macOS Tahoe removed Launchpad folders — how to organize apps now?

Launchpad is not available in macOS 26 Tahoe. Instead, Apple has replaced it with a Spotlight-based application library similar to that on iOS. We are users like you and no one here can speak to what Apple will or will not do in future updates.

To have Apple consider your feedback on this issue, submit it here:

Feedback - macOS - Apple

A possible workaround might be the AppGrid Launcher app (Mac App Store link).

I played with new Spotlight tool a little by adding tags. If you right click on app name in Spotlight, you can add a tag. For example, I have a couple eBay Tools and tagged them as eBay. Now I can type eBay in search and the apps tagged eBay will show up by themselves. I like trying to stay with macOS tools as much as possible. Hope this hint helps.

"I used to organize my apps into custom folders like "Converters", "Graphics", etc., which matched my workflow and daily logic. "

Instead of a third-party app I replaced the Launchpad by a folder on my Desktop named Launchpad and dragged it to the Dock. Inside this new Launchpad folder I creaeated subfolders named Graphics, Audio, Photos, etc. and dragged the apps from folder Applications to the corresponding folders in my Custom Launchpad to create aliases in this folder.

Clicking the Launchpad folder in the Dock will give me quick access to related apps that I am rarely using and thus can't remember the name. For the apps that I am using frequently it will be quicker to open them with Spotlight.

tcabn wrote:

Very happy with this app! Tried a couple others but this one is most like launchpad with some additional customization options.

Thanks for your feedback tcabn !

 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/appgrid-launcher/id6748853585?mt=12

Try the free Launchie as an alternative.

Came across these commands and revert back to old Launchpad. Anyone tried?

To bring back old LaunchPad:

1. sudo mkdir -p /Library/Preferences/FeatureFlags/Domain
2. sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/FeatureFlags/Domain/SpotlightUI.plist SpotlightPlus -dict Enabled -bool false
3. Restart

To revert:

1. sudo rm /Library/Preferences/FeatureFlags/Domain/SpotlightUI.plist
2. Restart

At first I was a bit frustrated with the new Tahoe Spotlight approach. In Launchpad, I had organized my apps by company (MS Excel, Word, PP in one folder, Photoshop, Lightroom, Acrobat in another, etc). But now in Spotlight, I just start typing Microsoft and after Mic all of the MS Office apps appear; likewise, for all my other folders. I actually like it this way as I don't have to look for or remember where I put the folder.

I had the same issue, but after letting my mac "think about it for a while" it started coming up with useful groupings. Not the same groupings I had under launchpad, but they are livable. I suspect they will get better over time.

at first, it put things like xcode and terminal in the financial and productivity group, which had me going nuts. Then, after a while, xcode and most of my development tools migrated to developer tools. (it missed a few that I would like to include in that group, like Thonny and Cot editor.)

Removing ability to customize the launch pad/homescreen like on iPad and iPhone and force only an alphabetic list or the Dev guys warped sort in Apple groupings is very inefficient. I used to have one row as all MS Office Apps, another as truly apple utilities - not what the Dev guy thinks are utilities - notes is not a utility. If you need a LOGICAL sort of apps because you have many on your MAC, avoid upgrading to MAC OS 26. I have been on apple since about 2010, had I known this downgrade in functionality was coming, I would have not upgraded my MacBook in Feb and instead bought a 16" Windows as there you can create folders to sort apps in a logical format that makes sense to the user, but soon enough folks will not like this and hopefully someone will write an app to fix this. There are posts in dev channels as how to try to reinstate the ability to sort your apps so you can have Word, Excel, PPT, Notes together and then all the video type apps together, then desktop apps together unlike the cluster of a sort that appears on the last page of your iPhone. Frankly that would kill having iPhones and iPad for me. I would go back to android if I couldn't sort and display my home pages the way I want them.

Update, this did not work ... but it would be something they could add to Spotlight. The other thing that is interesting is that the only settings that appear for spotlight is ability to select either Grid or List view; however, there are Spotlight settings in the Settings app. Problem is if Spotlight is the replacement for Launcher and you go to Settings to change the settings ... it simply makes no sense.

As a launcher app, I believe the category headings are driven by AI ... but since AI doesn't always think the same as I do, its organization of categories and what it puts in them doesn't help me and actually makes it more frustrating. If I could edit or make corrections to what I want a category called and/or right click on an app name and select Spotlight a category you want it to appear in would make this tool more useful. Some apps simply aren't used enough for AI to figure things out.

A comparable rant, but with some work-around here:

https://www.macobserver.com/news/launchpad-is-gone-in-macos-26-and-users-hate-the-replacement/

And the worst part is the Spotlight Search doesn't work all the time. I have apps that I can clearly see in the list. However, the moment I typed in the name (just a few couple characters), it will display "Not found".

The issue comes and goes.

The Spotlight is getting worse in the last couple releases of macOS in my experience.

And the workaround I have (since the LaunchPad is replaced with broken Spotlight), I need to use Finder to locate the app and open from there.

Not a fan - lost customization. It's like a maximumist came into my home office and dumped all my folders and files onto the desk like a game of 52 card pickup...though in alphabetical order...looking for a third party app to put order to this chaos.

Completely agree and it is time for 3rd party app to shine. I posted a link for a decent 3rd party app and it was free. But my post got removed each time. So, good luck with you guys. macOS 26 didn't really change the look and feel much except make things worse in some areas.

Jobs used to say customers don't know what they want until they are shown. And this is one of those "not this time" experiences.

The above link has excellent information. My posts were taken down regarding same discussion; this other url has the facts laid out and potential work around. Hopefully they won’t delete the folders and ability to sort on the iPhone and iPad too, as I have way more apps on that and the forced organizational screens which appear at the end of your own homepage screens are not sorted in a way useful to me and would be a major loss in efficiency to be forced to only use those - like 52 card pick up - hunt to find the app you need or try to remember the exact name to use Spotlight.