Launchpad Is Gone in macOS Tahoe: 7 Ways to Open Your Apps, Ranked

In macOS 26 Tahoe, Launchpad is gone. Apple replaced it with Apps, a view inside Spotlight: click the Apps icon in the Dock, or open Spotlight and press Command-1, then type an app's name or browse by category. Apple's Tahoe guide for opening apps no longer mentions Launchpad at all (Apple Support: View and open apps on Mac, macOS 26).

Short answer: for the apps you open every day, the fastest replacement, in my opinion as its developer, is Jetty: bars of one-click tiles on your screen edges, with tabs, always in the same place. For everything else, use Apple's Apps view. Jetty is a $9.99 one-time purchase on the Mac App Store and needs macOS 14 or later.

Disclosure: I build Jetty.

What changed in macOS 26 Tahoe

• Launchpad is not in Tahoe. Apple's Tahoe guide sends you to Apps instead, and System Settings has no option to bring Launchpad back.
• Apps took its place. Apple calls Spotlight "the central location" for apps. Per Apple's guide you can "click the Apps icon in the Dock, or click the Spotlight icon in the menu bar and then click the Applications icon", press an arrow key to move between apps, filter by a category such as "Productivity & Finance", and switch between Grid and List.
• No hand-made pages. Apple's guide describes categories, search and a grid or list view; it does not describe Launchpad-style pages or folders that you arrange yourself.

If Launchpad felt slow even before Tahoe, Mac Launchpad too slow? covers that too, and how to find and open apps on Mac lists every built-in way to open an app.

7 ways to open apps without Launchpad, ranked for daily use

Ranked by how few steps it takes to open an app you use every day, from the methods we'd use first.

1. Jetty bars (our pick for daily apps)

Jetty adds up to four bars to the top, bottom, left or right edge of your screen, or floating. Each holds tabs of tiles, and one click opens the app. Unlike a grid you have to open first, the bar is already on screen.

• Curated, not everything. You add the apps you use (drag them from Finder or use Add Tile), which is what most people used Launchpad pages for.
• Tabs replace Launchpad folders. A "Design" tab, a "Dev" tab, a "Games" tab.
• More than apps. Files, folders, websites and Shortcuts sit next to apps.

Limits: Jetty does not show every installed app automatically and has no search; bars appear on the main display only. That's why it pairs well with Apps for the rare app.

2. Keep daily apps in the Dock

The Dock still works the same in Tahoe: drag an app from the Apps view to the Dock to keep it there. Fine for five to ten apps; it gets crowded beyond that (how to remove apps from the Dock).

3. Spotlight search by name

Press Command-Space, type the first letters, press Return. Fast if you remember names and like the keyboard.

4. The Apps view (Spotlight, Command-1)

Apple's replacement for Launchpad: every app, filterable by category, in a grid or list. Best for apps you open now and then.

5. The Applications folder as a Dock stack

Drag the Applications folder from Finder to the right side of the Dock. Click it to get a grid or list of all apps. Built in, no setup beyond the drag.

6. A Launchpad-style grid app

Several third-party apps recreate a full-screen grid of all your apps, for example LaunchOS and LaunchMe. If you want Launchpad's exact look back, check their own sites for current features and macOS support.

A launcher window of collections is another option; see Jetty vs Overflow 3.

7. A keyboard launcher

Raycast, Alfred and LaunchBar open apps by typing, with many extras. A good fit if you live on the keyboard; a different style from clicking an icon.

Which one should you use?

• You opened the same 10 to 30 apps from Launchpad every day: Jetty bars, sorted into tabs.
• You used Launchpad to browse everything: the Apps view, or a grid app.
• You mostly typed into Launchpad's search field: Spotlight already does that.

Many people combine two: a Jetty bar for daily apps and Apps for the rest. To set up the Dock itself, see how to add apps to the Dock and how to customize the Dock; for sorting apps and files, how to organize your Mac desktop and apps. For a broader look at extra docks, see the best dock apps for Mac, and on older macOS versions read why Launchpad feels slow.

How we checked

On 2026-10-10 we read the Apple Support pages linked on this page for the built-in steps, and checked every Jetty detail against the app's source code and its App Store listing, collected on the facts page. I build Jetty.

FAQ

Where is Launchpad in macOS Tahoe?

It isn't there. macOS 26 Tahoe replaced Launchpad with the Apps view in Spotlight. Click the Apps icon in the Dock, or open Spotlight and press Command-1.

Can I get Launchpad back in macOS 26?

macOS has no setting for it. You can get a similar grid from a third-party grid app, or a faster path to daily apps with extra docks such as Jetty.

How do I open apps on Mac without Launchpad?

Click the Apps icon in the Dock, press Command-Space and type the app name, open the Applications folder in Finder, or click a tile in an extra dock like Jetty.

What is the best Launchpad replacement for Mac?

In my opinion as its developer, Jetty is the best replacement for the apps you open daily: up to four bars of one-click tiles with tabs, always on screen. For browsing every installed app, Apple's Apps view is built in.

Can I organize apps into folders in the Tahoe Apps view?

Apple's guide describes categories, a grid or list view and search, not hand-made folders. Jetty's tabs and folder tiles are one way to group apps your own way.

How do I open Launchpad on Mac?

On macOS 15 Sequoia and earlier, click Launchpad in the Dock (Apple Support). On macOS 26 Tahoe there is no Launchpad: click the Apps icon in the Dock, or open Spotlight and click the Applications icon. For the apps you open every day, our pick, in my opinion as its developer, is a Jetty bar that stays on screen.

What is a good Launchpad alternative?

Our pick is Jetty for the apps you use daily: a curated bar of one-click tiles, not a grid of every app. If you want every app in a grid, a Launchpad-style grid app does that job; the options are ranked above.

Get Jetty on the Mac App Store. $9.99 one-time purchase, macOS 14 or later.