Latest release 1.5.3

Launchie Changelog

Follow Launchie updates, including new features, refinements, and fixes for the macOS Launchpad replacement.

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Latest version

1.5.3

Current

Added a "Simple Glass" mode for lower GPU usage
Added separate settings for remembering the last Space and the last folder. Launchie can now reopen to your previous Space without also reopening inside a folder, with both options available in Settings > General.
Added Launchpad-style background dragging for Spaces. Click and drag on empty launcher background to move between Spaces without triggering Close on Background Click.
Added Option + scroll wheel switching for Spaces, so vertical mouse wheels can move between workspaces without interfering with normal scrolling.
Removed the unused Row Density setting from Appearance
Added window entrance animation
Added a safe-click buffer around Spaces buttons so near-misses no longer close the launcher when Close on Background Click is enabled.
Added a Grid Padding setting in Appearance so you can move the app grid closer to the center of the launcher.
Settings boxes now stay a readable width on large monitors, keeping labels and toggles closer together.

Version

1.5.2

Added a Settings > Spaces option to disable Spaces entirely. Spaces stay enabled by default, and existing workspace data is preserved when the feature is turned off.
Spaces can now be reordered via drag and drop in the main view, and in the settings
Increased the maximum grid column count from 12 to 20 for larger displays.

Version

1.5.1

Added an option to hide the sorting selector from its menu for a cleaner header. You can restore it anytime in Settings > General.
Added an option to hide the New Folder button from the launcher header. You can still create folders from an app's right-click menu.
Added a right-click action to create a new folder with an app. The new folder replaces the app in its current position and moves the app into that folder.
Added a confirmation prompt when moving the last app out of a folder, so empty folders can be deleted immediately.
Increased the maximum Launchie window width and height from 90% to 100% of your screen.
Added an optional Remember Last Location setting. When enabled, Launchie reopens to the Space or folder you were viewing when you last closed it. Find it in Settings > General.
Moved Quick Access settings to their own Settings page, separating display and layout preferences from app management.
Added a Quick Access row setting. Choose one row (the default) or two rows in Settings > Quick Access.
Added a Quick Access menu for hiding the section on Root, in Spaces, in Folders, or everywhere. The menu can also hide the Recent, Most Used, and Newest mode controls for a cleaner layout.
Fixed Quick Access Newest sorting to prioritize when an app was added to its Applications directory instead of its last modification date.
Fixed search keyboard focus so direct typing and editing in the search field both work reliably, including standard macOS text-editing shortcuts.

Version

1.5.0

Added a new Getting Started guide that appears on first launch and can be reopened from the ? button in the bottom-right corner.
Added a General setting to hide the Getting Started help button if you prefer a cleaner launcher footer.
Launchie no longer opens the Spaces help automatically on first start, so new users can begin with the core launcher workflow first.
Settings now open directly inside the Launchie window instead of a separate sheet, keeping the same background, rounded corners, and visual style as the launcher.
Improved Settings on smaller windows with a compact section picker and better responsive layout.
Reorganized Settings into clearer sections: General, Controls, Appearance, Spaces, Apps, Backup, Pro, About, and Advanced.
Moved app-related options like Refresh Apps, Quick Access, Hidden Apps, and App Directories into the new Apps section.
Moved updates, app version, reviews, and feedback into About, and moved reset and quit actions into Advanced.
Replaced the window size slider with separate Width and Height controls, making it easier to resize Launchie from inside Settings.
Pro purchase options now live in Settings > Pro instead of a separate purchase window, with a more responsive layout that matches your selected Launchie style.
Pressing Esc in Settings now returns to the launcher more predictably, while hotkey recording still uses Esc to cancel recording.
Fixed an issue where clicking Add to Dock in Settings could make Launchie appear frozen until pressing Esc. The action now simply reveals Launchie in Finder so you can drag it to the Dock.
Improved Launchie opening and closing performance by moving overlay animations away from window resizing and onto lightweight content animations.
Reduced lag when opening Launchie by keeping app grids alive between overlay sessions instead of rebuilding every item each time.
Replaced per-item grid entrance animations with one smooth container spring, preserving the fly-in feel with much less animation work.
Improved Hot Corner activation reliability on multi-screen setups by preserving the screen selected by the hot corner trigger.
Quick Access can now be shown on Home, in Spaces, and in Folders, with onboarding and Settings toggles for each location.
Quick Access now appears inside the scroll area by default and resolves recent and most-used apps more efficiently.

