4 Ways to Quickly Open the Launchpad on a Mac
The Launchpad is an essential tool for any Mac user. It allows you to quickly access all your applications and easily organize them into folders or pages. You might use this feature every day and wonder if there are ways to open it even faster than before. Here, we explore four methods to quickly open the Launchpad on your Mac.
1. Dock Icon
One of the easiest ways to access the Launchpad is through its Dock icon located, by default, at the bottom of your screen. If you’re not able to find it in your Dock, simply open Finder, navigate to Applications, and drag the Launchpad icon onto your Dock for quick access. Now you can open the Launchpad with just a single click.
2. Keyboard Shortcut
You can use a convenient keyboard shortcut to instantly open the Launchpad. Press F4 (the function key with the “Launchpad” icon) on newer Macs that have a Touch Bar, or hold down “fn” with F4 on older Macs without a Touch Bar. Pressing these keys will toggle between showing and hiding the Launchpad.
3. Trackpad Gesture
Another quick way to open the Launchpad is by using a trackpad gesture. For this method, place four fingers on your trackpad and pinch them together (as if you’re zooming out). Your screen will switch to Launchpad view right away. To exit it, simply reverse the gesture and spread out your fingers like you’re zooming in on an image.
4. Hot Corners
macOS allows users to set custom hot corner actions that get triggered when moving the mouse cursor to one of your screen’s corners. To set up a hot corner for Launchpad, go to System Preferences > Mission Control > Hot Corners. Click on one of the four drop-down menus corresponding to each corner of your screen and choose “Launchpad” as the assigned action. Now, moving your mouse cursor to that corner will quickly open the Launchpad.
In conclusion, there are several ways to quickly open the Launchpad on your Mac: using the Dock icon, a keyboard shortcut, a trackpad gesture, or setting up a hot corner. By choosing one or more of these methods, you can enjoy quick and convenient access to all your applications on your Mac.