What is Launchpad?
In macOS, “Launchpad” is an interface designed to mimic the home screen of an iPad or iPhone. When triggered, it blurs your desktop and displays a grid of massive icons for every application installed on your Mac. You can trigger it by clicking the silver rocket-ship icon in your Dock, or by performing a “pinch with thumb and three fingers” gesture on your trackpad.
If you prefer a clean, desktop-focused workflow and rely on Spotlight Search (Command + Space) to open applications instantly, Launchpad is completely redundant. While you cannot safely uninstall the Launchpad subsystem without breaking macOS, you can effectively disable it by removing its triggers, ensuring you never accidentally open it again.
How to Remove Launchpad Triggers
You must remove the icon from the Dock and disable the trackpad gesture.
- Remove the Dock Icon:
- Look at the Dock at the bottom of your screen.
- Find the Launchpad icon (the silver rocket ship or the grid of colorful squares).
- Click and hold the icon, then drag it straight up toward the middle of your screen.
- Wait a second until you see the word “Remove” appear next to the icon, then let go of the mouse button. The icon will vanish in a puff of smoke.
- Disable the Trackpad Gesture:
- Click the Apple Logo in the top-left corner of the screen and select System Settings….
- Scroll down the left sidebar and click on Trackpad.
- Click on the More Gestures tab at the top of the main window.
- Find the option labelled Launchpad (usually described as “Pinch with thumb and three fingers”).
- Click the dropdown menu next to it and select Off.
With the Dock icon removed and the trackpad gesture disabled, Launchpad is effectively dead. It will never interrupt your workflow or accidentally appear on your screen again.