start
Organize and launch your apps
Only for Mac
$8.99
Discover Start - The ultimate Launcher for macOS!
With Start, the innovative launcher for macOS, you can instantly open applications, documents, shortcuts, URLs, and folders. Say goodbye to clutter—Start brings order and efficiency to your workflow.
## Organize Your Digital Life
Start helps you organize your applications, documents, and folders optimally. Its well-designed system allows you to quickly find everything you need. Start automatically collects all applications available through Spotlight, and you can manually add additional files, URLs, and folders as desired. Open your entries with a mouse click or even faster using a hotkey. Keep track of your entries with tags, colors, and comments. With Start, managing your workflow becomes a breeze!
## Exciting Features
Tags:
Create collections for applications, frequently used folders, URLs, and more. Organize and sort your apps on macOS like never before.
Comments:
Add helpful notes to your entries, so you know exactly what features they offer. Small comments can have a big impact—stay on top of everything.
Colors:
Highlight your entries according to your preferences. With just a few clicks, you can assign colors and find them even faster.
Hotkeys:
Assign custom key combinations to individual entries or tags and launch them instantly from anywhere. Your workflow will never be interrupted again!
## Requirements and Availability
Start is designed for macOS version 14 and above, using Spotlight for application search. To ensure smooth operation, Spotlight must be enabled to capture applications (which is the default setting on macOS).
Discover Start and optimize your workflow like never before!
more Developer Response Thank you for your feedback and the idea with FavIcon! I have written this on the ToDo list and see if the capture of FavIcons can be implemented in one of the next updates.--- Update ---Hello Brainriot,support for favicons has been built into Start. The corresponding update is currently being tested internally and should be released later this month.Many greetings,Gerald
would be perfect.
Thank you for your feedback and the idea with FavIcon! I have written this on the ToDo list and see if the capture of FavIcons can be implemented in one of the next updates.--- Update ---Hello Brainriot,support for favicons has been built into Start. The corresponding update is currently being tested internally and should be released later this month.Many greetings,Gerald
I tried the trial version for about an hour and decided to go ahead and purchase it. I've been using CustomMenu for a few years, and while it's been adequate, it didn't provide nested categories.Start is so simple and easy to use. When you first launch it, you are shown a list of all the apps in your Applications folder. You can then select one or several apps and give them a tag, which puts them into a common category. If you have a lot of photo apps, you can create the top-level category of "Photo" then secondary categories such as "Utility", "Browser", "Editor", "F/X", and so on. Each of these sub-categories can have their own sub-categories as well by creating a tag like "Photo|Utility|Resizer". Apps can be assigned multiple categories as well.In use, clicking on the menubar icon drops down a list of categories that you can click and select from the popout list.Another terrific feature is the ability to drag a folder or file into the Config window, then assign it a tag. This is great for those who have a folder of projects created using Sparkle (a web site creator). You just drag this over, then name it "Web|Sparkle Projects". Sparkle and Coda and other web tools are in the top level category "Web". That way I can easily open the project folder when I'm working in Sparkle (or other application).If you forgot the name of that rarely used single-use utility that changes the EXIF data on your images, assign it to a category in "Photos" and when you need it, just go there and click on it.This app is highly recommended.
I tried the trial version for about an hour and decided to go ahead and purchase it. I've been using CustomMenu for a few years, and while it's been adequate, it didn't provide nested categories.Start is so simple and easy to use. When you first launch it, you are shown a list of all the apps in your Applications folder. You can then select one or several apps and give them a tag, which puts them into a common category. If you have a lot of photo apps, you can create the top-level category of "Photo" then secondary categories such as "Utility", "Browser", "Editor", "F/X", and so on. Each of these sub-categories can have their own sub-categories as well by creating a tag like "Photo|Utility|Resizer". Apps can be assigned multiple categories as well.In use, clicking on the menubar icon drops down a list of categories that you can click and select from the popout list.Another terrific feature is the ability to drag a folder or file into the Config window, then assign it a tag. This is great for those who have a folder of projects created using Sparkle (a web site creator). You just drag this over, then name it "Web|Sparkle Projects". Sparkle and Coda and other web tools are in the top level category "Web". That way I can easily open the project folder when I'm working in Sparkle (or other application).If you forgot the name of that rarely used single-use utility that changes the EXIF data on your images, assign it to a category in "Photos" and when you need it, just go there and click on it.This app is highly recommended.
