Where did Launchpad go on a Mac? How to open Apps, its replacement

Does Launchpad still exist on Mac?

Not on current macOS. On our Mac, running macOS 27.0.1, there is no Launchpad.app in /System/Applications. In its place is an app called Apps, which opens the full screen grid of every app you have. It was already the first icon in our Dock.

How do I open Apps, the Launchpad replacement?

• Click Apps in the Dock.
• Pinch with your thumb and three fingers on the trackpad. Trackpad settings list this gesture as Apps.
• Use the Show Apps shortcut, listed in System Settings, Keyboard, Keyboard Shortcuts.
• Open Spotlight with ⌘ Space and type the app's name, which is often faster than any grid.

How do I add Launchpad back to the Dock?

Add Apps instead: open Finder, go to /System/Applications, and drag Apps onto the Dock. If you removed it by accident, that brings it straight back. There is no Launchpad app to drag on a current Mac, so instructions that name one are written for an older macOS.

Where has Launchpad gone on my Mac?

It was replaced, not hidden. Apple folded the app grid into Apps, and on our Mac the pinch gesture and the hot corner options both name Apps where Launchpad used to be. If your Mac still has Launchpad, it is running an older macOS, and the old steps still apply there.

Does removing an app from Apps uninstall it?

Apps shows what is in your Applications folder; it does not hold the apps itself. To remove one, move it from Applications to the Trash, and see its own uninstaller for anything it installed elsewhere.

Tidying the Dock while you are here? See how to add apps to the Dock and every Dock setting worth changing.

Checked on 16 October 2026 on a MacBook Air (M1) running macOS 27.0.1, by reading the Dock's settings, the labels in System Settings and the keyboard shortcut list. Nothing was changed. Apps.app is com.apple.apps.launcher on this Mac.