Do You Use It? Launchpad on the Mac

[ace (Adam Engst)]

In OS X 10.7 Lion, Apple introduced Launchpad, which provides a grid-based app launcher similar to that provided on the iPhone and iPad. To what extent has it become part of your Mac experience? Please vote in the poll below.

How often do you use Launchpad on the Mac?

• Daily
• Frequently
• Occasionally
• Never

[jdbartram (John D. Bartram)]

I use Launchpad sometimes. It’s easier than opening the Finder and then Applications to find something. I also like looking at all the icons together. It’s also a reminder of different apps that I don’t use all the time. I especially like to use it with the ‘Other’ group which I think were called ‘Utilities’ before. I know the function I want, but don’t remember the name of the app.

By the way, I like the idea of the survey.

[raykloss (Ray)]

I would love Launchpad more if you could uninstall all apps from the icon interface. There should be a protocol that any app goes through and they all should have an “x” to uninstall

[ddmiller (Doug Miller)]

I don’t use LaunchPad often, but I do occasionally use it to uninstall Mac App Store apps.

[mark4 (mc38)]

@ace

I just have to know, has anyone ever used Launchpad?

No, I have not ever used Launchpad.

[Simon]

@ace

But I just have to know, has anyone ever used Launchpad?

Not once. I use Spotlight for that: cmd-space and then just type the first few letters and hit return. My hands never leave the KB.

I’d love to be able to rid my Mac of it and have that key map instead to Exposé Desktop.

[Shamino (David C.)]

@ace

has anyone ever used Launchpad?

All the time. It’s how I launch nearly everything.

On my laptop, I find the 4-finger-pinch gesture to bring it up far more convenient than digging through Finder windows or putting apps in the Dock.

On my desktop Mac, I mapped the otherwise-unused F19 key to bring it up. I realize that F4 is permenantly mapped to Launchpad, except that I have my Mac configured to treat F-keys as F-keys, so I would need to type Fn-F4, which is less convenient than just tapping the key at the top-right of the keyboard.

[aforkosh (Alan Forkosh)]

I launch most apps either by doube-lclicking a document or using command-space to bring up Spotlight and type the first few characters of the app’s name.

[terryk]

@ace

But I just have to know, has anyone ever used Launchpad?

No. (I thought you’d appreciate the brevity here…)

[janesprando]

I have never used Launchpad.

[dianed143 (Diane D)]

Spotlight for me too! My cat often opens Launchpad though.

Diane

[tommy (Tommy Weir)]

I use Raycast to launch apps but I do use Launchpad for those times I’ve forgotten the name of an app I’ve installed.

[LarryR (Larry Rosenblum)]

@ace

But I just have to know, has anyone ever used Launchpad?

Yes, I now use it frequently. After DragThing sadly died, I installed another app that I thought was an acceptable (but not more than that) replacement. I carefully curated my dock in that app, which was very tedious, and the result was workable. Then, a Mac App Store update trashed my preferences file, and I discovered to my chagrin that neither Back Blaze nor Carbon Copy Cloner had backed up that preferences file, even though both are set to back up my library. (I have not yet investigated why, but I should.)

So now I use Launchpad for apps that are not in my MacOS dock (which is full). I use Default Folder X and the Finder window sidebar for favorite folders.

I still miss DragThing.

[ace (Adam Engst)]

OK, OK! My LaunchPad question was rhetorical, but clearly it will have to be the next survey question.

[paalb (P. Boersting)]

I never use Launchpad. I use the /Applications folder in Finder sorted alphabetically when I need to browse because I have forgotten the name. Else I use Alfred and the Dock.

[Mark_Nagata]

When I update apps that I got from Mac App Store (like the iWork apps, Mactracker, etc.,) the Launchpad icon on the Dock displays the status bar, and notifies (by the jumping icon) when the update is complete. That’s the only way I use Launchpad. I use other methods for launching apps (mainly via Keyboard Maestro: ctrl-opt-cmd-M for mail, ctrl-opt-cmd-S for Safari, ctrl-opt-cmd-G for Google Chrome, ctrl-opt-cmd-J for Jedit text editor, etc.)

[seth (Seth Anderson)]

I’ve shown Launchpad to a few folks that I’m the (informal) Mac IT person for, and they will say, “oh cool” or whatever. But if I ask if they’ve used it six months later, the answer is always, “no, what’s that?”

hahaha

[Shamino (David C.)]

@ace

In macOS 10.13 High Sierra, Apple introduced Launchpad

Apple’s help pages only go back to High Sierra, but the Launchpad feature was actually introduced in Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion).

See also:

• 10.6 (Snow Leopard) specs. Note the absence of Launchpad.
• 10.7 (Lion) specs. Note that Launchpad is on the list of applications.

[jeff1 (Jeff Hecht)]

I wonder how use of the Launchpad correlates with the number of apps people use. At first glance it looks like it might most useful for people who use many apps.

[aforkosh (Alan Forkosh)]

I would think it’s just the opposite.Once you need to scroll screens, Launchpad would be a drag to use. As I previously said, I lauch using Spotlight. You start typing the name of the app and possible selections narrows down qite quickly. If it’s one you use often, it will be preselected so that you don’t even need to go down the list of possibilities. Just tap and go.