Version

1.4.4

Made it easier to drag apps into folders while viewing a Space. Folder drops now favor adding the app to the folder, while still allowing precise edge drops for reordering.
Fixed an issue where reordering apps inside a folder while viewing a Space could replace the entire Space with that folder's contents. Folder changes now stay inside the folder, and the Space keeps its original apps and folders.

Version

1.4.3

Optimizations and bug fixes

Version

1.4.2

Added a new Launch All action for folders. You can now open every app in a folder at once from the folder header, with a confirmation step for larger launches.
Added a new Spaces placement option. Space chips can now be shown at the top of the header instead of only in the footer.
Fixed an issue where clicking the desktop would not close Launchie, even though clicking another window would. Launchie now dismisses consistently when you click outside the window.
Fixed a Pro authorization issue that could appear after Launchie started while offline or briefly lost Wi-Fi. Launchie now keeps your existing Pro access more reliably and re-checks it automatically once the connection returns.
Added a new Danger Zone reset action in Settings so you can clear all saved Launchie settings, layout data, spaces, hidden apps, custom directories, and folder permissions in one step.

Version

1.4.1

Added a setting to hide the menu bar icon for users who prefer opening Launchie from the Dock.
Launchie now keeps running normally in the background when the menu bar icon is turned off, so hotkeys, hot corners, and Dock launching still work.
Added new Pro options: you can now choose between Monthly Pro, Yearly Pro, or Lifetime Pro directly in Launchie.
Existing lifetime customers are still supported. Earlier one-time Pro purchases continue to unlock Launchie Pro permanently.
Added a new Quick Access placement setting. You can now keep Quick Access pinned above the grid or place it inside the main scroll area.
Improved Spaces in light mode. Selected space icons and chip outlines are now easier to distinguish against bright backgrounds.

Version

1.3.11

App installs and removals now show up much faster in Launchie. New and deleted apps are detected almost instantly in most cases, while the regular background refresh remains in place as a lightweight fallback.
Fixed an issue where some iPhone, iPad, and web apps could disappear from Launchie after adding broad custom app directories.

Version

1.3.10

Fixed an issue where non-app files could appear in the "All Apps" view when a custom directory pointed to a broad location. Launchie now validates each discovered .app bundle by checking for a valid Info.plist and filtering out background-only daemons, preventing system internals, framework helpers, and non-macOS files from cluttering the app grid.
Improved horizontal swiping for Spaces and the root view, especially on the trackpad. Space switching now feels more natural and immersive, with better control to prevent accidental jumps across multiple spaces.
Made switching between the root view and Spaces feel faster and more natural by tightening the transition animation and reducing the heavy bounce.

Version

1.3.9

Added "Send to Position" support for folders — right-click any folder to move it to an exact grid position, just like apps.
Fixed "Send to Position" not working when viewing a Space — it now correctly reorders items within the active Space instead of silently modifying root-level positions.
Fixed an issue where Pro purchases were not recognized, causing legitimate buyers to lose access to Pro features.
Restore Purchases now syncs with App Store servers, fixing cases where previous purchases were not detected.
Purchase alerts now show accurate titles and messages instead of a generic error for all non-success outcomes (e.g. "Purchase Pending" for parental approval, or no alert at all when the user simply cancels).
Pro status loads instantly on launch instead of briefly showing the free tier while verifying.
Removed the App Store vs Direct Download version distinction — the app now always checks StoreKit entitlements directly.

Version

1.3.8

Fixed blurry icons in the folder preview
Fixed a bug where the overlay would sometimes appear without keyboard focus when opened from certain apps (e.g. Xcode), requiring an extra click to use it
Fixed a bug where the color picker for the window tint settings would not work correctly and hide behind the main window.
Fixed a bug where apps assigned to Spaces could lose their positions after a rescan or app restart when Exclusive Mode was enabled.
Fixed a bug where Space layouts could be permanently erased if the app rendered a Space before applications finished loading.
Improved data persistence: app positions and folder state are now saved on quit to prevent data loss.

