Update from an older version of Launchie

If you installed Launchie a while ago, especially a 1.0.x or 1.1.x build from Homebrew or GitHub, this guide gets you to the latest version. Your layout, folders, and settings carry over. The steps below show you how to check what you have, make a backup first, and pick an upgrade path.

1. Find your version and how you installed it

Click the Launchie icon in the menu bar. The menu lists Launchie Version x.y.z near the bottom. The same menu has a Settings… item.

Where Settings are in older versions

Very early builds (1.0.x) look different from today’s Launchie and do not have a Settings window:

• Menu bar: click the Launchie icon and choose Settings…. On a MacBook with a notch, the icon can be hidden behind the notch when the menu bar is full. Quit a few menu bar apps, or open Launchie with its hotkey instead.
• Launchie window: the small gear button at the top right, next to the new folder button. Settings open as a panel inside the Launchie window.

You do not need Settings to upgrade. If you cannot find them, skip straight to the backup step.

Check how Launchie was installed

Open Terminal (Applications → Utilities) and run:

brew list --cask 2>/dev/null | grep launchie

If this prints launchie, you installed with Homebrew. If it prints nothing, check for an App Store receipt:

ls /Applications/Launchie.app/Contents/_MASReceipt

If that folder exists, you have the Mac App Store version. If you see “No such file or directory”, you have the direct download from GitHub.

2. Back up your layout

Upgrading keeps your data, but a backup takes a minute and protects your arrangement if anything goes wrong.

With Launchie Pro: open Settings → Backup and click Save Backup. See Backup & Restore for details.

Without Pro, or on a version older than 1.2.0: these versions do not have a backup button you can use, so copy the preferences file in Terminal instead. Quit Launchie first so everything is saved to disk, then run:

cp ~/Library/Containers/de.nick-friedrich.Launchie/Data/Library/Preferences/de.nick-friedrich.Launchie.plist ~/Desktop/Launchie-backup.plist

If macOS asks whether Terminal may access data from other apps, click Allow. You now have Launchie-backup.plist on your Desktop.

3. Upgrade

Every version of Launchie, from the App Store, Homebrew, or GitHub, stores its data in the same place: ~/Library/Containers/de.nick-friedrich.Launchie. Replacing or removing the app does not touch that folder, so you can use any of the paths below.

Quit Launchie before you start: click the menu bar icon and choose Quit Launchie.

Stay on Homebrew

brew update && brew upgrade --cask launchie

Stay on the direct download

1. Download the latest .dmg from the GitHub release page.
2. Open it and drag Launchie.app into /Applications. Choose Replace when asked.

Older builds cannot update themselves. Some only say that a new version is available, and some link to the Mac App Store. The GitHub download above always has the current direct version.

Switch to the Mac App Store

1. Remove the old app. If you used Homebrew, run brew uninstall --cask launchie. Otherwise, drag Launchie.app from /Applications to the Trash.
2. Install Launchie from the Mac App Store.

The full walkthrough, including how to move Launchie Pro, is in Switch between the Mac App Store and Homebrew.

Do not delete your data by accident. Do not use brew uninstall --zap, and do not remove Launchie with an uninstaller app like AppCleaner. Both also delete ~/Library/Containers/de.nick-friedrich.Launchie, and your layout goes with it.

4. Open the new version

Launch Launchie from /Applications or Spotlight. Your folders, app order, and hotkey should be there right away. macOS may ask you to grant access to the Applications folder again. Approve it if asked.

In current versions, Settings open in their own window. Use the gear button in the Launchie window, or click the menu bar icon and choose Settings….

If your layout is missing

You made a backup in Settings: open Settings → Backup, click Load Backup, and pick the file.

You copied the preferences file: quit Launchie, then run these commands in Terminal:

cp ~/Desktop/Launchie-backup.plist ~/Library/Containers/de.nick-friedrich.Launchie/Data/Library/Preferences/de.nick-friedrich.Launchie.plist
killall cfprefsd

The second command clears macOS’s preferences cache so Launchie reads the restored file. It is safe to run. Then open Launchie again.

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Stuck on a step? Let me know from within the app or via GitHub issues.