Launchpad Is Gone in macOS 26 Tahoe — Here’s How to Cope

As a longtime Mac user and enthusiast, I was quick to notice a curious—and for many, frustrating—change in macOS 26 Tahoe: Launchpad is gone. Vanished. Poof. If you, like me, relied on Launchpad as the easy gateway to all your apps, this came as a shock. And to make matters worse, many third-party apps that once lived inside Control Center have disappeared too.

So what’s going on here? Why did Apple make these moves, and more importantly, what can we do about it? Let me break it down.

Mystery Solved: Why Third-Party Apps Vanished from Control Center

In Sequoia and earlier, third-party apps could hook into Control Center, sitting neatly alongside Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and AirDrop. That meant you could keep utilities like VPN clients, clipboard managers, battery monitors, or even Launchpad within easy reach.

With Tahoe, Apple has locked Control Center down to system apps only.

Now, only Apple’s own toggles remain — Wi-Fi, Focus, Bluetooth, AirPlay, and the like. Third-party hooks are gone, full stop.

Apple hasn’t published a deep technical explanation, but from developer chatter and community consensus, three reasons keep coming up:

• Consistency → Apple wants Control Center to look identical on every Mac, just like on iOS/iPadOS.
• Security & Stability → Third-party integrations sometimes caused crashes, visual glitches, or weird UI conflicts.
• Spotlight & AI Push → Apple wants you to rely more on Spotlight and the new AI-driven app suggestions for launching apps, not Control Center shortcuts.

That last point stings the most. It feels like Apple is nudging us away from our way of working and into their vision of app access.

The Impact on Productivity

For me, Control Center used to be a one-stop dashboard. I could:

• Toggle VPN on/off.
• Check CPU temps with a quick glance.
• Jump straight into Launchpad.

Now? I have to dig deeper. Either I open Spotlight, hunt in the Dock, or rely on scattered menu bar icons.

And I’m not alone. Reddit threads and Apple forum discussions are full of users calling this a step backward. Many power users had customized Control Center into a mini command hub, and losing that flexibility makes everyday workflows less efficient.

Workarounds: How to Regain Quick Access

Here’s what actually works in macOS 26 Tahoe right now — what I’ve tested, and what users widely report as stable. I’ll also flag the methods that used to work in betas but have since broken or been disabled, so you don’t waste time.

✅ What works today

• Use the New “Apps Panel” with Spotlight
  The new panel replaces Launchpad: it pops up as a floating window (via Dock icon or Spotlight), shows a list of all apps (alphabetical), and includes “categories” filtering under the search. It’s not what longtime Launchpad users are used to, but it is Apple’s official replacement.
• Dock Method: “Applications” Folder in Grid View
  Pull your Applications folder (or a custom folder of frequently used apps) into the Dock. Set the view to Folder → Grid. This mimics the visual layout of Launchpad and gives quicker access than searching for every app.
• Spotlight Search (Cmd + Space) Remains Strong
  If you’re used to typing rather than clicking, Spotlight is your go-to. It handles both searching names and launching. Many users say it’s faster once you adjust.
• Third-Party Launchers (AppGrid, LaunchNext, etc.)
  These are the community’s response. AppGrid Launcher is available on Mac App Store; LaunchNext is an open-source alternative that brings back the LaunchPad interface that was deprecated in Tahoe/macOS 26.

⚠️ What to skip

• Terminal ‘SpotlightPlus’ Trick
  During the betas, you could toggle a hidden flag to bring back Launchpad. That’s gone in the final release. Trying to force it now risks breaking Spotlight’s new features or causing instability.
• Old Gestures or Hot Corners
  Since Launchpad itself is removed, any trackpad gestures or hot-corner assignments pointing to it are now dead. They won’t bring the feature back.

👉 Bottom line: Tahoe forces us to rethink how we launch and manage apps. Spotlight and Dock stacks cover the basics, while tools like AppGrid or Alfred unlock even better workflows if you’re willing to explore beyond Apple’s defaults.

Developer Insights & Apple’s Stance

So far, developers have confirmed that there’s no official API for third-party Control Center integration in Tahoe. That means it’s not a bug — it’s by design.

Could Apple reintroduce a limited API in the future? Possibly. But for now, Control Center is Apple-only territory. Instead, the company is steering developers (and users) toward widgets, Spotlight, and AI-driven app discovery.

Conclusion: Adjusting to the New Control Center

I’ll be honest: I miss Launchpad, and I miss the flexibility of having third-party apps in Control Center. Apple’s move in Tahoe does make things cleaner and more consistent, but it also makes the Mac feel less customizable — and that’s always been one of the Mac’s strengths.

That said, with tools like Alfred, BetterTouchTool, and widgets, you can rebuild much of what’s been lost — and in some cases, end up with an even more powerful setup.

So if you’re mourning your missing shortcuts, don’t uninstall Tahoe just yet. With the right Mac utilities, you can reclaim control and maybe even discover a better productivity sweet spot than before.

Keep learning:

• How to Fix macOS Battery Drain (Incl. Tahoe 26)
• How to Fix Slow Mac After macOS Tahoe Update
• How to Take a Screenshot on Mac

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