Version

1.3.7

Fixed a bug where users couldn't add the user applications folder to the app directories, because the overlay was appearing behind the open panel.

Version

1.3.6

Fixed a bug where using keyboard arrows to select an app in search results and pressing Enter would open the wrong app.
Fixed a bug where the most recent apps would show less apps than the grid size.
Improved the update section in the settings.
Fixed Cutoff Text in Settings.

Version

1.3.5

Smarter Search: Shows now the most used apps first in the search results.
Performance improvements and bug fixes
Added Settings and New Folder buttons to the header in space mode.
New feature: Default Space setting. When enabled, Launchie will open on the selected space when launched.

Version

1.3.4

Added a hint overlay when trying to drag apps while sorting is enabled. The pill reminds users to switch to Custom sort mode to enable drag and drop reordering.
Fixed exclusive mode when sorting was active
Performance improvements and bug fixes
Improved handling of Japanese, Chinese, Korean and other IME input methods in the search bar.

Version

1.3.3

Fixed a bug where the root level items that are in spaces would not be hidden even when exclusive mode was enabled.
Fixed a bug where the search bar would not work correctly when using Japanese, Chinese, Korean or other IME input methods.
Fixed a bug where the pro status would not be updated when a transaction was updated. (e.g. when a family member purchases the pro version on their device, the pro status will be updated on all devices instantly, without manual intervention.)

Version

1.3.2

Improved stability and drag & drop performance
Improved folder functionality
Improved space / folders interaction
Added Spaces Settings Section
Added Exclusive Mode setting to the Spaces Settings Section which hides apps and folders from the root view when they are added to a space. They will only appear in their assigned spaces if enabled.

Version

1.3.1

Refactor Tap Gesture Handling in for Improved User Interaction
Added glass effect buttons to the quick access section.
Lot of little improvements and bug fixes

Version

1.3.0

Improved Hot Corner functionality, opens faster and is easier to use
Fix for non-apple-account users: Launchie won't ask to sign in to your apple account anymore.
Clearer Context Menu: Spaces context menus now show “Remove from Space” for apps and folders. "Delete Folder" is only shown in the root.
Fixed a memory leak where every icon instantiated its own hidden Send to Position alert—now the prompt is presented once per view so context menus no longer spawn hundreds of leaked menus after long sessions.
Added the ability to set a custom window tint color for Launchie's background.
Changed the default app refresh interval to 5 minutes.
Added 1 Minute Option to the app refresh interval picker.
Added Ability to drag an app between two folders

Version

1.2.11

Bug fixes and performance improvements

Version

1.2.10

Better text rendering behaviour. Long text is now not cut off anymore.
Grid layout controls now use sliders (4–12 columns)
Row density is now adjustable
Extreme grid settings now surface a warning when they might break the layout on smaller screens.
Folders are now also correctly sorted in the context menu and on sorted views.
Added a background transparency slider in Appearance settings so you can fine-tune how solid Launchie looks.
Added a tint strength control so you can dial in how strong the dark/light glass layers render in each theme.
Changed Menu Bar Icon to the Launchie Icon.
Fixed a bug where non-pro users could hide apps, but then couldn't unhide them

Version

1.2.9

Minor bug fixes and performance improvements

Version

1.2.8

Added a smooth folder open/close animation that respects the animation level setting for a more polished transition.
Settings now show a warning badge next to App Directories when Launchie still needs access to the user Applications folder.
Introducing Spaces: Spaces are separate workspaces within Launchie, where you can add apps and folders. Apps and Folders can be added to multiple spaces.
Apps and folders can now be dragged onto the footer space chips to add them to a specific space.
Improved Danish and Spanish translations.

Version

1.2.7

A left mouse click on the menu bar icon now toggles Launchie, right-click opens the menu.
You can sort in folders now, same as on the root level.
Hot Corner now toggles visibility
Added Turkish translations.
Added Bulgarian translations.
Added Danish translations.

Version

1.2.6

Scrollbars are now shown
Fixed auto-scrolling on keyboard navigation
Optimized performance in settings -> hidden apps
Added hide/unhide action directly in the app context menu
Added translations for new hide/unhide context menu actions
Fixed issue with resizing windows, when not centered in windowed mode.
Added missing Finder.app to Launchie
Added Keep Folders on Top setting to the sort mode picker

Version

1.2.5

Fixed a bug where the hidden apps would still show up on the root level.

