Submit Hint Search The Forums LinksStatsPollsHeadlinesRSS
14,000 hints and counting!

Launch apps from the Finder without using a mouse Desktop
Don't know if this has been addressed here yet, however I just started using this technique a week or so ago, and I've been a Mac user for 20 years... It has become invaluable to me. Need to open an app in Finder but can't / won't use the mouse? Try this instead:
  • Command-tab to the Finder
  • Shift-Command-A to bring up the Applications folder
  • Type in the first few letters of the app (e.g. "saf" for Safari)
  • Command-O to open the app -- or more elegantly, Option-Command-O, which will close the Finder window at the same time.
Quick, painless, and your hands never leave the keyboard. Shift-Command-U will bring up the Utilities directory, Shift-Command-H for the Home directory for similar tricks.

[robg adds: This is a simple hint that combines a few nice features of the Finder to make for fast application access. Of course, if you really want to launch things quickly, you can use something like LaunchBar or Another Launcher (now Butler) -- you can get to any app (or document) with a few keystrokes. But the above solution is built in to every copy of OS X.]
    •    
  • Currently 1.00 / 5
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  (1 vote cast)
 
[9,084 views]  

Launch apps from the Finder without using a mouse | 23 comments | Create New Account
Click here to return to the 'Launch apps from the Finder without using a mouse' hint
The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
LaunchBar (bear with me...)
Authored by: sharumpe on Mar 25, '04 11:53:31AM

I know that every time someone posts a hint about how to launch things from the keyboard, someone pops in and says you should be using LaunchBar. Well, you should be, and here's why:

LaunchBar becomes part of your muscle-memory when using your Mac. Half of the time I use it as an application switcher, too, because by the time I've thought that I want to switch to mail, my fingers have already keyed it, without the visual input necessary to use the cmd-tab switcher. The same goes for apps that are not currently running.

Even if you don't have the greatest typing skills, as long as you're close (so that the app you want shows in the pick list) and consistent (repeated use of the same, or even similar, input will bring up the same application -- LaunchBar learns from your usage of it), you will get what you expect every time.

I'm one of the folks that typically likes to use the built-in software for everything, just because then I can use a friend's machine and know exactly what I'm doing. LaunchBar is an exception to my rule because it makes my life so much easier on my own machine (which is where I spend most of my time anyhow).

I don't work for ObjectiveDevelopment, but really, if you want to free yourself from having to use the mouse for every little thing, you should check out LaunchBar. This is really the best money I've ever spent on third-party software -- OK, maybe it ties with BBEdit... :)

Mr. Sharumpe



[ Reply to This | # ]
LaunchBar (bear with me...)
Authored by: mike3k on Mar 25, '04 01:22:08PM

I second your recommendation. I had resisted LaunchBar for a long time, but as soon as I tried it I was addicted and paid for it the next day.

The great thing about LaunchBar is that it learns your shortcuts. When you type a shortcut, if it doesn't show the application you want, scroll down to it and the next time you use the same shortcut it will launch that application.



[ Reply to This | # ]
LaunchBar (bear with me...)
Authored by: kupietz on Apr 23, '04 08:09:02PM

Beat me to the punch on this one! I third it.

I had always resisted "launchbar"-type keyboard launchers on aesthetic grounds, but I decided to try it after switching to X to help fill the void until the aliens disable the currently active TurlyBot and return the real Turly to Earth to write FinderPop X.

Anyway, I can't believe how quickly launchbar became essential to me... thumbs up for this utility.



[ Reply to This | # ]
LaunchBar (bear with me...)
Authored by: aranor on Mar 25, '04 10:30:48PM
I've used LaunchBar for a long time, but recently I've switched to Quicksilver. I suggest you try it!

[ Reply to This | # ]
Launch apps from the Finder without using a mouse
Authored by: elmimmo on Mar 25, '04 12:20:31PM

Since you are going to use arrow keys to navigate through the items (weather you use LaunchBar or not; hint to those that do use it: try left and right keys), or even to dig folders or come out of them with command+down or command+up, better get used to open applications and documents with command+down instead of command+o.



[ Reply to This | # ]
Launch apps from the Finder without using a mouse
Authored by: agraboso on Mar 25, '04 01:04:58PM

I get the same result with Command-O and Shift-Command-O; the Finder window remains there...



[ Reply to This | # ]
Launch apps from the Finder without using a mouse
Authored by: MattHaffner on Mar 25, '04 01:19:20PM

Well, that's good because the correct sequence is cmd-*option*-o. ;)



[ Reply to This | # ]
Launch apps from the Finder without using a mouse
Authored by: frankxiv on Mar 25, '04 02:39:21PM

Does anyone know a keyboard shortcut to open the Developer Applications window?

