LaunchBar For Mac

Using hotkeys to navigate your Mac has the potential of significantly improving your overall productivity level. LaunchBar is a Mac app that enables you to access any data stored on your computer by using user friendly keyboard combinations.

Right off the bat, to use LaunchBar you must allows the app to control your computer (in the System Preferences window, navigate to the Security&Privacy panel, and check the LaunchBar box in the Accessibility tab), and set up a hotkey for the app search bar (it is highly probable that the default one will conflict with the Spotlight hotkeys).

LaunchBar indexes the data stored on your Mac and then enables you to launch any file, folder, or application via its main search bar. All you have to do is invoke the LaunchBar window, start typing a keyboard, navigate the results list using the arrow keys, and then select the item you want to open.

The application comes with a collection of actions that can be used to manipulate the data, integrates Automator workflows, contains small text snippets, includes a clipboard history manager, can recognize abbreviations, can perform web searches, and much more.

The built-in LaunchBar tools are available at all times, but to be able to quickly access your own documents, the application must scan and index your Mac’s content beforehand.

Via the LaunchBar Index window you get to to specify what type of files and folders get to be included in the search results. The same area allows you to manage the built-in actions, workflows, snippets, and search templates.

LaunchBar combines powerful search functions with a collection of efficient data management tools, in order to provide access to virtually any data stored on your Mac. The best part is that most action can be performed solely via keyboard combinations.