Old MacOS Launchpad

Old Launchpad is a vibe-coded standalone, SwiftUI-based replacement for macOS Launchpad. It mimics the grid layout and folder behaviour of the original:

• optional live refresh when apps are added/removed from /Applications or ~/Applications

• inline search, drag-to-reorder, drag-to-folder, and drag-back-out

• dynamic page indicator & smooth horizontal swiping

Compiled App is here: https://github.com/netsvetaev/Old-Launchpad/releases

Features

Grid & Pages 7 × 5 icons per page. Empty placeholders keep every screen independent.

Drag & Drop – swap icons– 3 s hover to create / append folders– drag an icon out of a folder and drop directly to the neighbour slot.

Search Type in the top-bar – grid filters instantly.

Live refresh startWatchingFolders() watches /Applications and ~/Applications via DispatchSource. refreshApps() adds any new bundles and removes deleted ones.

Dismiss • Esc key ( .onExitCommand) • mouse-down on an empty space.

Persistence Layout stored in ~/Library/Application Support/Dock/launchpad_layout.json (separate from Apple’s DB).

Screenshot

Build & Run

Requires Xcode 15+, macOS 13 Ventura or newer.

git clone https://github.com/your-name/old-launchpad.git
open "old-launchpad/Old Launchpad.xcodeproj"
⌘-R          # Run in Xcode

Hot Corners

macOS does not expose Hot-Corner APIs to third-party apps. If you want a corner to open Old Launchpad, use BetterTouchTool / Raycast to map “Top-Left Corner → open Old Launchpad.app”.

Roadmap

I don't know. Maybe iCloud sync & various settings?

License

BSD-3-Clause.

Author

My name is Art Netsvetaev. I'm designer, product manager & entrepreneur. I did this app as an example of vibe-coding with ChatGPT and absolutely no idea what SwiftUI is (I prefer python). The icon is based on my own logotype.

https://netsvetaev.com