Launchpad ClassicmacOS

A place for every app. A clear way to find it.

A crowded Dock. An app you only use occasionally. A name you almost remember. Give your Mac a full-screen app library that follows the way you think — with folders, search and four ways to see everything.

See your new workflow See it in action ↓

4 views, one library
Your folders and layout
Apps stay where they are

Open Launchpad with a gesture

Assign trackpad gestures to Launchpad Classic or any other app with Gesture Launcher.

Download Gesture Launcher

macOS 14+ · Apple Silicon · v0.1.1 · ZIP

Unzip the file, move Gesture Launcher.app to Applications and open it.
Choose a gesture, then select Launchpad Classic.app with the app picker.
Keep Gesture Launcher enabled and perform the gesture. You can enable launch at login in its settings.

Pinch and spread use four or five fingers; swipes use four. Disable the same gesture in macOS Trackpad settings and Launchpad Classic if it is already enabled there, to avoid duplicate actions.

Launchpad Classic showing a grid of Mac apps in English.

Get to the app. Stay with the task.

When the next app interrupts your flow

Scan the Dock
Look through folders
Find the app

With Launchpad Classic

Bring up your library
Open the launcher with your chosen F-key. It appears on the screen under your pointer.
Go straight to the app
Type its name, choose a folder or browse by category. Search reaches inside folders, too.
Carry on working
Click the icon or use the arrow keys and Enter to launch it.

See it in action

English interface

For a Mac full of apps

Remember the work. Forget the location.

Keep design tools together, put everyday apps first and give occasional tools a home. Your layout becomes a map of your work. Rearranging it never moves the apps on disk.

An open folder of apps in Launchpad Classic. — Keep related apps together

For the way you navigate

A familiar grid is only the beginning.

Classic, Watch, Tiles or Library: choose how you want to browse. Change the view when your habits change. The same apps stay available in every view.

Launchpad Classic in Watch view. — Watch view

For your screen and your eyes

Make room for what matters.

Choose icon size and theme, arrange pages and tune transitions. Prefer less movement? Turn animations off; the macOS Reduce Motion setting also takes priority.

Launchpad Classic displaying app search results. — Find an app

Launchpad Classic in Tiles view. — Tiles view

Launchpad Classic Library view with app categories. — Browse your library

Features

Your Mac apps in one place

Browse applications discovered in the standard Mac application folders. Open an app from its icon or refresh the catalogue when you add something new.

Start typing, find your app

Search by an app’s displayed name, file name or bundle identifier. Search results include apps organised inside folders, so you do not have to remember where you put them.

Group related apps into folders

Create a folder by grouping app icons, then name it for the way you work. Add or remove apps, change their order inside the folder and dissolve the group without moving or deleting the actual applications.

Put your most-used apps first

Drag icons into your preferred order and move them between pages. Your layout is saved, while cancelling an unfinished drag restores the original arrangement.

Choose how your apps look

Switch between Classic, Watch, Tiles and Library views. The same app catalogue stays available while you choose the presentation that suits your screen and browsing habits.

Browse by what an app does

Library view groups apps into categories such as productivity, communication, creative work and development. You can filter by category and change an app’s category when a different group makes more sense to you.

A size and theme that suit your screen

Choose small, medium or large icons and use a light, dark or system-matched appearance. The grid adapts its rows and columns to the available screen area, including inside folders.

Make page changes feel right

Choose Classic, Slide, Zoom or Cascade transitions for paged layouts, or turn transitions off. Three speed settings let you adjust the pace, while macOS Reduce Motion takes priority over app animation settings.

Open the launcher without breaking your flow

Choose an F1–F12 shortcut with optional modifiers to open the launcher, then use arrows and Enter to select an app. Launchpad Classic opens on the display under your pointer; an optional trackpad pinch can also show or hide it on supported hardware.

Make yourself at home

Will organising the library move my apps?

No. Folders and ordering belong to the launcher. Your installed apps stay in their original locations.

Can I use it from the keyboard?

Yes. Choose an F1–F12 shortcut, with optional modifiers, then navigate with the arrow keys and Enter.

Will it import my old Launchpad layout?

No. Set up your layout in Launchpad Classic. It does not import the old system Launchpad database.

Your apps. In an order that makes sense to you.

Explore the views, find your starting point and see how your next app could be just a search away.

Explore the four views

A place for every app. A clear way to find it.

Open Launchpad with a gesture