QuickLaunch

A fast, native app launcher for macOS that recreates the classic Launchpad experience.

🌐 Website: https://vorojar.github.io/QuickLaunch

Features

• Full-screen Launchpad - Blurred wallpaper background, just like native macOS
• App Grid - Display all installed applications with smooth animations
• Drag & Drop - Reorder apps by dragging, create folders by dropping one app onto another
• Folders - Organize apps into folders, rename them, dissolve when needed
• Search - Real-time filtering with Chinese pinyin support
• Auto Organize - One-click automatic organization by app category
• Global Hotkey - Press ⌘⇧Space to launch from anywhere
• Status Bar - Quick access from menu bar
• Auto Update - Automatically detects newly installed/removed apps
• Bilingual - Chinese and English based on system language
• Signed & Notarized - No security warnings, just double-click to use

Installation

Method 1: Homebrew (Recommended)

brew install --cask quicklaunch

Method 2: Direct Download

1. Download the latest QuickLaunch.dmg
2. Open the DMG and drag QuickLaunch.app to Applications folder
3. Double-click to launch

Usage

Action	How
Open Launchpad	⌘⇧Space or click status bar icon
Close Launchpad	Esc or click outside
Launch App	Click on app icon
Search	Start typing
Quick Launch	Type and press Enter
Create Folder	Drag one app onto another
Rename Folder	Click folder to open, then click name
Reorder Apps	Drag and drop
Delete Mode	Long press on any app
Context Menu	Right-click on app

System Requirements

• macOS 14.0 (Sonoma) or later
• Apple Silicon or Intel Mac

Project Structure

QuickLaunch/
├── Sources/QuickLaunch/
│   ├── QuickLaunchApp.swift      # App entry point
│   ├── AppDelegate.swift         # Status bar, hotkey, window management
│   ├── AppState.swift            # Central state management
│   ├── Models/
│   │   ├── LaunchItem.swift      # App/Folder/URL model
│   │   └── AppUsageRecord.swift  # Usage tracking model
│   ├── Views/
│   │   ├── MainContentView.swift # Main launchpad UI
│   │   ├── AppIconView.swift     # App icon component
│   │   └── FolderView.swift      # Folder components
│   ├── Services/
│   │   ├── AppScanner.swift      # Scan installed apps
│   │   ├── UsageTracker.swift    # Track app usage
│   │   ├── DataStore.swift       # JSON persistence
│   │   └── DirectoryMonitor.swift# Watch for new apps
│   └── Utilities/
│       ├── IconCache.swift       # Icon caching
│       └── Localization.swift    # i18n support
├── Resources/
│   ├── Info.plist
│   ├── AppIcon.icns
│   └── StatusBarIcon.png
├── Casks/
│   └── quicklaunch.rb            # Homebrew Cask formula
├── scripts/
│   └── build.sh                  # Build script
├── index.html                    # Landing page
└── Package.swift

Build from Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/vorojar/QuickLaunch.git
cd QuickLaunch

# Build and create app bundle
./scripts/build.sh

# Run
open QuickLaunch.app

# Or install to Applications
cp -r QuickLaunch.app /Applications/

Data Storage

User data is stored in ~/Library/Application Support/QuickLaunch/:

• grid_layout.json - App arrangement and folders
• usage_stats.json - App usage statistics
• hidden_apps.json - Apps removed from Launchpad

License

MIT License

Links

• 🌐 Website
• 📦 Releases
• 🍺 Homebrew Cask