QuickLaunch

Launch any app instantly with global hotkeys on macOS.

English | 한국어

---

• 🔑 Assign a hotkey to any app (e.g. ⌥⌘T → Terminal) — basic launching needs no Accessibility permission (Carbon HotKey API)
• 🪟 Bring running apps forward, with optional minimized-window restoration
• 🌐 Supports installed browser web apps such as YouTube and YouTube Music
• 🚀 Optional launch at login
• 👻 Optionally hide the menu bar icon
• 🫥 Optionally hide the Dock icon
• 🌐 English / Korean (follows system language)

Unreleased (source builds)

• Automatically release QuickLaunch hotkeys while supported remote desktop or VM apps are frontmost, then restore them when you switch away. Enabled by default; can be turned off.
• Manually pause hotkeys from Settings or the menu bar for other clients or troubleshooting.

Changes in v1.0.3

• Finder now appears in the app picker.
• Finder shortcuts activate existing windows without sending a reopen request that could create another window.
• Added setup instructions for using ⌥⌘Space instead of the system's Finder search shortcut.

See the English / Korean release notes for details and the release publishing guide for future updates.

Screenshots

Install

Download (recommended)

1. Download QuickLaunch.dmg (or browse Releases)
2. Open the DMG and drag QuickLaunch into the Applications folder
3. First launch: the app is not notarized, so right-click → Open, or run:

   xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/QuickLaunch.app

Build from source

Requires macOS 14+, Xcode or Command Line Tools (Swift 5.9+).

git clone https://github.com/nayawoonge/QuickLaunch.git
cd QuickLaunch
make install   # builds and copies to /Applications
# or:
make dmg       # builds build/QuickLaunch.dmg

If Command Line Tools reports a missing SwiftUIMacros plugin with the macOS 27 SDK, use a full Xcode installation or an installed macOS 26.5 SDK:

make app SWIFT_BUILD_FLAGS="--build-system native --sdk /Library/Developer/CommandLineTools/SDKs/MacOSX26.5.sdk"

The XCTest suite (swift test) requires a toolchain that includes XCTest, such as full Xcode.

Usage

1. Open QuickLaunch → click Add (+)
2. Pick an app, click Click to Record, and press a key combo (e.g. ⌥⌘T)
3. Save — the hotkey now launches/activates that app from anywhere

Use ⌥⌘Space for existing Finder windows

1. In System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts → Spotlight, turn off Show Finder search window (⌥⌘Space). The built-in shortcut opens a Finder search window; see Apple's shortcut guide.
2. In QuickLaunch, click Add (+), select Finder, and record ⌥⌘Space.
3. Save. If the shortcut is marked with ⚠️ after changing the system setting, restart QuickLaunch or edit and save the shortcut to register it again.

Finder is automatically included from /System/Library/CoreServices/Finder.app. A running Finder is activated directly, preserving its existing windows. If all its windows are minimized, enable Restore minimized windows and allow Accessibility. If no folder windows are open, Finder's desktop becomes active; press ⌘N for a new window. Other apps keep their usual open/reopen behavior.

Options

Option	Description
Launch at login	Start QuickLaunch automatically at login (SMAppService)
Show icon in menu bar	Turn off to remove the icon from the top menu bar
Hide Dock icon	Turn on to hide the app from the Dock and ⌘⇥ app switcher
Pause hotkeys in remote desktop & VM apps	On by default. Releases all QuickLaunch hotkeys while Windows App / Microsoft Remote Desktop, Parallels Desktop (including its Windows/Linux and macOS VM windows), or VMware Fusion is frontmost.
Pause all QuickLaunch hotkeys	Manual pause until turned off or QuickLaunch restarts. Apps can still be launched directly from the menu bar.
Restore minimized windows	Bring an existing window forward; restore one if all windows are minimized. Off by default; requires Accessibility permission.

If both icons are hidden: launch QuickLaunch again (Spotlight → QuickLaunch) — the settings window of the running instance will reopen.

When an app opens without a visible window

• Minimized windows: enable Restore minimized windows in QuickLaunch, then click Allow Accessibility… and allow QuickLaunch under System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility. Return to QuickLaunch and try the hotkey again. It prefers an unminimized window; if all windows are minimized, it restores one. Apps that do not expose their windows through macOS Accessibility may not support restoration. Basic launching still works if access is denied or revoked.
• Another desktop (Space) or full-screen window: in System Settings → Desktop & Dock → Mission Control, enable “When switching to an application, switch to a Space with open windows for the application.” QuickLaunch requests activation of the existing app; macOS controls the Space transition. It does not move windows to the current desktop or monitor. See Apple's Spaces guide.
• No open windows: except for a running Finder (see above), QuickLaunch sends the normal app open request; the target app decides whether to create a new window.

Shortcuts inside remote desktops and virtual machines

QuickLaunch's registered global hotkeys can prevent the same combinations from reaching a remote session. Pause hotkeys in remote desktop & VM apps unregisters them while a supported client is frontmost, including its connection list or Control Center. This also applies when VMware runs inside a Windows App RDP session: QuickLaunch detects the Mac client, not the guest OS.

While paused, all QuickLaunch hotkeys are unavailable, including app-switching shortcuts. Switch to a local app using the Dock or macOS app switcher to resume them. Manual pause and shortcut recording take priority: leaving a remote app does not cancel either pause. Automatic pause does not require Accessibility permission. Other clients, browser-based sessions, and separate guest-app launchers are not automatically detected; use manual pause for these.

If a guest shortcut such as Ctrl+Alt+T still fails, compare with QuickLaunch completely quit. This feature cannot change how RDP, VMware, or the guest OS handles keys.

• Windows App on macOS: try Connections → Keyboard Mode → Scancode and press Control + left Option + T with the guest focused. Right Option maps to AltGr. Switch back to Unicode if needed for IME input. See Microsoft's keyboard guide.
• VMware Workstation inside Windows: check Edit → Preferences → Hot Keys. Ctrl+Alt can be assigned to release input from the VM and conflict with guest shortcuts. See Broadcom's input-release guidance; available settings vary by version.

Notes

• A shortcut needs at least one modifier key (⌘⌥⌃⇧). F1–F20 can be used alone.
• Shortcuts already reserved by the system or another app cannot be registered and are marked with ⚠️ in the list.
• If enabling launch-at-login fails, move the app to /Applications and try again.

License

MIT