LaunchOS gives your Mac a full-screen visual app launcher again, so you can browse apps by icon, folder, page, and position instead of turning every launch into search.
Updated June 3, 2026
Quick Summary
A full-screen launcher is useful when you want to scan your apps visually, keep folders in familiar places, and open apps by recognition rather than recall.
LaunchOS turns the full-screen launcher idea into a modern macOS workflow with familiar entry points and practical organization tools.
Context
Spotlight-style tools are excellent when you know exactly what to type. A full-screen launcher solves a different problem: seeing your app library as a stable visual layout.
That matters on macOS 26 because many users still expect a Launchpad-like place for browsing, organizing, and opening apps without remembering every name.
Use Case
Find apps by icon and location instead of typing names from memory.
Keep work, utilities, media, games, and project apps grouped in visible places.
Open the launcher from Mac-like triggers such as gestures, F4, hot corners, Dock, or shortcuts.
Give a growing app library enough room to stay readable and organized.
LaunchOS
LaunchOS brings back the comfort of a full-screen app launcher while adding the organization controls macOS power users need after the classic Launchpad workflow changed.
Use a spacious app grid designed for visual browsing and spatial memory.
Keep apps arranged in groups that are easy to scan and remember.
Open the launcher from familiar Mac entry points instead of only typing.
Start from native Launchpad data so your existing organization can come back faster.
Stay lightweight and fluid on modern Mac displays.
Hide apps, rename apps, and adjust grid density to make the full-screen view useful every day.
Comparison
A full-screen visual launcher serves a different habit than compact launchers built around typing, commands, and search.
FAQ
It is an app launcher that shows your app library as a large visual surface, usually with icons, folders, pages, and layout memory. LaunchOS is built for that Launchpad-style workflow.
It depends on the task. Spotlight is faster when you know what to type. A full-screen launcher is better when you browse by sight, folder, icon, or position.
Yes. Folders, pages, custom ordering, and visual grouping are core parts of LaunchOS.
Yes. LaunchOS supports familiar entry points such as trackpad gestures, F4, hot corners, Dock, menu bar, and shortcuts.
User Reviews
Your launchpad is the only real alternative and it makes macOS Tahoe usable again.
LaunchOS brings back Launchpad perfectly with smooth animations and all exactly how launchpad used to work.
Great app… well done! Tried many launchers and often buggy or laggy. None of that with LaunchOS… nice interface and smooth!!
LaunchOS is a very nicely made, solidly implemented version of the classic Launchpad. If you still miss Launchpad, you'll be very happy with it.
Very satisfied with LaunchOS. It’s the most feature-rich and stable, well worth the modest price if you miss Launchpad.
LaunchOS achieves pixel-level restoration of Apple's native "Launchpad" in both interface and interaction logic, and even makes it more user-friendly.
Purchased and absolutely love it. It’s nearly a pixel perfect replacement in look, form, function, and speed. It even has hot corners!
LaunchOS changes everything. It basically brings back the classic Launchpad we all remember, but rebuilt and refined for Tahoe.
Literally signed-up to Reddit to write a thank you post here! Absolutely love the app. LaunchOS was extremely trackpad-friendly.
LaunchOS is fluid and works very fast, performing like the native application would, just like we have Launchpad back in macOS Tahoe.
I think I’ve tried all the alternatives that have been created. Your app is the most beautiful, neat, and fastest.
LaunchOS is the Launchpad Apple removed — but smarter, more customizable, and genuinely useful every day.
It’s absolutely perfect copy and even better than the original launchpad, no lags, auto refresh when a new app is installed, and more all in a descent price.
LaunchOS brings back the classic, well-organized Launchpad experience on the latest macOS, making it the familiar launchpad I loved but better.
You lovely people have given me my Mac back. I came close to tears of joy - certainly a welling up. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
LaunchOS makes macOS Tahoe feel like it never lost the old Launchpad, looks and behaves like a native system feature, but not a 3rd-party launcher.
Oh wow!! Thats the most polished Launchpad replacement I’ve come across! Just bought a pro license :) Thanks for your work! <3
LaunchOS effectively restores the native system launchpad experience with smooth performance. Even the free version is still quite capable.
Using LaunchOS for about six months. But this v2.0 update? Holy fast!!! Blindingly fast!!! Ridiculously fast and smooth!!!
LaunchOS brings back the classic Launchpad—but rebuilt and refined. Fully customizable and beautiful, it feels tailored to my workflow.
