Launchpad can feel like a junk drawer. You open it, and everything’s scattered. No rhyme or reason. I’ve been there, staring at the mess, wondering why it doesn’t just organize itself like a proper app menu. But hey, there’s a trick that makes it better—no coding, no headaches.
Table of Contents
Why Launchpad Feels Like a Hassle
- macOS makes you drag and drop apps to organize them.
- New apps just plop into the first empty space they find.
- Folders? Sure, but they don’t fix the clutter. They just hide it.
I thought it’d be like the Windows Start Menu or Android’s app drawer—clean, searchable, effortless. Nope. It’s more like an iPhone home screen where you’re the one doing all the work.
The Terminal Command Isn’t Worth It
You can reset Launchpad with a terminal command. But it nukes all your folders.
The Right-Click Trick That Saves Time
Here’s the fix: Don’t even open Launchpad.
Instead:
- Right-click (or Control+click) on the Launchpad icon in your Dock.
- Double-finger click works too if you’re using a trackpad.
A clean, scrollable list of every app and folder pops up—in alphabetical order automatically. No need to reset or reorganize anything manually. It’s simple, fast, and doesn’t mess up your setup. Perfect for when you just want to find something without the headache.
Spotlight search (CMD+Space) is faster for launching apps. Type two letters, hit enter, done. But not everyone likes typing; some of us are visual people who prefer clicking around. If that’s you, this right-click trick is gold. Launchpad isn’t perfect—it’s clunky and outdated compared to other systems. But with this little hack, it becomes less of a pain and more of a tool. Small wins like this make macOS feel smoother and less frustrating.