Pop

I mostly use Spotlight to open applications and folders, and those are the two things I find it frustrating at. Apps get pushed down the results. Typing ‘downloads’ can bring up other interpretations before the Downloads folder I wanted.

There are other launchers that solve this. I wanted something free and simple that does just enough: open my apps, find my folders, and get out of the way. That’s Pop.

Start with what you use

Pop opens with two rows of quick suggestions: folders and applications. Documents and Downloads are included from the start. As you open things through Pop, your frequent choices move up. That history stays on your Mac and carries across restarts.

Sometimes the quickest search is no search at all. Pick a card with the arrow keys and press Return, or click it.

Type the bits you remember

You don’t need to type a complete name. vis co finds Visual Studio Code, and blndr finds Blender. Pop also tolerates small spelling mistakes and swapped letters.

Exact matches come first. Applications get a ranking boost, and your launch history helps order similar matches. Typing changes the quick cards into a list with paths, so you can distinguish folders with the same name.

Choose where to look

Add a folder and set how far Pop should search inside it. Depth zero includes just that folder; depth one adds its immediate subfolders. Each location has its own setting.

Pop indexes applications and folders, rather than every file on your drive. Reindex refreshes the list when things move or new apps are installed.

A calculator when you need one

Start with = to calculate. Type = (24 + 6) / 3, then press Return to copy the answer. Arithmetic, parentheses and powers are supported.

A small native Mac app

Pop lives in the menu bar and requires macOS 14 or later. Its default shortcut is Control–Option–Space. If you free Command–Space in macOS keyboard settings, Pop can use that instead.

The source is available on GitHub. A signed, notarised download is being prepared. The app’s version and build number are shown in Settings and the menu-bar menu.