by: Paul Horowitz
macOS Tahoe 26 adds some new features, but it also has taken a prominent popular feature away on the Mac, and that is the removal of the dedicated LaunchPad app from macOS Tahoe. LaunchPad is the simple app launcher that is kind of iOS-like and has been on the Mac for a longtime, visible in the Dock for quick access to apps, and by keyboard shortcut. It was quite popular, so it makes sense that this change is impacting a fair number of Mac folks.
To be clear, while the LaunchPad app itself is removed from Tahoe, it has actually just been reincorporated into Spotlight, the MacOS Search feature. But it’s not quite the same, either visually or in functionality, and a fair number of Mac users who really liked Launchpad are disappointed by this change.
If you miss LaunchPad in macOS Tahoe, we’re going to offer you two solutions. First, we’ll show you how to use the new LaunchPad interface within Spotlight, and second we’ll introduce you to a free replica app that brings a LaunchPad alternative to macOS Tahoe.
