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Download the DMG from the homepage, open it, and drag Orbit Launcher into the Applications folder. Then open it from Applications. The app lives in your menu bar — look for the small ring of dots near your clock. There's no Dock icon by design (you can enable one in Settings if you prefer).

Prefer Homebrew? Homebrew 6 requires trusting the tap before installing — same signed & notarized app, no Gatekeeper warnings, updates through the app itself either way.

On first launch, Orbit Launcher asks for Accessibility access. This is required for the default hold-⌃⌥ shortcut: macOS only lets background apps detect modifier keys system-wide through Accessibility. It's the same single permission used by launchers like Alfred and Raycast.

Click the button in the permission window, approve Orbit Launcher in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility, then return and press Done. The shortcut works immediately — no relaunch needed. Orbit Launcher never reads your typing, clipboard, or screen; the permission is used solely to detect the shortcut.

Hold ⌃⌥ (Control + Option) and the ring opens at your pointer. Hover to highlight, click (or press Return) to launch, release the keys to dismiss. Type while the ring is open to filter apps. Double-tap the shortcut to pin the ring open. Add your favorite apps to fixed positions in Settings → Permanent Apps.

Nearly always a permission issue. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility and confirm Orbit Launcher is listed and toggled on. If it looks on but the shortcut stays dead, toggle it off and on again, or remove the entry (− button) and relaunch Orbit Launcher to re-grant. If the permission gets revoked while the app is running, Orbit Launcher shows its permission window again automatically.

Also check Settings → Shortcuts inside Orbit Launcher — you may have customized the shortcut and forgotten the new combination.

By default, typing filters the apps in your ring. To search everything installed, turn on "Search all apps" in Settings. If a newly installed app doesn't appear, Orbit Launcher refreshes its app index automatically when you open the ring; you can also force it via the menu bar icon → Reindex Apps.

Orbit Launcher keeps an index of every app in your Applications folders — that index powers the ring and search. It refreshes itself automatically whenever you open the ring, so you'll rarely need the menu item. Run it manually (menu bar icon → Reindex Apps…) if an app you just installed isn't showing up in search, or after moving apps between folders. The dialog confirms how many apps were indexed when it finishes.

That's normal — Orbit Launcher is a menu-bar utility. Find it as a small ring of dots in the menu bar near your clock. From there you can show the launcher, open Settings, repeat the tour, check for updates, or quit. If you want a Dock icon, enable Show in Dock in Settings.

Orbit Launcher checks for updates automatically once a day and offers them when available — your apps, settings, and permissions all survive updates. To check manually: menu bar icon → Check for Updates… What's new in each version is on the changelog.

Quit Orbit Launcher from the menu bar icon, then drag Orbit Launcher from Applications to the Trash. Optionally remove its entry from System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility, and from Login Items if you enabled Launch at Login. That's everything — the app stores no data outside its preferences.

macOS 14 Sonoma or later, on Apple Silicon Macs. Orbit Launcher is free, fully native Swift, and collects no telemetry.