GridLaunch is a no-clutter app launcher for the Mac, built on a contrarian idea: your launcher should hold only the apps you actually use, not a dump of everything you have ever installed. You add the apps you launch, arrange them your way, name your own folders, and they stay exactly where you left them. Only add what you use.
It lives in the menu bar and appears over whatever you are doing — a global shortcut (Option-Space by default) or a single click. The overlay is floating and non-activating: it sits above your current app and Space without stealing focus, so you pull it up, start typing to filter, move with the arrow keys, press Return to launch, and land straight back in the app you were in. Click empty space or press Esc to dismiss.
Building your grid is meant to be quick. The editor lists everything in Applications and System Applications — Notes, Mail, Safari, Terminal and the rest included — with search, an Unused filter, Add All, and drag-in from Finder. From one Edit panel you curate the apps and tune the look: how much of the screen the panel uses, icon size from compact to large, three themes (translucent dark, translucent light, or solid light), and hover scale, click pulse and animation to taste. A custom global shortcut and Start at Login make it ready the moment you log in.
GridLaunch is completely free — every feature, unlimited folders, custom layout, backup and restore, for everyone. An optional “Support the developer” tip, one-time or a small monthly one, unlocks nothing; its only effect is hiding the support prompt. It keeps no account, runs no analytics, and carries no ads or tracking, and it ships accessible: VoiceOver-friendly tiles and a menu-bar icon that reflects whether the launcher is open. A native macOS app for Ventura (13.0) and later, finished in GridLaunch's signature violet.
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