Sort and Start apps with Launchpad

OS X Lion includes the new feature called Launchpad to sort and start apps quickly

 

Launch Launchpad

Do one of the following:

  • Go to the Dock > click on Launchpad icon

  • Go to the top right corner of the desktop > click on the magnifying glass to go to the Spotlight menu > enter “Launchpad” > press Enter key

  • If you have a Trackpad, you can use four fingered gesture pinch to invoke Launchpad

  • On the keyboard, press F4



Understanding Launchpad interface

  • On the first page, all applications on the Mac are displayed and organized in alphabetical order for you to easily find the default applications

  • Depending on how many applications are installed in the Mac, Launchpad can contain more than one page. To move between pages in Launchpad, click on the pagination dots above the Dock


 

Create folders in Launchpad

You can organize application icons in Launchpad by placing them into folders based on types or categories

  • Grab an application icon

  • Drag it on the top of a related application

  • Double-click on the folder name to change to different name > enter the new name > press Enter key

  • A small gray square icon presented for a folder icon appears in the Launchpad page and displays application icons contained inside

  

 

Manage application icons

  • To place an application icon into a folder, do one of the following:

    • If you want to see what applications are inside the folder before placing the new application icon, grab and drag the icon on the top of the folder

    • If you don’t want to see what applications are inside the folder before placing the new application icon, click and hold on the application icon until all application starts shaking > release the mouse button > grab and drag the icon on the top of the folder > click anywhere on the page to exit the shaking mode

  • To move the application within the same page, grab and drag the icon to the desired position