(Beta) LaunchBack 1.1.1: Liquid Glass

This update is functionally identical to Beta 1.1.0, the only difference being a recompilation in Xcode 26 Beta 4 with Liquid Glass effects in macOS Tahoe.

(Beta) LaunchBack 1.1.0 (Reordering Prototype)

This is the first official "beta" release for LaunchBack. Thank you all for your continued support!

As with the initial release, many things are still WIP for future releases or being ironed out, but this is the first update adding new functionality.

Change log:

New Features and Changes:

• Added initial reordering support prototype
• Improved Settings page with new functionality across multiple tabs:
• "Relaunch Launchback" button persistently available at the bottom of the Settings window
  • General Tab:
    • Automatic Sort: Automatically sorts applications alphabetically
    • Manual Sort: Enable manual application sorting in the "Apps" tab; this configuration persists after application reboots or switching to Automatic Sort
    • Launch at Login (placeholder)
  • Apps Tab:
    • Manual application reordering prototype: Applications are displayed in a column and can be reordered with "Move Up" and "Move Down" buttons displayed below, as well as navigated with the up and down arrow keys or moved with Command ↑ and ↓, respectively. Changes are not visible until the application is relaunched.
      • Why not grid reordering like in classic Launchpad? This would be incredibly difficult if possible at all in Swift. Swift on macOS does not appear to support "Editmode" or other features that would allow drag and drop in the traditional sense. This column mode may also prove easier in time, particularly with folders and application hiding
      • While Manual sorting is disabled, these options are hidden. This is intentional.
    • Custom application directories: Still in testing. Please provide feedback if this does not work as intended. Consider this a half-placeholder.
    • "Folders (Coming Soon)" placeholder text added with message below
  • Advanced Tab:
    • "Reset All Settings to Default" button. Still in testing.

Known Bugs/Errors:

• The disappearing text for reordering apps in the Apps tab can appear cut off
  • I may move the app reordering to a floating window of its own, accessible by a button on this page, to reduce clutter on smaller resolutions.
• The grid has a brief visual delay upon first using the app after a reboot
• Manual reordering can create temporary duplicate entries, which may or may not persist after an application restart. (Possible temporary fixes: Relaunching LaunchBack; restarting computer)
• "Relaunch LaunchBack" button does not always close the previous application instance and usually opens a new one. (Note: Do not spam.)
• Scrolling, resolutions, and any other errors relating to the core LaunchBack grid remain unchanged from version 1.0.0
  • Too much scrolling in the Settings window can still switch LaunchBack grid pages. This is half-intentional to allow viewing the grid while changes are being made, but considering that changes are not shown until the app is restarted anyway... yeah, right now, this is just an error.

Installation Instructions:

For users, download the LaunchBack ".dmg" file and open it, drag and drop the app to your /Applications folder, double-click to run, and (recommended) pin the app to your Dock to use it like vanilla Launchpad! Also note: I do not have a paid Developer account, so you will likely have to enable the app manually in Settings → Privacy and Security, then by scrolling down to the "LaunchBack was prevented from opening" message or whatever it says.

For developers: This app is 100% Free and Open Source, so if you have any doubts about the application's safety, check out the code in the "Xcode Files" folder yourself! Feel 100% free to reupload and fork the application to your liking. (Again, this is also my FIRST-EVER application, though, so if I did something wrong and things don't work for you, let me know and I'll try to work things out.)

Once again, thank you all for your support, so I now present to you... LaunchBack beta 1.1.0!

Minimum macOS: 12.4

LaunchBack 1.0.0 (Initial Release)!

The first official release of LaunchBack is now out! This is still more or less a "proof of concept", but things have come along to the point that this is now usable! Download the app below and move it to your "Applications" folder!

Many things are still a Work in Progress (WIP) for future releases such as the Settings window (which is currently a placeholder), you cannot reorder applications, and there are no folders... yet. There is also no keyboard support and scrolling may be a bit imperfect, but please, let me know how things go! My advice: Scrolling vertically (or in very small increments horizontally) works best, and I highly recommend apps with smooth scrolling for external mice such as Mac Mouse Fix to improve the experience with external mice. However, there is a functional application grid showing all system-wide applications! I plan to add support for custom application directories in a future release so you could include your user-only applications or any others.

Instructions:

For users, download the LaunchBack ".dmg" file and open it, drag and drop the app to your /Applications folder, double-click to run, and (recommended) pin the app to your Dock to use it like vanilla Launchpad! Also note: I do not have a paid Developer account, so you will likely have to enable the app manually in Settings → Privacy and Security, then by scrolling down to the "LaunchBack was prevented from opening" message or whatever it says.

For developers: This app is 100% Free and Open Source, so if you have any doubts about the application's safety, check out the code in the "Xcode Files" .zip yourself! Feel 100% free to reupload and fork the application to your liking. (This is also my FIRST-EVER application though, so if I did something wrong and things don't work for you, let me know and I'll try to work things out.)

Truly, thank you all for your support, and without further ado... here's LaunchBack!

Minimum macOS: 12.4