Later, Frank



[ Reply to This | # ]
Launch apps from the Finder without using a mouse
Authored by: jakacmar on Mar 25, '04 04:19:32PM

There isn't one, but you can get to it using only the keyboard, it just takes a little more work. Cmd-Shift-c opens a Finder window at the top most "computer" level, you can then drill down using the first few letters of your volume name hitting tab (if in column view or cmd-down arrow/cmd-o in list or icon view) to move focus within the folder, etc. It would definitely be nice if Apple would implement a shortcut for the Dev directory if it's installed. Better yet, fix customized keyboard shortcuts so that they can be set to launch apps or open certain folders.



[ Reply to This | # ]
Use "Go To Folder..." and Auto-complete
Authored by: dzurn on Mar 25, '04 05:42:19PM
Not quite a shortcut, but REALLY fast:

Cmd-Shift-G /d[tab]a[tab][enter]

It turns out that the "Go To Folder" dialog will auto-complete whatever you type.

So "/d" will auto-complete (in a second or so, speeds it up) to "/Developer/" then "a" will finish expanding to "/Developer/Applications/". [Enter] to go to the folder, then type the first chars of the app 'til its highlighted".

Amazing, eh? Even better, the next time you use "Go To Folder" it remembers the last folder you navigated to.

Darryl

---
Madness takes its toll.
Please have exact change.

[ Reply to This | # ]

Launch apps from the Finder without using a mouse
Authored by: mccronin on Mar 25, '04 02:45:12PM
Now that someone has officially evangelized LaunchBar -- as required by law in this situation, I believe ;-) -- I'd like to take this opportunity to evangelize Butler (formerly Another Launcher).

I have been a registered LaunchBar user virtually since its inception, and it is an awesome utility. Now though, I've switched to Butler. As a launcher it behaves much the same way as LaunchBar (abbreviations, intuitive learning, etc.) but it also has many other powerful features, not the least of which is a web search in the menu bar that allows you to perform search on the fly no matter what app you're currently in! I'd mention more features, but there's way too many.

The one ding I have on Butler is it is so powerful that it can be a bit complicated to set up, but once you've got it just right, there's no turning back.

Best of all it's Donationware! I've given the author every cent he asked for and then some. Just my 2 cents, but thought it worth a mention.

[ Reply to This | # ]

another launcher - QuickSilver
Authored by: Krioni on Mar 25, '04 03:21:35PM
So far I've tried LaunchBar (looks good), Butler (confusing), and QuickSilver. Right now I'm getting used to QuickSilver. I like the fact that it was easy to get started. Butler may be better, but it's got a lot of features I'm not clear on using. QuickSilver is currently free, and the developer is trying to decide whether to actually open-source it, or charge a small (~$10) amount. I'd be willing to pay that, but it sounds like he's interested in open sourcing it, to let others help improve it.

Anyway, you can check out QuickSilver at VersionTracker

[ Reply to This | # ]

another launcher - QuickSilver
Authored by: Whosawhatsis on Mar 25, '04 07:31:15PM

Quicksilver certainly looks nice, and it's true that Butler's learning curve is a little steep, but Butler allows you to do so much more that I think it is well worth learning to use.

---
I was offered a penny for my thoughts, so I gave my two cents... I got ripped off.



[ Reply to This | # ]
Launch apps from the Finder without using a mouse
Authored by: Han Solo on Mar 25, '04 06:04:04PM
I tried Butler once (maybe twice), and it just looks too darn complicated. I was left with a bad first impression when it filled my menu bar with lots of little, somewhat cryptic icons. And as near as I can tell (from skimming the Butler web site), it isn't possible to squash that horde down to a single monochromatic menu icon. If it were, I would be more inclined to take a second (third) look. (Yes, I am just about out of room on my menu bar.)

Beyond that, I simply don't have the time to wade through the ins and outs of Butler -- the "Quick Start" is not very useful, IMHO, and the FAQ is overwhelming -- but I would be more than happy to give it another try if one of its advocates wants to submit A Beginner's Guide to Configuring Butler to Maximize Productivity and Minimize Time Spent Futzing as a hint to Mac OS X Hints. (Hint, hint!)

[ Reply to This | # ]

Launch apps from the Finder without using a mouse
Authored by: asan102 on Mar 25, '04 10:42:10PM

You can set up Butler absolutely any way you want.

Here's a tip that makes it much easier to understand. When you go to the Configuration View in the set-up window, that list you are looking at is what's in your menu bar. Every top-level icon is something that shows up in your actual menu bar, and things further down are children of those menu items (menu items). So if you want to get rid of one of the icons in your menu bar, just find it in the Configuration window and delete it (with the minus button at the bottom or the delete key). Or you can drag it inside another menu, so you can still have access to it.

The only exception is the Invisible Items folder. Although it is a top-level folder, rather predictably those are items that do not appear in any menu – they are still enables, so you can access them with hot-keys or screen corners you assign to them, but they won't be in any menu. If you wish you can even use Butler with no menu at all – just put everything in the Invisible Items folder.