My Dock has been so full of apps I use all the time but I was afraid if I took some off the dock I would forget I had them. I was looking for apps that I could set apps to launch in the Menu Bar and somehow I came across this app. I bought it maybe a couple of hours ago and have been setting it up and asigning hotkeys to open some of the apps or url's I use everyday. This makes me so happy I finally found something to organize my mess of a dock, but I am super excited that I can launch whatever I want with a short two keys on the keyboard. Freaking Perfect.Thanks.
Developer Response Thank you so much for your great and detailed feedback!
My Dock has been so full of apps I use all the time but I was afraid if I took some off the dock I would forget I had them. I was looking for apps that I could set apps to launch in the Menu Bar and somehow I came across this app. I bought it maybe a couple of hours ago and have been setting it up and asigning hotkeys to open some of the apps or url's I use everyday. This makes me so happy I finally found something to organize my mess of a dock, but I am super excited that I can launch whatever I want with a short two keys on the keyboard. Freaking Perfect.Thanks.
Thank you so much for your great and detailed feedback!
Start has proven to be so useful, so quickly, that it is now my favorite menu bar utility.Being able to organize all my apps, files, and links by categorizing and tagging them is only the beginning. It seems that the more you look at Start, the more you'll find can be done with it.Add to that the stellar support that Gerald, its creator, has been giving me, and I wonder how I could ever have lived without it. He is not only deeply concerned about keeping Start as efficent and resource-friendly as possible, but also reating to the needs and concerns of his customers. One user here expressed his hope for URLs supporting favicons, not even 2 months ago, and already this feature has been added.My opinion is that Start is a must-have utility for every Mac owner, and for me, it will be one of the first 3 utilities that I will install on every Mac that I set up. Way to go Gerland, and thanks for providing us with this amazing utility at such a fair price!
Developer Response Thank you so much for your great and detailed feedback!
Start has proven to be so useful, so quickly, that it is now my favorite menu bar utility.Being able to organize all my apps, files, and links by categorizing and tagging them is only the beginning. It seems that the more you look at Start, the more you'll find can be done with it.Add to that the stellar support that Gerald, its creator, has been giving me, and I wonder how I could ever have lived without it. He is not only deeply concerned about keeping Start as efficent and resource-friendly as possible, but also reating to the needs and concerns of his customers. One user here expressed his hope for URLs supporting favicons, not even 2 months ago, and already this feature has been added.My opinion is that Start is a must-have utility for every Mac owner, and for me, it will be one of the first 3 utilities that I will install on every Mac that I set up. Way to go Gerland, and thanks for providing us with this amazing utility at such a fair price!
Thank you so much for your great and detailed feedback!
### New
- **Optimized behavior when opening applications:**
The behavior when opening applications has been improved in Start 9.3. If the desired application is not already open, it will be launched as before. If it is already open but in the background, it will now automatically be brought to the foreground.
New is the behavior when the application is already open and currently in the foreground: in this case, it will now be hidden.
This is especially useful if you open applications in Start using a keyboard shortcut: with the shortcut, you can now not only launch an application or bring it to the foreground, but also quickly hide it again by pressing the shortcut a second time.
If you prefer the previous behavior, that is of course still possible: in the settings, you can disable the new opening behavior at any time.
### Improved
- Internal processes have been optimized so that Start uses fewer resources.
### Bugfixes
- In some cases, Start was unable to open folders even though the necessary permissions were present.
9.3 1d ago
### Bugfixes
- This small update fixes an error when opening folders from Start. In Start v9.2, the folder was only selected in Finder; now the folder opens correctly in Finder.
9.2.1 Mar 9
# New
Revamped URL dialog:
For HTTP/HTTPS URLs, you can now choose an alternative browser in addition to the default browser. There’s also a new placeholder that is replaced with the contents of the clipboard when opening the URL.
“Updated Apps” category:
The last 25 updated and newly installed apps are displayed chronologically—so you can find them at a glance.
Direct tag switch
Click a displayed tag (Control + Option) to jump directly to that tag and see all associated entries.
