Mac computers are full of underused and underappreciated features, such as the Launchpad app. If you want to become a bona fide Mac power user, you need to get in the habit of using it. The app offers a much more streamlined way of accessing your software, and you'll never need to go to Finder > Applications again.

But Launchpad isn't without its drawbacks. Namely, it has a propensity to become a pile of disorganized apps and icons. When you've got four pages of icons, it's almost impossible to find what you're looking for.

It doesn't have to be this way. You can organize your apps by holding down the Option key and dragging icons around. You can even create folders by dropping an icon on top of another one. And there are two more tricks you can try.

How to Remove Launchpad Apps With the Terminal

If you have lots of apps you want to delete, you can get rid of them all in one swoop using the Terminal.

Fire up the Terminal app and type:

        sqlite3 ~/Library/Application\ Support/Dock/*.db "DELETE from apps; \ DELETE from groups WHERE title<>''; DELETE from items WHERE rowid>2;" \ && killall Dock
    

Press Enter and all non-native apps will vanish.

How to Remove Native Launchpad Apps

You'll notice the Terminal method can only get rid of non-native app shortcuts. But what if you want to get rid of native app shortcuts? After all, do you really need a shortcut for Photo Booth or iBooks?

Try Launchpad Manager. There's a free and pro version, but the free version is adequate for almost everyone. It can delete any icons, allows you to rename all shortcuts, and lets to swap icons between pages.

Have you tried cleaning up your Launchpad, or are you happy using the Finder to access your apps? Let us know in the comments below.

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