[ Reply to This | # ]
Launch apps from the Finder without using a mouse
Authored by: swilcox on Mar 28, '04 10:34:31AM

I really don't get why people think Butler is confusing. Try this:

Close all the triangles on the top level menu icons in the configuration setting dialog. Now, see? If you have four icons there, you have four icons in your menu bar. Want only one icon in your menu bar but want to keep all the functions? Put three of the icons under hierarchically under one in the configuration. Want to dump a menu item? Delete it from the configuration. You've got + and - buttons for adding and deleting menu items; you move them where you want them, etc. It's really pretty easy.

Once you have the top level menus (thus your menu bar icons) set up the way you want, and the icons for function items arranged how you want in each top level menu (with separators, submenus, etc.), then you can start adding shortcut keys.

About 10 minutes is all it takes to completely configure Butler to look and do EXACTLY what you want it to do, no more, no less.



[ Reply to This | # ]
Launch apps from the Finder without using a mouse
Authored by: kupietz on Apr 23, '04 08:13:40PM

I'm surprised to see all these comments about Butler being complicated - it's a little idiosyncratic at points, but I got it up and running with it in no time at all. Launchbar's configuration dialog is certainly more confusing. I found it really easy to configure the custom menus and hot keys, and I love the search box in the menu bar.... all of these are avialable in other utilities, but this seems to be the only one that has them all. [I am not affiliated with the author of Butler :-)]

My only gripe about Butler is it seems a bit sluggish on my iBook 600. Even with icons turned off, custom menus containing folders with many items take waaaay to long to draw.



[ Reply to This | # ]
Terminal.app!
Authored by: mproud on Mar 25, '04 07:22:11PM

Dude!

Hello, terminal!

Or there's speech recognition - because keyboards are lame anyway.



[ Reply to This | # ]
Launch apps from the Finder without using a mouse
Authored by: Whosawhatsis on Mar 25, '04 07:37:29PM

That's funny. I never would have thought of making this a hint, I've done it 20 or 30 times already today in the lab at school (normally I use butler on my ibook, but I'm currently waiting for the logic board to be replaced). Very useful.

---
I was offered a penny for my thoughts, so I gave my two cents... I got ripped off.



[ Reply to This | # ]
One Word: Keyboard
Authored by: TigerPRO on Mar 25, '04 11:04:29PM

I'm a keyboard freak, and I think this is a great hint. I always do this quite a bit. With the number of programs I have and use, they won't all fit in a size dock that I want, so I'm forced to downsize the dock, and find the less frequently used programs manually. And I employ this exact strategy.

I think Mac Users are far more keyboard oriented than windows users. That's just an observation of mine. I had a friend come over, and he even made the comment that it's almost like I'm using MS-DOM with all the keyboarding I'm doing. I love it. You can do things so much quicker than clicking. And since your hand is already on the keyboard for typing, the less times you need to reach for your mouse the better.



[ Reply to This | # ]
Launch apps from the Finder without using a mouse
Authored by: glusk on Mar 27, '04 11:20:17AM

I just discovered this by accident although it's probably documented here somewhere. I have my Applications folder in the dock and I usually right-click on it to launch whatever app. What I just found is that typing the first letters goes right to the app name and return launches it. I'm not a big fan of cmd-o to open a file in Finder since return seems more logical.

(I realize that this hint was about not using the mouse but I thought I'd share anyway.)



[ Reply to This | # ]
Launch apps from the Finder without using a mouse
Authored by: kupietz on Apr 23, '04 08:25:29PM

In classic, here's what I used to do to use the keyboard to open apps, documents or folders from entirely within the Finder... this would work in principle in OS X too.

1. Create a folder called "shortcuts". Use the Keyboard control panel to assign this folder to a function key... say, F4.
2. Open this folder then drag the window to the bottom edge of the screen to turn it into a popup window (shame on you, Apple, for draggining your feet on adding this functionality to the OS X finder.)
3. Fill this folder with aliases to your favorite apps, documents, and folders.
4. Make several copies of each alias, with the various things you'd want to type to launch them... for instance, for Internet Explorer, I had aliases called 'exp' and 'ie' and 'internet explorer'.

Now, whenever I wanted to open Explorer, I could do it entirely from the keyboard with the following combination of keystrokes: F4, then type 'IE', then hit cmd-O to open it, lickedy-split, with the nice visual feedback of the Shortcuts folder popup up and then retracting.

This system worked well for me for a very long time. The only reason I prefer Launchbar to doing it this way is that my technique requires manually creating aliases every time I want to add an abbreviation, while Launchbar can scan whole folders at once for new items.



[ Reply to This | # ]
Launch apps from the Finder without using a mouse
Authored by: shadowmaan on Jul 06, '11 08:44:34AM
Original post mentioned about using Cmd-Shift-A to open the /Applications folder in the Finder. I want to add that Cmd-Shift-U opens the /Applications/Utilities folder.

[ Reply to This | # ]