Hover effect
You can now enable a hover effect for entries in the main window in Settings to more quickly see where the mouse is.
Path hints
Briefly hover over an entry title to see the stored path as a tooltip.
Revised DropStack
The DropStack has been completely redesigned.
# Improved
- Hotkeys are displayed more clearly
- Optimized menu structure with better sectioning
- Revised behavior of the arrow keys
- Reliable switching between left and right panes using the Tab key
- Numerous stability and performance improvements
# Fixed
- Changes to URL templates are now saved correctly
9.2.0 Feb 28
Version 9.1 is all about performance and bug fixes. In addition to numerous smaller adjustments, the speed of the internal Spotlight query has been significantly optimized.
9.1 10/27/2025
With version 9.0, Start receives a fundamental overhaul that significantly improves both appearance and user-friendliness. The update brings a completely new UI design in macOS style, expanded organisation possibilities and numerous improvements that make usage even more efficient.
### New User Interface
- New UI design: The main window as well as the popup menus have been redesigned and consistently follow the macOS user experience
- More prominent keyboard shortcut display: Shortcuts are highlighted more clearly in the main window and displayed in the sidebar instead of tag numbers
- Activatable Dock icon: The Dock icon can be activated in the settings if desired
### Improved Organisation and Navigation
- Grouped display: Elements are now displayed in a structured way (folders first, then apps, etc.) – particularly useful for project-based tags
- Persistent tag states: Start automatically remembers the expanded/collapsed status of tags
- Quick start for tags: With Control + Return, all entries of a selected tag can be launched at once
- Intelligent word search: The search function now finds all entered words in any order instead of searching for the complete entered text
### Additional Improvements
- Completely redesigned keyboard shortcut overview: Clearer structure and better clarity
- Improved window management: Individual Start windows can now be closed with Command + W
### Performance & Stability
- Comprehensive performance optimisations and bug fixes
### System Requirements
macOS 14 or newer required.
9.0.2 09/20/2025
With version 9.0, Start receives a fundamental overhaul that significantly improves both appearance and user-friendliness. The update brings a completely new UI design in macOS style, expanded organisation possibilities and numerous improvements that make usage even more efficient.
### New User Interface
- New UI design: The main window as well as the popup menus have been redesigned and consistently follow the macOS user experience
- More prominent keyboard shortcut display: Shortcuts are highlighted more clearly in the main window and displayed in the sidebar instead of tag numbers
- Activatable Dock icon: The Dock icon can be activated in the settings if desired
### Improved Organisation and Navigation
- Grouped display: Elements are now displayed in a structured way (folders first, then apps, etc.) – particularly useful for project-based tags
- Persistent tag states: Start automatically remembers the expanded/collapsed status of tags
- Quick start for tags: With Control + Return, all entries of a selected tag can be launched at once
- Intelligent word search: The search function now finds all entered words in any order instead of searching for the complete entered text
### Additional Improvements
- Completely redesigned keyboard shortcut overview: Clearer structure and better clarity
- Improved window management: Individual Start windows can now be closed with Command + W
### Performance & Stability
- Comprehensive performance optimisations and bug fixes
### System Requirements
macOS 14 or newer required.
9.0.1 09/18/2025
With version 9.0, Start receives a fundamental overhaul that significantly improves both appearance and user-friendliness. The update brings a completely new UI design in macOS style, expanded organisation possibilities and numerous improvements that make usage even more efficient.
### New User Interface
- New UI design: The main window as well as the popup menus have been redesigned and consistently follow the macOS user experience
- More prominent keyboard shortcut display: Shortcuts are highlighted more clearly in the main window and displayed in the sidebar instead of tag numbers
- Activatable Dock icon: The Dock icon can be activated in the settings if desired
### Improved Organisation and Navigation
- Grouped display: Elements are now displayed in a structured way (folders first, then apps, etc.) – particularly useful for project-based tags
- Persistent tag states: Start automatically remembers the expanded/collapsed status of tags
- Quick start for tags: With Control + Return, all entries of a selected tag can be launched at once
- Intelligent word search: The search function now finds all entered words in any order instead of searching for the complete entered text
### Additional Improvements
- Completely redesigned keyboard shortcut overview: Clearer structure and better clarity
- Improved window management: Individual Start windows can now be closed with Command + W
### Performance & Stability
- Comprehensive performance optimisations and bug fixes
### System Requirements
macOS 14 or newer required.
