I'm aware of this method. My question is not how to launch applications, but how to fix a broken feature.

Nov 18, 2012 9:23 AM in response to babowa

Right-click on the folder in the dock and select how you want it displayed by default.

babowa

Level 9

78,109 points

Nov 18, 2012 10:13 AM in response to Kenneth Collins1

Thanks - I have it set to show as list - column view is not available unless I then choose open in Finder to get what (and the only thing) I want: a Finder window in column view; so I still have to Command + ciick. Either way, it's two clicks rather than the old one click feature.

FWIW, when Launchpad first appeared, I sent in a bug report/feature request to a) be able to adjust the icon sizes and b) be easily user controllable.......Apple's answer: it is working as designed. Okay then! As I later realized, it appeared to be the first of the Mac OS > iOS fusion features.

Nov 18, 2012 7:16 PM in response to babowa

Apple said it works as designed because it already does what you said.

Go to System Preferences | Dock (third from the left, top row) and play with the options there.

Nov 19, 2012 12:42 PM in response to Kenneth Collins1

It happened to me once. The search bar would not register typed letters. A log out/in solved the issue.

I also prefer to launch applications through spotlight for which I have se the shortcut fn + F1

Mar 22, 2013 8:30 AM in response to Kenneth Collins1

For some people (not for me though) the following seems to have helped:

open a terminal, and type

rm ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.symbolichotkeys.plist

Note that this will delete any personalized keyboard shortcuts. It didn't work for me. My Launchpad typing still doesn't work, and none of the suggestions have solved the issue so far.

To all the comments here like "why would you use it?" or, "try this, I haven't had the problem myself but I thought I tell you something anyway" - not helpful. If something doesn't work on my Mac, I have a hard enough time with our IT people telling me "why would you want to use a Mac anyway?"

May 11, 2013 3:30 AM in response to Kenneth Collins1

I am also having this problem, and I am also bemused by all the comments here telling me to stop using Launchpad.

2Borno2B

Level 1

0 points

Jul 19, 2013 10:07 AM in response to Staley009

I, too, have the launchpad problem. And removing my symbolichotkeys plist has not resolved it.

dfigallo

Level 1

0 points

Jul 27, 2013 8:41 PM in response to 2Borno2B

I, too...

I can not type in the Launchpad, I can not filter apps and can not rename a new folder.

I deleted the application database (sqlite3 file *.db) in folder /Users/myuser/Library/Application Support/Dock

and then execute "sudo killall Dock" and rebuild Launchpad but... the problem persists, I find no solution Any ideas?

Jul 28, 2013 5:30 AM in response to dfigallo

Here is a solution:

Go to Titanium Software
They have three free, very high-quality untilities called Deeper, Maintenance, and Onyx.
Click on Downloads on the bar at the top
Download the version of Maintenance for your operating system. It is free.
Run Maintenance.
Check everything under the Maintenance and Cleaning headings
Uncheck everything under the Rebuild heading (not needed for this purpose)
Click Execute

When it is finished, restart the computer as it suggests. The problem should be gone for a few months. When it comes back, run Maintenance again.

Jul 28, 2013 7:50 AM in response to Kenneth Collins1

yeah, but that's like taking a sledgehammer to a walnut.

This command in Terminal will cause Launchpad to reinitialize as if from birth...

rm ~/Library/Application\ Support/Dock/*.db; killall Dock

dfigallo

Level 1

0 points

Jul 28, 2013 9:38 AM in response to Kenneth Collins1

Thanks Kenneth, very usefully apps...

The repair permissions solved the problem...

I'm so happy... 🙂

Nov 12, 2013 8:19 AM in response to Kenneth Collins1

Try pressing Command + Space Bar while Launchpad is running.

I was having this problem after upgrading to Mavericks on a Macbook Pro Retina, and this just fixed it for me. After I close launchpad and open it again, I can search normally by just typing.

Teanam

Level 1

0 points

Nov 17, 2013 10:07 AM in response to Coty Condry

i have 13' retinal late October model

after creating additional profile for my girlfriend i noticed that i can type in launchpad restart helps but not long

Try pressing Command + Space Bar while Launchpad is running. fixed the problem , lets see how long its going to last

thanks Coty Condry for the tip

M.S.-C.

Level 1

0 points

Nov 19, 2013 12:16 AM in response to Teanam

Pressing Command+Space while Launchpad running worked for me, too. It also started to me after upgrading to Mavericks. Quite curious issue and solution.

Cannot Type in Launchpad