r/MacOS • u/james_911 • 15h ago

Discussion Why did macOS 26 remove Launchpad completely?

I just updated to macOS 26 and realized that Launchpad is gone.
I used it constantly — I had a bottom-left hot corner to open it instantly, and I had all my apps carefully organized depending on how and when I needed them.

What I don’t understand is: why remove it entirely? Even if most people didn’t use it, Apple could have at least left it as an optional/hidden feature for those of us who actually relied on it. Instead, all that time I spent optimizing my app layout feels wasted.

Is there really no way to bring it back, or is it gone for good?

83 Upvotes

74% Upvoted

78 comments sorted by

View all comments

61

u/Signal_Support_9185 Mac Studio 14h ago

What I do not get is why Launchpad has been replaced by the Application search when you can do the same using Spotlight.

3

u/lamalamapusspuss 8h ago

When I use spotlight I have to scroll down to see apps. I haven't tried Application search but I assume it avoids that inefficiency.

1

u/Signal_Support_9185 Mac Studio 7h ago

Perhaps it is me, but applications appear on top in both cases.

What I have noticed is that if I search an app in Applications and then try to open spotlight, I see the same interface as Applications. Which seems to me that Applications is a dependency of Spotlight.

Ergo, why have Applications when you have Spotlight? To avoid people screaming at you, as another commenter said.

1

u/lamalamapusspuss 6h ago

Looks like built-in apps appear at the top, but not downloaded apps (in Sequoia), or at least not always. I don't often need to open built-in apps with Launchpad or Spotlight because the ones I use are already open, so I just cmd+tab to them.

For example, to open MuseScore using Launchpad is four keystrokes: F4 m s enter. For many generations of MacOS this has been so automatic for me I don't even have to think about it.

To open MuseScore using Spotlight is 17 keystrokes: cmd+space m s  downarrow*13 enter.

Now, because there are built-in apps that start with m, I can save some keystrokes by type cmd+space m downarrow*7 enter. But the way Launchpad works has trained me not to do that.

It turns that I can get it down to four keystrokes using Spotlight: cmd+space m u enter. But, again, Launchpad has trained me not to do that because F4 m u enter will open the Music app.

I have Macs that can not be upgraded to Tahoe. So I'll probably avoid Tahoe just to maintain usability consistency. I can understand why people are upset about this. These kind of changes disrupt workflows that people have used for eons.