Frequently Asked Questions
-
General Questions
-
Where do I find the documentation?
We are working on an updated version of the documentation to be ready for LaunchBar 6. In the meanwhile please take a look at the LaunchBar 5 documentation. Most parts apply to LaunchBar 6 as well. -
How can I get LaunchBar to start automatically at login?
Just add LaunchBar to your “Login Items” in the Users & Groups preference pane of System Preferences to get it started automatically at login.
Alternatively, click and hold LaunchBar’s Dock icon and select “Options > Open at Login” from the popup menu.
-
Can LaunchBar be run without a Dock icon?
Yes, that’s possible. See the LaunchBar Help, chapter “Tips & Tricks” for details. -
Can LaunchBar index my email messages?
LaunchBar does not index mail messages. LaunchBar’s abbreviation search wouldn’t work satisfying for that task. It’s designed to find items by their name (by entering short abbreviations of that name), but this technique is not well suited to perform content searches such as searching in mail messages or within documents. -
Why are my application aliases not indexed?
If you’ve turned on the “Use macOS LaunchServices database” option in the Options pane of your Applications indexing rule (which is the default), application aliases will not be indexed, because they are not registered in the LaunchServices database. The database only provides a list of all installed applications at their original locations.
If you turn off this option, the actual contents of your hard disk will be examined, and application aliases can so be considered as well. However, indexing may then take somewhat longer compared to using the database (depending on the number of files and subfolders within the indexed application folders).
-
How can I search for objects containing spaces in their name?
LaunchBar not only searches for items with matching initial characters (SYS > System Preferences) or contained character sequences (PREF > System Preferences), but you can use any combination of characters, provided that they appear in the same order (SPF > System Preferences). The built-in adaptive abbreviation search algorithm ignores spaces, so it is not necessary to enter them.
-
-
Installation & Registration
-
I have lost my license key!
Please enter your email address in the lost license form to retrieve your lost license key. LaunchBar Support > Lost License -
I have problems with my order!
Please visit the for further information how to resolve order related issues. Contact our sales support team. -
I didn’t receive my license key!
Delivering of the license key may take up to 15 minutes. Please also make sure the email is not in your spam folder. If you still did not receive the license key please contact our sales support team. -
Can I upgrade my LaunchBar 5 license key?
If you bought LaunchBar 5 on or after March 24, 2014 you are eligible for a free upgrade. All other LaunchBar 5 license owners qualify for a price-reduced upgrade. -
Can I use my single license on a second computer?
A single license is valid for all your machines as long as you are the only user. -
Can I use the family license on a laptop even if I am not at home?
Of course! A family license is valid for up to five computers, used by people living in the same household. -
How can I determine the number of seats necessary for a multi license?
The number of required seats is either the number of computers or the number of persons using these computers — whichever number is lower. For example, an office with five employees and eight computers would need a 5-seat license to use LaunchBar on all computers. If you need a multi license, please contact our Sales Support. -
LaunchBar does not accept my license key!
Valid licenses for LaunchBar 6 start with “16…” and are 25 characters long. Please copy and paste the license key to avoid typos. If it still does not work, please contact our sales support team. -
Is this a LaunchBar 5 or 6 license key?
LaunchBar license keys can be distinguished by their first two characters. LaunchBar 6 license keys begin with “16…” and LaunchBar 5 license keys start with “15…”. -
How can I uninstall LaunchBar?
Short answer
Move it to the Trash.
Long answer
- If LaunchBar is currently running, quit it.
- Delete the LaunchBar application file (wherever you’ve installed it, usually in your Applications folder).
- Optionally, delete the preferences file, which is located at ~/Library/Preferences/at.obdev.LaunchBar.plist (the ~ tilde sign refers to your home folder).
