LaunchOS is a Launchpad alternative for macOS 26+ that brings back the classic native Launchpad experience. It recreates the familiar full-screen app grid, folders, pages, and drag-to-organize workflow many Mac users still miss, while fitting naturally into modern macOS with Liquid Glass support. It also adds more flexible ways to launch your apps, including trackpad pinch, Hot Corners, F4, keyboard shortcuts, and thoughtful customization.
Hi Product Hunt 👋
I’m Jimmy, one of the two people behind LaunchOS.
We built LaunchOS because Apple removed the classic Launchpad in macOS 26 Tahoe, but for many Mac users, the replacement just didn’t feel the same. There are already many launchers on macOS, but our goal was different: not to build another productivity launcher, but to bring back the familiar native Launchpad experience as closely as possible.
LaunchOS 2.0 is a big milestone for us. This was not just a feature update — we rebuilt the app from SwiftUI to AppKit. The reason was simple: apps like this live or die by tiny details. Opening speed, animation smoothness, folder transitions, drag behavior… we wanted it to feel much more native and polished.
With v2.0, LaunchOS is now much faster on first launch and app indexing, supports 120Hz / ProMotion displays, has smoother folder animations, and offers more refined interactions overall. We also kept the things that matter most to Launchpad users: the full-screen grid, pages, folders, drag-to-organize behavior, and familiar muscle memory.
It also supports modern macOS touches like Liquid Glass, and flexible ways to open it, including trackpad pinch, Hot Corners, F4, and keyboard shortcuts.
We’re a very small team, so every bit of feedback really matters. I’d especially love to hear from people who used the old Launchpad a lot — what feels right, what still doesn’t, and what you’d want to see next.
Thanks for checking out LaunchOS.
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About LaunchOS on Product Hunt
“Bring Back the Classic Launchpad Experience on macOS 26+”
LaunchOS launched on Product Hunt on May 28th, 2026 and earned 94 upvotes and 2 comments, placing #19 on the daily leaderboard. LaunchOS is a Launchpad alternative for macOS 26+ that brings back the classic native Launchpad experience. It recreates the familiar full-screen app grid, folders, pages, and drag-to-organize workflow many Mac users still miss, while fitting naturally into modern macOS with Liquid Glass support. It also adds more flexible ways to launch your apps, including trackpad pinch, Hot Corners, F4, keyboard shortcuts, and thoughtful customization.
LaunchOS was featured in Mac (103.5k followers), Productivity (652.7k followers) and Apple (15.5k followers) on Product Hunt. Together, these topics include over 149.8k products, making this a competitive space to launch in.
Who hunted LaunchOS?
LaunchOS was hunted by Jimmy Cheung. A “hunter” on Product Hunt is the community member who submits a product to the platform — uploading the images, the link, and tagging the makers behind it. Hunters typically write the first comment explaining why a product is worth attention, and their followers are notified the moment they post. Around 79% of featured launches on Product Hunt are self-hunted by their makers, but a well-known hunter still acts as a signal of quality to the rest of the community. See the full all-time top hunters leaderboard to discover who is shaping the Product Hunt ecosystem.
Want to see how LaunchOS stacked up against nearby launches in real time? Check out the live launch dashboard for upvote speed charts, proximity comparisons, and more analytics.
Jimmy Cheung