9.0 09/18/2025
For the new update, the help section has been completely revised and is now available as a comprehensive manual directly within the application.
Improved stability, optimizations, and bug fixes:
- Icons for URL schemes are now derived directly from the respective application.
- When a new tag is created in the main window, it is automatically selected and switched to edit mode.
- The main window can now be pinned with Command + P.
8.5 04/17/2025
Start introduces a new command for the Shortcuts app: "Add to Start". With this command, you can add entries directly from the Shortcuts app to Start. For example, this allows you to automatically add the current web page from Safari or the current file in Finder to Start.
When Start was first used, the various categories (files, folders, etc.) were disabled and had to be manually enabled in the settings, which sometimes caused confusion. These categories are now enabled by default.
Start displays the colors of the icons in the sidebar slightly differently depending on the macOS setting (light or dark mode).
8.4 01/07/2025
Improved stability and bug fixes:
- Previously, Start could crash when creating file thumbnails if the necessary permissions were missing.
- In rare instances, Start might not capture Spotlight data correctly.
- The input field for hotkeys was not always displayed correctly in Dark Mode.
You can now launch all entries of a tag using the keyboard shortcut Control+Return.
8.3 11/20/2024
### New
The configuration dialog has been completely revised to provide you with an even better user experience:
- **New Sidebar:** The new sidebar on the left side of the configuration dialog allows you easy and intuitive navigation. It resembles the sidebar of the main window and gives you direct access to filters and already created tags.
- **Tag Management:** With the sidebar, you can now create new tags directly in the configuration dialog or adjust existing tags. This saves time and makes managing your tags even easier.
- **Hotkey Highlighting:** Tags that are equipped with hotkeys are visually highlighted in the sidebar. This way, you can see at a glance which tags are linked with hotkeys.
- **Drag-and-Drop:** Assign a tag to multiple entries at once by simply dragging and dropping them into the desired tag.
These new features have made the previous configuration dialog "modifyTags" obsolete and it has therefore been removed.
**What's new otherwise?**
- The code has been optimized for macOS 15 to ensure better performance and compatibility.
- 100 new icons for tags
- Numerous small changes and optimizations
### Bugfixes
- **Hotkey Verification:** Start now checks when assigning hotkeys if they are already in use. Therefore, duplicate hotkey assignments are no longer possible.
8.2 11/01/2024
Version 8.0.1 fixes a few minor issues that occurred during the last update.
- Start did not automatically detect Safari.
- Code optimizations to speed up the evaluation of recently opened files.
8.0.1 06/24/2024
The new update includes comprehensive optimizations and exciting new features:
**New category "Recent Files":**
You can now quickly and easily access recently opened files with Start. You can specify in settings where to search for these files.
**Drag’n’Drop:**
Files can now be easily transferred from Start to other programs using drag and drop.
**Context Menus:**
Entries in the folder browser and in recently opened files have their own context menu.
**Overlay Icons:**
File entries optionally display a small overlay icon of the associated application.
**Visual Revisions:**
Numerous changes in the design improve clarity and user-friendliness.
### Bug Fixes:
**Menu Item Issues:**
Fixed an error that deactivated menu items until the application was restarted.
**URL Insert Error:**
When inserting URLs from DevonThink into the URL dialog, the title was inserted instead of the URL.
8.0 06/16/2024
This update has optimized folder management and expanded it with a new feature: Navigation to the contents of your favorite folders.
When you add folders to Start, you can open them in Finder - or show the contents of the folder directly in Start. The right part of the main window thus becomes a compact browser for your favorite folders.
You can navigate very easily using keyboard shortcuts: the right arrow key or Command + the down arrow key to go down in the hierarchy, and the left arrow key or Command + the up arrow key to go up in the hierarchy.
To exit this display mode and return to the start view, simply press the Escape key.
Other new features:
- Direct display in Finder: Hold down the Shift key and click with the mouse or press Return to display the current entry directly in Finder.
- QuickStart-Guide: We have added a short guide to help you get to grips quickly.
