launchpad update apps visible

[rex.wexford]

hi all

my lanchpad doesnt show all the apps that are on my machine. This means i have to have a lot of app icons in the dock which doesnt work wonders for my OCD.

is there a way to update launchpad universally, or add apps manually? The only method i have seen suggests dragging the app icon from finder onto the launchpad icon on the dock - however nothing happens when i try this.

i'd happily just use spotlight however if i try to find the app it only returns files relating to the installation/update/removal of the app i want, rather than the thing i want to click to open the application.

can anybody shed any light? Im on catalina

many thanks

 

[ferrarr]

There are usually multiple pages of Apps in Launchpad, have you tried swiping right-left?

 

[rex.wexford]

There are usually multiple pages of Apps in Launchpad, have you tried swiping right-left?

i have yeah. definitely not in there

 

[chscag]

Don't you have an Applications folder on the right side of your dock? Clicking on that will show all your applications including the Utilities folder within. Why not use that? That's certainly a lot faster than Launchpad or Spotlight.

I just checked my Launchpad and counted the apps. They are the exact same number and name that show in the Applications folder.

If you're missing apps in Launchpad they may also be missing from your Applications folder.

 

[Rod]

My thought was the same as chscag's . If they are not in Launchpad then they are not in your Applications Folder. Use the Finder window to search for them but first if you don't have this handy feature already then enable it.

Open a Finder window on an empty desktop. Go to the View menu in the Menu Bar and click on Show Path Bar. Mine is already on as you can see below. Now anything you highlight in the Finder window will display the Path to that item in the bar at the bottom. You can even open the enclosing folders from the Path bar by double clicking on them. If the path is very complicated sliding the cursor along the path will reveal each enclosing folder.
Knowing where things are can be very useful, you may find there are reasons for keeping them in specific locations but in most cases applications should be in the Applications Folder.

Of course once you have located the app in question with a search you only need to drag and drop it into the Applications folder in the sidebar. It will then be visible in Launchpad.

 

[rex.wexford]

hi all

thanks for the replies sorry for slow response at my end- weekend away from my screen. I have the applications folder in my dock. I can get to the applications from that, but the ones i want are in a sub folder in the applications (could this be why they dont show in launch pad..?)

so i have to go applications - then find the sub folder, then scan for the app logo out of whatever else is in the sub folder. all seems a bit long winded to just open a programme?

for example for vectorworks it appears like this


then



is that as quick as it gets?

 

[chscag]

Correct. Sub folders appear in your Applications folder but not in Launchpad. For example; in my Launchpad, my Utilities folder apps do not appear, but are shown in the Applications folder as a sub folder.

 

[Slydude]

I don't use Launchpad much so I've never gotten fluent with it. Here was my solution to a similar problem:

1. Create a folder somewhere convenient.
2. Open the application folder and select one of the apps you want to use. From the File menu choose Make Alias. do this for each program you want quick ccess to.
3. Once you're done with step 2 drag the folde you created into the Dock. On the right side near the Trash.

From now on, accessing the apps in that folder is as simple as clicking its icon in the Dock and selecting the program you want to use. If you want to to change the organization of the folder make any changes in the folder you created. Not the one that is in the Dock.

 

[MacInWin]

If it is an app you use frequently, drag/drop the app icon to the Dock. Now it's there for one click opening.

 

[Mac Man 2007]

Correct. Sub folders appear in your Applications folder but not in Launchpad. For example; in my Launchpad, my Utilities folder apps do not appear, but are shown in the Applications folder as a sub folder.

All my utilities apps appear in my Launch Pad in a single open face folder called "Other". I can also grab other apps from launch pad and add them to the other folder if I want to.
So I can access utilities from Launch Pad or Applications