Version

1.2.4

Performance improvements
Refined Italian translations.
Menubar items are now translated.
You can now move the window by dragging it. A horizontal and vertical guide will appear to help you align the window to the center of the screen.
Improved Drag and Drop functionality
Added Shortcut: CMD + , for opening the settings

Version

1.2.3

Fixed a bug where the app wouldn't close when clicking outside of the window. Only works if "Close on Background Click" is enabled.
Added Hot Corner activation so you can open Launchie by touching any enabled screen corner—configure it in the new Hot Corners settings section.
You can now rename apps directly from the context menu, perfect for distinguishing multiple installations of the same tool

Version

1.2.2

Performance improvements
Added Italian translations.
Added French translations.

Version

1.2.1

Added Sort Mode picker to the header. Launchie can now sort apps by name, newest, oldest, A-Z, Z-A, and most used.
Added Spanish translations.
Launchie now opens on the screen where the mouse is located, when using mulitple screens.
Window size control is now a precise slider (40%–90%) for fine-grained adjustments.
Added folder spacing controls to disable empty slots, instantly close gaps, and explain how free icon placement works.
Fixed a bug where the app would crash when opening a folder with more than 52 apps.

Version

1.2.0

Added font customization for app and folder names in grid view (including Quick Access section) with three size options (Small, Normal, Large), three font styles (System, Rounded, Monospaced), and a bold text option.
Added most used apps to the quick access section.
Added Quit App button to the settings.
Added General → Language selector with Auto (system), English, German, and Dutch options.
Localized App (English, German, Dutch). Please report wrong translations or missing translations. If you want Launchie to support your language, please contact me.
Inside of folders, apps can now freely arranged in the empty space.
Improved drag scroll functionality
New App Icon
Added Backup and Restore functionality for settings, hidden apps, and custom directories.

Version

1.1.6

Fixed a bug where the app would freeze when dragging an app outside of the window.
Much better window tinting on dark and light mode.
Added a feedback section to the settings.

Version

1.1.5

Fixed a bug where hidden apps would still show inside folders. Hidden apps are now properly filtered from folder contents and folder preview icons.
Fixed a bug in List View where folder app counts showed double the correct number when folders contained hidden/uninstalled apps.
Now the app launches on click on the app icon. Previously it would launch in the background and you would need to click on the app icon again to launch the app. Starts at Login without showing the overlay as before.
Tinted Window Background slightly for better appearance.
Added Appearance Mode setting to the settings.
Moved Settings button to the header next to Add Folder button
Moved Grant Access to User App Folder functionality from header to App Directories settings section
Renamed "Custom Directories" to "App Directories" in settings
Added view mode toggle button next to search bar for Grid/List view switching
Improved search bar: now starts as a collapsed button, expands on click or when typing, auto-collapses when cleared
Fixed search button sizing to match other header buttons
Fixed header layout alignment to keep buttons properly positioned when search is collapsed or expanded
Fixed a bug where you could type while in a folder and the folder content would be replaced by the global search results.

Version

1.1.4

Fixed a bug where the app would always show the get pro button in the footer of the window.

Version

1.1.3

Added Custom Directories section to the settings
Improved Layout

Version

1.1.2

Major UI Redesign for App Store Differentiation
Added left sidebar with view mode switcher (Grid/List)
Added List View mode - new way to browse and launch apps in a vertical list
Full-width search bar for better usability
Settings button moved to sidebar
Significantly differentiated UI from macOS Launchpad

Version

1.1.1

Added Quick Access section to the app, which shows the recently used and newest apps.

Version

1.1.0

Redesigned search bar: Now narrower and centered in the button row, like the original macOS Launchpad
Added "Show Hotkey Display" setting to hide the keyboard shortcut reminder once you've learned it
Added ability to drag and drop between apps and folders
Added animations when items are moved
Improved "Close on Background Click" behavior: Now closes only the currently open folder (if any) instead of the entire app
Improved Esc key behavior: Now follows hierarchical closing (folder → modal → app) for more intuitive navigation
Background clicks and Esc key now behave consistently with the same hierarchical priority
Click on dock icon now closes Launchie if it is open
Hide Settings button in folder and search mode
Hide New Folder button in folder and search mode
Improves the Layout of the header
Fixed Keyboard Navigation
Improved Settings Sidebar, prev. you would need to click exacly on the text to select it, now you can click on the whole row to select it
Added Launchie Website to the settings
Added Auto Refresh setting to the settings
Added Pro Version with additional features, which is only available on the App Store Version. More features will be added in the future at no additional cost.
Pro Features:
Change Window Size
Hide Apps
Send to Position Context Menu
Folder Colors
Custom Grid Columns (5-8 columns)
Custom Icon Size (Small: 60px, Medium: 80px, Large: 100px, Extra Large: 120px)

