How to Find Installed Apps on My Mac

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By default, all apps that you purchase from the Mac App Store and most other apps appear in the Applications folder. If you used a custom installation in OS X Mavericks, then you may need to use Spotlight to find the location of the app on your computer. Mavericks uses two types of applications -- an application bundle or a installer. An application bundle keeps all of its files within a single package. You can move an application bundle anywhere, including a USB drive or external drive and launch the program without having to worry about installing the app. Apps that come with installers require that you run the app from the location where you installed the app.

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Launchpad

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Step 1

Click the "Launchpad" icon located in the Dock.

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Step 2

Swipe from left to right until you see the app you want to use. You can also type the name of the app into the Search field.

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Step 3

Click the app to open and start using the program.

Applications Folder

Step 1

Click the "Finder" icon in the Dock.

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Step 2

Select "Applications" from the Favorites section in the Finder window that opened automatically. Alternatively, select the "Go" menu and choose "Applications" from the drop-down list.

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Step 3

Locate the app you want to launch and double-click the icon to start the application.

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Step 1

Click the Spotlight magnifying glass in the menu bar, or press "Command-Space" to launch the search window.

Step 2

Type the name of the application you want to find in the "Spotlight" text area.

Step 3

Select the application you want to launch from the list of options in the Applications section of the search results.

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