- Optionally, delete LaunchBar’s application support folder (containing the configuration and other LaunchBar related files). This folder is located at ~/Library/Application Support/LaunchBar
- Optionally, delete LaunchBar’s cache folder which is located at ~/Library/Caches/at.obdev.LaunchBar
- If you have added LaunchBar to your “Login Items” in System Preferences in order to get it started automatically at login, you may wish to remove this entry as well.
BTW, it would help us to improve our product, if you could tell us why you decided not to use it anymore. Thanks in advance!
-
Do you offer student discounts?
Yes, student discounts for LaunchBar are available at the Student App Centre website.
-
-
Troubleshooting
-
The language of LaunchBar changed from English to German!
You would need to change the order of your preferred languages in your macOS System Preferences > Language & Region settings and make sure that English is further up in the list than German. After a restart LaunchBar should then be localized in English. -
Pressing Command-C twice causes a sound effect.
LaunchBar’s ClipMerge feature combines the two most recent Copy operations into one clipboard object when you press ⌘C twice, quickly in succession. You hear a “stapler” sound effect in that case.
ClipMerge can be turned off in LaunchBar Preferences > Clipboard.
-
LaunchBar switches to Calculator when I type digits.
LaunchBar is automatically detecting expression and switching to the calculator if you type at least two digits or a combination of digit and operator. To avoid this behavior you can turn off the “Switch to Calculator when typing digits” option in LaunchBar Preferences > Calculator. -
I have encountered a bug!
First of all, please make sure that you are running the latest version of LaunchBar. Maybe your problem has already been fixed. Also check if there’s a nightly build available – maybe your issue is already addressed in the latest development build. If your problem hasn’t been resolved yet, please send a bug report. Thanks! -
LaunchBar hangs and does not respond!
If you are encountering a hanging issue (the program is still running but doesn’t respond to your input), please open Applications > Utilities > Activity Monitor, select the LaunchBar process, press ⌥⌘S to take a “Sample” of this process and send us the results. Thanks! -
LaunchBar crashed!
If LaunchBar quits unexpectedly, please check if there’s a crash log file at ~/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/ (the ~ tilde sign refers to your home folder). Please send us a description of the issue as well as the crash log file as a bug report. Thanks!
-
-
Compatibility
-
Is LaunchBar compatible with macOS 10.14 Mojave?
The current version of LaunchBar runs on macOS Mojave, but there are a couple of obvious visual glitches when using the Default theme, that will be addressed in an update soon. To avoid these glitches you can use the Base theme instead, which can be selected in LaunchBar Preferences > Appearance.
Due to improved privacy protection in macOS Mojave, some LaunchBar features require additional permissions to be granted in System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy:
- Indexing of Safari Bookmarks requires LaunchBar to be added to “Full Disk Access”. Otherwise LaunchBar won’t be able to read the bookmarks file, which is located in your Library folder.
- Instant Send and Get/Drop Finder Selection require LaunchBar to be added to “Accessibility”. Otherwise LaunchBar won’t be able to simulate a ⌘C keystroke, which is necessary for reading the currently selected text or file.
-
Is LaunchBar compatible with macOS 10.13 High Sierra?
Yes, LaunchBar 6.9.1 and later is fully compatible with macOS 10.13 High Sierra. -
Is LaunchBar compatible with macOS 10.12 Sierra?
Yes, LaunchBar 6.7.2 and later is fully compatible with macOS 10.12 Sierra. -
Is LaunchBar compatible with OS X 10.11 El Capitan?
Yes, LaunchBar 6.5 and later is fully compatible with OS X 10.11 El Capitan. -
Is LaunchBar compatible with OS X 10.10 Yosemite?
Yes, LaunchBar 6 is fully compatible with OS X 10.10 Yosemite. -
Is LaunchBar compatible with OS X 10.9 Mavericks?
Yes, LaunchBar 6 is fully compatible with OS X 10.9 Mavericks. -
Is LaunchBar compatible with OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion or earlier?
LaunchBar 5.6.4 is the latest version supporting OS X 10.8. Older version are available on our legacy page.
-