LaunchOS - Bring Back the Classic Launchpad Experience on macOS 26+

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LaunchOS is a Launchpad alternative for macOS 26+ that brings back the classic native Launchpad experience. It recreates the familiar full-screen app grid, folders, pages, and drag-to-organize workflow many Mac users still miss, while fitting naturally into modern macOS with Liquid Glass support. It also adds more flexible ways to launch your apps, including trackpad pinch, Hot Corners, F4, keyboard shortcuts, and thoughtful customization.

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Hi Product Hunt 👋 I’m Jimmy, one of the two people behind LaunchOS. We built LaunchOS because Apple removed the classic Launchpad in macOS 26 Tahoe, but for many Mac users, the replacement just didn’t feel the same. There are already many launchers on macOS, but our goal was different: not to build another productivity launcher, but to bring back the familiar native Launchpad experience as closely as possible. LaunchOS 2.0 is a big milestone for us. This was not just a feature update — we rebuilt the app from SwiftUI to AppKit. The reason was simple: apps like this live or die by tiny details. Opening speed, animation smoothness, folder transitions, drag behavior… we wanted it to feel much more native and polished. With v2.0, LaunchOS is now much faster on first launch and app indexing, supports 120Hz / ProMotion displays, has smoother folder animations, and offers more refined interactions overall. We also kept the things that matter most to Launchpad users: the full-screen grid, pages, folders, drag-to-organize behavior, and familiar muscle memory. It also supports modern macOS touches like Liquid Glass, and flexible ways to open it, including trackpad pinch, Hot Corners, F4, and keyboard shortcuts. We’re a very small team, so every bit of feedback really matters. I’d especially love to hear from people who used the old Launchpad a lot — what feels right, what still doesn’t, and what you’d want to see next. Thanks for checking out LaunchOS.

Nostalgia + productivity is such a smart combo 😄