Bugfixes:
- Saved thumbnails: Previously inconsistently loaded thumbnails for files and FavIcons are now called up reliably.
- Error detection with thumbnails: The error detection when generating thumbnails has been made more reliable.
- Export configuration: When exporting the configuration, access to the export directory is now checked in advance.
- Display error main window: An error that could cause the main window to not display correctly despite being called up by hotkey or mouse click has been fixed.
A big "thank you" to Sylvain for the support and help with the French translation and the design of the QuickStart-Guide.
7.5 02/03/2024
In the latest update, we have made optimizations and adjustments:
- The file extension for file entries is now hidden by default, but can be displayed again by pressing the option key.
- In the path display, a shortening is now done in the middle, instead of at the end, when it cannot be fully displayed.
- The issue where tags could not be minimized in some cases in the tag list has been fixed.
7.4 09/28/2023
### New Features
Start now incorporates its own commands into the Shortcuts app (macOS 13 and later). These include:
- ShowStart: Opens the main window at a defined position on the screen
- AddToDropStack: Adds files and directories to Start's DropStack
- ClearDropStack: Empties the content of the DropStack
- LaunchTag: Starts all entries of a specified tag
- ShowTag: Displays all entries of a specified tag
In addition, the Light/Dark mode can now be set optionally independent of the system settings in Start's settings.
### Bug Fixes
- Fixed an error when assigning a hotkey to display the shortcuts
- Minor adjustments to the display of the main window
- Performance improvements
7.3 09/08/2023
## New version, more power!
We have listened and worked hard to improve Start. The latest update not only enhances stability but also fixes numerous issues. We sincerely thank you for your valuable feedback!
What's new? Here are a few highlights:
- Quickly create tags directly in the main window. With just one click, you can now create new tags and instantly sort and organize your content.
- Intuitively nest tags by drag and drop. Tags are now incredibly easy to structure and group. Simply drag them to another tag and build a clear hierarchy.
- Easily launch all entries within a tag with just one keystroke. With the new version, you can effortlessly launch all the contents of a tag by pressing Shift + Return!
- Hold down the Option key to quickly check the paths of entries. If you want to know where an entry leads, a simple keypress is all it takes. Holding down the Option key will swiftly display the paths of entries.
- Effortlessly view assigned tags using Control + Option.
- The keyboard shortcuts overview has been redesigned to be even more user-friendly.
If you like the app, please take a moment to rate it in the App Store. That would be valuable support! Do you have ideas for improvements? Then I would be happy to receive a message from you!
7.2 08/07/2023
- New: Start now supports favicons for URLs.
- New: The generation of thumbnails as well as favicons can optionally be disabled.
- New: The cache for thumbnails and favicons is now stored locally.
- New: Start now supports more file types for thumbnail creation.
- New: Individual thumbnails or favicons can be updated via the context menu.
- New: Start now supports Quicklook via space bar.
- Bugfix: Adding multiple graphic files at once could cause Start to crash in certain cases.
7.1 03/25/2023
- New: Start now offers a DropStack for files and folders. Simply drag files and folders with the mouse into the upper free area. As soon as there are entries in the DropStack, they will be passed to the next launched application. Tip: Pin the main window so that it does not close when Start loses focus. Now you can easily fill the DropStack with different entries.
- New: In addition to searching with Spotlight, Start also searches the search areas specified in the configuration at the file level during a manual refresh.
- New: The main window can now be displayed not only as a menu and in the center of the screen. Instead, 9 different positions can now be selected individually.
- New: The size of the entries can now be displayed flexibly instead of just in two sizes.
- New: The size of the sidebar entries can optionally be changed independently of the settings in macOS.
- New: The entries in the main menu now additionally support swipe gestures - a swipe to the left removes an entry, swipe to the right adds an entry to the favorites.
- New: Comments switch to the path display after a short time when the mouse is over them.
- New: Entries can be added to favorites by drag'n'drop.
- New: [Shift]+[Return] displays an entry in the Finder instead of launching it.
- New: Start can now show a defined category or the last used view when the main window is displayed.
- General: Numerous optical adjustments.
- Bugfix: Enter on numeric keypad also launches entries.
- Bugfix: Showing and hiding categories did not work as expected.
