For example, if you pinch with your thumb and three fingers on the trackpad, Launchpad will appear on your screen. Finally, if you have a MacBook you can set a gesture for Launchpad.You can also launch Launchpad by double-clicking on its icon in the Applications folder in the Mac’s Finder.The Launchpad icon looks like a transparent square with three rows of three colored boxes each. By clicking on the Launchpad icon in the Dock.Launchpad can be accessed on the Mac in multiple ways: Launchpad isn’t always visible on the Mac, unlike the iPhone’s home screen, which is what the operating system defaults to when you close an app. That is, it features rows of all the apps that you have installed on your Mac, just like the iPhone Home Screen features rows of all the apps you have on your iPhone.īoth Launchpad and the iPhone’s home screen can also feature folders full of apps, so you can arrange your apps into collections in both macOS’s Launchpad and iOS’s home screen. It looks a lot like an iPhone’s home screen. Launchpad, on the other hand, is only for apps. The Dock also differs from Launchpad in that the Dock can contain things like open application windows and shortcuts to documents and other files. In Launchpad, you have quick access to all your apps, while in the Dock you have quick access to the apps you choose to place in it. The Dock also differs from Launchpad as you can choose which apps appear in it. However, the Dock has been around much longer than Launchpad. And both are places where you can launch apps. How Is Launchpad Different Than The Dock?īoth Launchpad and the Dock are part of the macOS operating system.

However, Launchpad is generally the most user-friendly, especially if you are new to the Mac and have only ever used an iPhone before. It should be made clear, however, that there are multiple ways to launch apps on macOS. An application launcher is simply a term for a part of an operating system that you use to launch apps. Launchpad is the Mac’s application launcher.

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