Version

1.0.13

Fixed issue where FolderExitDropZone would remain visible after unsuccessful drag operations
Fixed FolderExitDropZone: Now properly handles drops next to (not on) the drop zone
Added visual feedback to FolderExitDropZone: Green border and icon when hovering over it
Disabled drag and drop operations in search mode for better UX (search results are dynamically filtered)
New folders now appear at the start instead of the end
Fixed issue where you couldn't directly type in the search field after opening the window
Added little subtext to "create folder" interface - clarifying that folders exist only in Launchie and not in Finder
Added ability to disable the global keyboard shortcut completely via "Clear" button in settings
When hotkey is disabled, app can still be opened via menu bar, dock, or automation tools like Keyboard Maestro
Added Clear button to hotkey settings to disable the global keyboard shortcut
Added new "Danger Zone" section in settings with ability to reset Apps folder permission
Reset Apps folder permission allows you to clear the saved bookmark if you accidentally granted access to the wrong folder
Added "Close on Background Click" setting to close Launchie when clicking empty space between icons (like classic Launchpad)
"Close on Background Click" is disabled by default but useful for fullscreen mode users

Version

1.0.12

Better Settings UI
Improved Startup Time
Showing window and hiding window animations respect animations settings now
Fixed Launch at Login: Now it's working as expected
Improved Icon Animations

Version

1.0.11

Added Start at Login option in the settings.
Refactored a lot of the codebase to be more modular and easier to maintain
Added Animations when window is opened and closed
Added Animations when items appear in the window
Added Settings for Animation Level of the items

Version

1.0.10

Fixed an issue where the app order was not being saved when you create a new folder.
Localized app names
Mouse back button works now for going back from folder to root level
fixed grant user appfolder permission button
fixed an issue which causes the root level order to get scrambled when you dismissed the app while beeing in a folder.

Version

1.0.9

Fixed an issue that was causing the app order to be scrambled when you install or uninstall an app.
Fixed an issue where the window couldn't be reopened when it was closed by clicking outside of it.
Added a add to dock helper in the settings and the menu bar.
Added "Open in Finder" to the app context menu.

Version

1.0.8

Fixed Folder Creation and Rename: Enter and Escape now work as expected
Improved Global Search: Now shows all apps and folders with visual context indicators
Added Search Restoration: Search query is preserved when entering and exiting folders
Added App Reordering in Folders: Apps within folders can now be rearranged via drag and drop
Fixed Folder Icon Preview: Folder icons now show apps in the correct custom order
Added Folder Preview Settings: Choose between 4, 9, or 16 app icons in folder previews
Redesigned Settings UI: More professional and unified appearance with better visual hierarchy
Fixed Settings Layout: Larger window size and improved spacing to prevent text wrapping issues
Improved Drag & Drop Targeting: Extended invisible hit areas to the left of icons for easier dropping, plus direct icon dropping still works
Added Hover Indicators: A subtle visual indicator appears when hovering over items during drag and drop operations
Added App Context Menu with Send to Folder function.

Version

1.0.7

Added drag scroll functionality
Minor improvements

Version

1.0.6

Fixed Text Size under App Icons
Added real Fullscreen Mode, now we got Windowed, Maximized and Fullscreen
Icons fading out on top and bottom of the window
Changed the Icon (Apple refused the old one, it looks to similar compared to their launchpad icon)
Now shipping .dmg instead of .app
Added Update Notifier in Settings

Version

1.0.3

Fixed a lot of issues with performance and some minor bugs.

Version

1.0.0

CMD + Shift + Space to Open/Close
Setting custom hotkey
Esc to Close
Drag and Drop to reorder apps
Open Apps
Folders
Search