LaunchNow is an alternative macOS Launchpad application designed for macOS Sequoia and later. It provides a smoother, more customizable launchpad experience with both Tahoe-style (macOS 15) and Classic-style interfaces.
- 🎨 Dual Style Support — Switch between the fullscreen Launchpad style and the new window style
- 📁 Folder Management — Drag an app onto another app to quickly create a folder; drag apps in/out of folders freely
- 🔄 Icon Rearrangement — Drag and drop app icons to customize your layout with smooth animations
- 🔒 Lock Mode — Hold the
Optionkey to enable lock mode, preventing other icons from moving while you create folders or add apps to folders - 🔍 App Search — Real-time search across all apps including those inside folders
- ⌨️ Full Keyboard Navigation — Use
Tab/Shift+Tabto flip pages, arrow keys to select apps, andReturnto launch - 🖱️ Trackpad Gesture — 4-finger trackpad gesture support for quick access (configurable)
- 🧹 Hidden Apps — Hide unwanted apps from the grid without deleting them
- 📦 Import / Export — Backup and restore your layout configuration
- 📐 Adjustable Icon Size — Customize icon scale to your preference
- 🪟 Glass Effect — Enable/disable the frosted glass background effect
- 🌍 Multi-language — Supports 13 languages with real-time language switching
- 📋 Scroll Sensitivity — Adjust trackpad/mouse scroll sensitivity for page turning
| Tahoe Style (Windowed) | Classic Mode (Fullscreen) |
- Download the latest release from the Releases page
- Drag
LaunchNow.appto yourApplicationsfolder - Launch the app — it runs in the background and opens the launchpad window
| Action | How |
|---|---|
| Open Launchpad | Click the Dock icon or set a custom trigger |
| Launch an app | Click on the app icon |
| Rearrange icons | Drag an app to a new position |
| Create a folder | Drag one app onto another app |
| Add to folder | Drag an app onto a folder |
| Remove from folder | Open the folder and drag the app outside |
| Lock Mode | Hold Option while dragging (recommended for folder operations) |
| Search | Type in the search field at the top |
| Turn pages | Scroll with trackpad/mouse or use Tab / Shift+Tab |
| Keyboard navigation | Press ↓ or Return to activate, then use arrow keys |
| Close / Hide | Press Esc |
Add LaunchNow to your Login Items in System Settings → General → Login Items to have it automatically run in the background at startup.
Special thanks to all contributors who helped make LaunchNow better:
- Code improvement and optimization by @dizzycoder1112
- Dutch translation by @OABsoftware
- Russian translation by @Leoxoo
- Bulgarian translation by Трифон Иванов
- Japanese translation by @endianoia
- Korean translation by @D-KoLee
- Italian & Turkish translations by @wd006
- Vietnamese translation by @ornithobiograph
See the LICENSE file for details.