Tab Launcher 3.1.0

Tab Launcher

A macOS utility that parks your favorite apps, folders, files, and web links in colorful tabs along any screen edge, so the Dock stays lean while everything you launch often stays one flick away.

The core idea is complementary, not competitive: keep only running apps in the Dock, and move the rest into Tab Launcher tabs you open on demand. Each tab can hold a curated set of icons, and you can place as many tabs as you need on any edge of any display. Drag to rearrange tabs and icons, tweak colors, fonts, transparency, and shapes, and the launcher blends into your desktop instead of fighting it.

Version 3: tabs as living UI

The 3.x line is a full visual redesign. Tabs are no longer flat strips — they are organic shapes you sculpt in Shape Studio or start from presets such as Classic, Soft, Pill, Sculpted, and Wave. Multi-color gradients, outlines, shadows, and fluid open/close animations make the bar feel responsive when you hover, drag, or drop new items. Hidden tabs leave slim gradient markers at the edge so you still know where they live.

Special tabs and everyday workflows

Beyond static shortcuts, Tab Launcher supports “special” tabs that stay useful all day: one lists currently running applications, another shows open windows as icons with optional previews on hover, and folder tabs can mirror real directories so drops in either direction stay in sync. A music tab can play local folders or internet radio with low CPU use. Import from Dock pulls apps, folders, web links, and even spacers in one step, and per-edge layouts remember separate arrangements — including spacing for the camera housing on modern MacBooks.

Automation, triggers, and layout control

Open behavior is flexible: reveal on edge touch, hover, click, or keep tabs always visible; close after a delay or when you click an icon, tab, or outside area. Global shortcuts fire any item; AppleScript hooks and system events (login, wake, timers) can launch or quit apps automatically. Configuration can be saved on one Mac and loaded on another, with older backups still supported according to the vendor.

Version 3.1.0 refines layout: up to six icon rows, free grid placement for items, scroll-wheel panning when a tab exceeds the screen, and assorted layout fixes on top of the 3.0 redesign. The Mac App Store build requires macOS 10.13 or later, sells for a one-time fee, and a separate TabLauncher Pro companion (free to licensed users) adds capabilities sandboxed apps cannot, such as quitting all apps in a tab at once.