- Bugfix: If the main window was closed and the search field was used before, the search results were still shown when the main window was opened again.
- Bugfix: Minor bugfixes when comparing localized texts.
Important: Start now requires macOS 11 as minimum version.
7.0 01/29/2023
The new update improves the stability and performance of Start.
Although Start itself never asks for a review, it would be really cool if you wrote one. We appreciate any feedback!
For questions, suggestions or support - just send an email and we'll try to help you out.
### Improvements
- In rare cases, Start could crash when macOS woke up from standby.
- Tag autocompletion was not case-sensitive, which caused problems for tags with similar names.
- When a new drive is detected, the dataset is only updated if there are entries for that drive.
6.1 10/24/2022
Start 6.0.1 fixes two small problems that crept in during the last update:
- When the main window was displayed in the center of the screen, it was immediately hidden again.
- When entering tags, the selection menu of existing tags was displayed, but no text was suggested.
6.0.1 09/27/2022
New features
The settings have been revised and now offer a dedicated "Appearance" section with more options to customize Start to your own preferences:
- The width of the main window can be adjusted.
- The height of the main window can be adjusted.
- The intensity of the background color of individual entries in the main window can be adjusted.
- The right part of the main window can now optionally be made transparent.
- The first 9 entries can be launched directly by the keyboard shortcut Command + 1-9. A few tips: If you show the active applications with a keyboard shortcut, you can now quickly switch between the first 9 applications using Command 1-9 without manually selecting the respective entry. Also, this feature is useful when searching through the input field - once the desired entry is among the first 9 entries, it can be quickly launched without a manual selection or mouse click.
Bug fixes and other adjustments
- The internal processing of security access to files and folders outside the sandbox has been completely revised and optimized.
- Thumbnails are now generated in parallel to increase the overall speed of the application.
- In rare cases, querying/updating Spotlight results could cause Start to crash.
- In rare cases, individual entries from Spotlight could be entered twice.
- A diagnostic file can now be created in the advanced settings. This file contains all relevant data from Start in a single text file.
- Removed time delays when launching multiple entries at the same time.
- The color assignment of an entry is now also visible when the line is currently selected.
- An error when scrolling the entries in the main window has been fixed.
- Adjustments and corrections to the French translation.
6.0 09/25/2022
For Start 5.8.1, minor bugs have been fixed and internal optimizations have been made.
5.8.1 07/10/2022
### New features
- More colors: Self-defined colors can now be used in addition to the predefined colors for tags and entries.
- More tag icons: the selection of tag icons has been expanded to 143 icons.
- More search-results: You can now optionally display tags when searching in the main window. In the settings you can define if the selection of a tag should show the entries of the tag or if all entries of the tag should be launched.
### Bug fixes and other adjustments
- When the main window of Start is displayed as a separate window in the center of the screen, it could happen that the window was displayed incorrectly scaled on a system with multiple monitors.
- Start will ignore the Timemachine Volumes for updates on new Volumes.
- The sorting of entries incorrectly distinguished between upper and lower case of a name.
5.8 06/27/2022
When a configuration window is open in Start, hotkeys and the main window are disabled until the configuration window is closed again. Now, if another application comes to the foreground when a configuration window is open, it seems that Start would stop responding. This is not the case - there is only a configuration window still open in the background. Start 5.7.1 optimizes this by bringing a configuration window that may be open in the background to the foreground when the menu icon is clicked.
5.7.1 05/29/2022
### New
- **Optimized behavior when opening applications:**
The behavior when opening applications has been improved in Start 9.3. If the desired application is not already open, it will be launched as before. If it is already open but in the background, it will now automatically be brought to the foreground.
New is the behavior when the application is already open and currently in the foreground: in this case, it will now be hidden.
This is especially useful if you open applications in Start using a keyboard shortcut: with the shortcut, you can now not only launch an application or bring it to the foreground, but also quickly hide it again by pressing the shortcut a second time.
If you prefer the previous behavior, that is of course still possible: in the settings, you can disable the new opening behavior at any time.
### Improved
- Internal processes have been optimized so that Start uses fewer resources.
### Bugfixes
- In some cases, Start was unable to open folders even though the necessary permissions were present.
more Version 9.3 1d ago
Data Not Collected The developer does not collect any data from this app.