A few mac questions

By Justin Philips, 10 January, 2023

Forum
macOS and Mac Apps

Hello all,

Got a macbook Air 8 gb, 256 SSD version (M1). It's a bit of a learning curve. Here are my questions for now:
1. What is the use of the launchpad?
2. What can we use the desktop area for?
3. In the mac app store, I know how to search for an app. After pressing the return key, I am lost. Could somebody post a step-by-step process?

🙏

Options

Comments

By Tyler on Tuesday, January 10, 2023 - 05:08

Member of the AppleVis Editorial Team

1. Launchpad shows all the apps installed on your Mac in a view similar to the iPad. As a VoiceOver user, I don't use it, preferring to access apps through various other ways such as the Applications folder, Dock, and Keyboard Commander.
2. The Desktop can be used to store files, folders, and other items of your choosing, and is by default where external storage devices are mounted for quick access.
3. After pressing Return in the Mac App Store, interact with the results collection with VO-Shift-Down-Arrow, locate the app you want, and to access the product page, route the mouse pointer to it by pressing VO-Command-F5, and then clicking the mouse button. Alternatively, to download the app immediately without going to the product page, press VO-Space on the result.

HTH

By Bruce Harrell on Tuesday, January 10, 2023 - 05:08

Hi.
1. Launchpad takes too much time and trouble to use. instead, I use the dock or the VoiceOver keyboard commander to open apps quickly.
2. Don't use the return key to try to open an app. Use control option spacebar instead.
3. The desktop is a good place to stick things kept in out of the way files and folders that would take longer to find than putting them on your desktop, especially files you frequently use, such as text files. Personally, I like the dock better for apps and frequently used text files.

Joy!

Bruce

By Unregistered User (not verified) on Tuesday, January 10, 2023 - 05:08

I use spotlight to open basically every app. You can active spotlight search with cmd+space, then start typing the name of the app you want to open. Usually, it's the first result and you can just press enter. No more muddling in the dock or finder or launchpad

By Bruce Harrell on Tuesday, January 10, 2023 - 05:08

Hi. Spotlight is a great tool, but i still prefer key commander. With VoiceOver's key commander, to open Safari, for example, all I have to do is press right option key and the letter s. A single keystroke, and voila! Safari opens.

Similarly, I use right option key with:
a to open my apogee control app;
l to open Logic Pro X;
t to open text edit; and,
etc. . ..

Much faster, much easier. smile

Bruce

By PaulMartz on Tuesday, January 10, 2023 - 05:08

Launchpad is also the most effective way to delete an app, which you can do using the actions menu VO+Command+Spacebar. Sadly, the delete option is only available for some apps, and I have no explanation for that.

I don't use the desktop for anything.

Tyler has already posted a great explanation of the App Store, but I will add that the way you search for and install apps seems to change from one Mac OS release to the next.

By PaulMartz on Tuesday, January 10, 2023 - 05:08

Thanks for the tip, Jenna. Now, if I can just remember to use Spotlight on those few occasions when I want to launch an app that's not in the dock.

Another way to launch an app is to use SIRI. "Open Disk Utility," for example.

Using Launchpad to open an app is even more tedious than finding an app icon on an iPhone and opening it with a double tap. At least it's easy to flip through different pages on an iPhone, whereas it's downright painful in Launchpad on the Mac.