One thing I’ve always loved about macOS is how clean it looks.
But the Dock? Not so much, especially when it’s always visible, full of apps and taking away your screen real estate.
If you’re trying to keep your desktop minimal, hiding the Dock helps… but it also makes launching apps slower. That’s where Launchy comes in.
Launchy is a small macOS utility (€4 one-time purchase) that gives you a faster, cleaner way to open apps without relying on the Dock or Spotlight.
Press ⌘ Command + ⌥ Option and a circular launcher appears around your mouse cursor, showing the apps you’ve added. No moving your cursor. No clutter. Just launch and go.
What you can customize
Launchy is surprisingly flexible for such a small app:
- Choose which app appear in the circle
- Adjust icon size
- Change launcher position (cursor or screen center)
- Edit circle size and thickness
- Show running app indicators
- Toggle app names
- Enable haptic feedback
It takes less than 5 minutes to set up and then it just works.
How it feels in daily use
This is one of those tools that feels small… until you get used to it. Launching apps from your cursor saves time, especially on bigger screens. And visually, it keeps your desktop much cleaner than a permanent Dock. Of course, you’re not replacing macOS features. You can still use the Dock or launch apps via Spotlight (⌘ + Space) Launchy just adds another, faster option.
Should you try it?
If you like customizing macOS or want a more minimal workspace, Launchy is an easy recommendation. It’s lightweight, affordable, and adds that subtle “je ne sais quoi” 🤌🏻 to your workflow.