;stroke-opacity:1;'%20stroke-width='3'/%3e%3c/svg%3e)
;fill-opacity:1;'/%3e%3c/svg%3e)
;fill-opacity:1;'/%3e%3cpath%20d='M30%2047H27V43.1904C25.5376%2045.247%2024.2216%2047.4148%2023.0693%2049.6797L20.3955%2048.3193C21.6062%2045.9397%2022.9876%2043.6617%2024.5215%2041.5H21V38.5H30V47Z'%20fill='%230D70FF'%20style='fill:%230D70FF;fill:color(display-p3%200.0500%200.4400%201.0000);fill-opacity:1;'/%3e%3cpath%20d='M43.7363%2028.1113C41.6762%2029.2734%2039.7049%2030.5747%2037.833%2032H41.5V35H32.5V26.5H35.5V30.0098C37.6329%2028.3454%2039.8923%2026.8351%2042.2627%2025.498L43.7363%2028.1113Z'%20fill='%230D70FF'%20style='fill:%230D70FF;fill:color(display-p3%200.0500%200.4400%201.0000);fill-opacity:1;'/%3e%3c/svg%3e)
;fill-opacity:1;'/%3e%3cpath%20d='M40%206V7.09375M50.5%2029L40%2039.5L29.5%2029M40%2039.5V21.5625M40%2016.375V17.4688M40%2011.1875V12.2812'%20stroke='%230D70FF'%20style='stroke:%230D70FF;stroke:color(display-p3%200.0510%200.4392%201.0000);stroke-opacity:1;'%20stroke-width='3'%20stroke-linecap='round'%20stroke-linejoin='round'/%3e%3c/svg%3e)
;fill-opacity:1;'/%3e%3cpath%20d='M5%2041.7002C6.22633%2042.702%207.66907%2043.6583%209.32822%2044.5691C10.9874%2045.4798%2012.7728%2046.2904%2014.6844%2047.0008C16.596%2047.7112%2018.5347%2048.2759%2020.5005%2048.6948C22.4662%2049.0956%2024.3688%2049.2959%2026.2083%2049.2959C28.2281%2049.2959%2029.9955%2049.1411%2031.5104%2048.8315C33.0433%2048.5218%2034.4229%2048.1119%2035.6492%2047.6019C36.8936%2047.0737%2038.0839%2046.4908%2039.22%2045.8532C33.2146%2040.9533%2027.8945%2035.9259%2023.2597%2030.771C18.6249%2025.616%2014.5131%2020.3974%2010.9243%2015.1149C14.6754%2018.503%2018.5618%2021.7453%2022.5834%2024.8419C26.6231%2027.9203%2030.807%2030.8438%2035.1353%2033.6126C31.9252%2030.0059%2028.8774%2026.4448%2025.9919%2022.9293C23.1064%2019.3955%2020.4463%2015.7251%2018.0117%2011.9181C19.2381%2013.2296%2020.771%2014.7506%2022.6105%2016.4811C24.45%2018.2115%2026.4608%2020.0148%2028.6429%2021.891C30.8431%2023.7672%2033.0703%2025.6069%2035.3246%2027.4103C37.5969%2029.2136%2039.761%2030.8621%2041.817%2032.3557C43.8909%2033.8494%2045.7304%2035.0607%2047.3354%2035.9897C47.6961%2035.0789%2048.0568%2033.7947%2048.4175%2032.1371C48.7782%2030.4795%2048.9585%2028.8219%2048.9585%2027.1643C48.9585%2024.1042%2048.5708%2021.3263%2047.7953%2018.8308C47.0379%2016.3171%2046.1091%2014.0766%2045.009%2012.1094C43.9089%2010.1421%2042.8449%208.43901%2041.817%207C45.4779%209.22227%2048.5347%2011.6904%2050.9874%2014.4045C53.4581%2017.1186%2055.4148%2019.8873%2056.8575%2022.7107C58.3183%2025.5159%2059.3553%2028.2208%2059.9684%2030.8256C60.5996%2033.4122%2060.9152%2035.6982%2060.9152%2037.6837C60.9152%2038.558%2060.8611%2039.6783%2060.7529%2041.0444C60.6447%2042.3923%2060.3472%2043.7403%2059.8602%2045.0882C61.303%2046.9097%2062.394%2048.6584%2063.1335%2050.3342C63.8729%2052.01%2064.3688%2053.5219%2064.6213%2054.8698C64.8738%2056.2178%2065%2057.3289%2065%2058.2032C65%2058.6768%2064.9639%2059.0958%2064.8918%2059.4601C64.8377%2059.8426%2064.7746%2060.1796%2064.7024%2060.471C64.5942%2060.8718%2064.459%2061.0448%2064.2967%2060.9902C64.1344%2060.9355%2063.9991%2060.7989%2063.8909%2060.5803C63.6384%2060.1432%2063.2326%2059.5512%2062.6736%2058.8043C62.1145%2058.0757%2061.312%2057.4109%2060.266%2056.8098C59.2381%2056.2269%2057.9035%2055.9354%2056.2624%2055.9354C55.0902%2055.9354%2053.9991%2056.0902%2052.9892%2056.3999C51.9973%2056.7278%2050.9964%2057.1285%2049.9865%2057.6021C48.9946%2058.0757%2047.9125%2058.5493%2046.7403%2059.0229C45.5681%2059.5147%2044.2245%2059.9155%2042.7097%2060.2251C41.1948%2060.553%2039.4184%2060.7169%2037.3805%2060.7169C34.1885%2060.7169%2031.1677%2060.3071%2028.3183%2059.4874C25.4689%2058.6677%2022.8269%2057.5657%2020.3922%2056.1813C17.9576%2054.8152%2015.7484%2053.3033%2013.7647%2051.6457C11.7809%2049.9699%2010.0496%2048.2759%208.57078%2046.5636C7.09197%2044.8332%205.90171%2043.212%205%2041.7002Z'%20stroke='black'%20style='stroke:black;stroke-opacity:1;'%20stroke-width='3'%20stroke-linejoin='round'/%3e%3c/svg%3e)
;stroke-opacity:1;'%20stroke-width='3'%20stroke-linecap='round'/%3e%3c/svg%3e)
brew install --cask launchosRequires macOS 26+Last updated Aug 4, 2026Download BetaAlternative Download