Launchpad is a highly useful feature in macOS. It has been developed to offer an iOS-like approach to managing apps with more convenience on Mac.
At times, you may find some apps missing from the Launchpad interface. Generally, the newly installed third-party apps wouldn’t be showing up. In order to fix the issue or bring back the missing apps, you need to reset the Launchpad.
Apps Not Showing in Launchpad on Mac – How to Bring it Back
Use Default Locations for Applications
Step #1. Starting off, click on the desktop.
Step #2. Next, you need to click on the Go menu located on the menu bar.
Step #3. Now, press and hold the Option key ⌥. Then, click on Library.
Step #4. Next, you have to double click on the Application Support folder.
Step #5. Double click on the Dock folder.
Then, you need to drag all files ending in .db into the trash.
Step #6. Click on the Apple icon at the top left the corner of the screen → Finally, you need to click on Restart → Restart button.
Reset Launchpad
Launchpad shows the apps which are in the default Applications folder. In case the program is not there, it won’t show up in Launchpad. In this case, move the app out of the folder, log out and log back in to restart Launchpad. Now, move the program back to the Applications folder.
Rebuild the Launchpad Database
macOS Dock controls the databases which determine the apps to be shown in Launchpad. The databases may have become corrupt. To fix the issue, rebuild the Launchpad databases.
Step #1. Hold the Option key and select Library from the Go menu in the Finder.
Step #2. Open the Application Support → Dock folder and get rid of the files. You should see alphanumeric characters as names.
Step #3. Now, log out and log back into your account. Now, Dock and Launchpad will reset and scan the Applications folders.
That’s it!
Your Mac will restart. Once it reboots, all of your missing apps would appear in Launchpad. You can use this trick to fix this issue whenever you don’t find some apps in it.
I wish Apple provided a better solution to bring back the disappeared apps in Launchpad in the next version of macOS.
macOS Catalina, in many ways, is a major update. But as they say, nothing is perfect in the world, it can still be improved. As a Mac user, you must have a long list of wish lists that you would want to see in the upcoming version of macOS.
Would you like to share them with us? We would be glad to know them from you in the comments.
Read More:
- Use Launchpad on Your Mac: A Beginner’s Guide
- How to get Launchpad on Mac Dock
- How to disable the ‘change file extension’ warning on Mac
Jignesh Padhiyar is the co-founder of iGeeksBlog.com, who has a keen eye for news, rumors, and all the unusual stuff around Apple products. During his tight schedule, Jignesh finds some moments of respite to share side-splitting content on social media.