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Is it a good practice to create a desktop shortcut on mac?
Clash Royale CLAN TAG#URR8PPP
up vote
3
down vote
favorite
I have been installing some popular software for mac and observed that installation packages do not create a desktop shortcut as it does on windows.
What is good practice to follow, Should i create a desktop shortcut for my application?
macos applications install shortcut desktop
edited 15 mins ago
bmike♦
151k46268589
asked 2 hours ago
Mozfox
1193
add a comment |Â
up vote
3
down vote
favorite
I have been installing some popular software for mac and observed that installation packages do not create a desktop shortcut as it does on windows.
What is good practice to follow, Should i create a desktop shortcut for my application?
macos applications install shortcut desktop
edited 15 mins ago
bmike♦
151k46268589
asked 2 hours ago
Mozfox
1193
'"Installation packages do not create a desktop shortcut as it does on windows." A lot of mac apps don't even have installers! They could of course create shortcuts of first boot, but this speaks to the overall paradigm difference between Mac and Windows.
– Wowfunhappy
5 mins ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
3
down vote
favorite
up vote
3
down vote
favorite
I have been installing some popular software for mac and observed that installation packages do not create a desktop shortcut as it does on windows.
What is good practice to follow, Should i create a desktop shortcut for my application?
macos applications install shortcut desktop
edited 15 mins ago
bmike♦
151k46268589
asked 2 hours ago
Mozfox
1193
I have been installing some popular software for mac and observed that installation packages do not create a desktop shortcut as it does on windows.
What is good practice to follow, Should i create a desktop shortcut for my application?
macos applications install shortcut desktop
macos applications install shortcut desktop
edited 15 mins ago
bmike♦
151k46268589
asked 2 hours ago
Mozfox
1193
edited 15 mins ago
bmike♦
151k46268589
asked 2 hours ago
Mozfox
1193
edited 15 mins ago
bmike♦
151k46268589
edited 15 mins ago
bmike♦
151k46268589
edited 15 mins ago
bmike♦
151k46268589
151k46268589
asked 2 hours ago
Mozfox
1193
asked 2 hours ago
Mozfox
1193
asked 2 hours ago
Mozfox
1193
1193
'"Installation packages do not create a desktop shortcut as it does on windows." A lot of mac apps don't even have installers! They could of course create shortcuts of first boot, but this speaks to the overall paradigm difference between Mac and Windows.
– Wowfunhappy
5 mins ago
add a comment |Â
'"Installation packages do not create a desktop shortcut as it does on windows." A lot of mac apps don't even have installers! They could of course create shortcuts of first boot, but this speaks to the overall paradigm difference between Mac and Windows.
– Wowfunhappy
5 mins ago
'"Installation packages do not create a desktop shortcut as it does on windows." A lot of mac apps don't even have installers! They could of course create shortcuts of first boot, but this speaks to the overall paradigm difference between Mac and Windows.
– Wowfunhappy
5 mins ago
'"Installation packages do not create a desktop shortcut as it does on windows." A lot of mac apps don't even have installers! They could of course create shortcuts of first boot, but this speaks to the overall paradigm difference between Mac and Windows.
– Wowfunhappy
5 mins ago
add a comment |Â
4 Answers
4
active
oldest
votes
up vote
4
down vote
I've always been firmly of the school of "nothing on the desktop" personally - but each to his/her own.
You can find apps to launch in one of at least 6 ways...
The Apple  Menu > Recent Items
The Applications folder itself
LaunchPad
Spotlight
Drag the App to the Dock
Double-click any document & the relevant app will launch, or right-click Open With > for a list of alternatives which can handle that document type.
So many alternatives that it doesn't feel necessary to clutter the desktop with another.
However, it's your machine - do as you wish ;-)
answered 2 hours ago
Tetsujin
54.9k1584172
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
Yes, use the Dock. You will probably have to drag the application icon onto it to add it, though.
If you want the icons to always appear, in the Dock control panel uncheck the list item "Automatically hide and show the Dock".
answered 1 hour ago
fabrice
111
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
I would say desktop alias creation at install time for an app is an anti-pattern and bad practice.
- The desktop belongs to the end user and macOS is designed to install apps for everyone so you’re either escalating the installer to root privileges to change multiple desktops or you’re ignoring the way apps get installed.
- The launchpad and dock and spotlight / Siri are the bespoke app launch spaces and idioms so you can assume your users are very familiar with how to start an app they just chose to install.
The most kind way to do this would be to onboard the user and ask if they want any shortcuts the first time they launch the app. I would encourage you to read over the HIG - Human Interface Guidelines and the many free WWDC videos on app packaging and installation - your question is a good one and thinking how people see your app during installation is super helpful to make your app succeed with many customers.
- https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/
answered 16 mins ago
bmike♦
151k46268589
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
As others have said, placing commonly-used applications on the dock is the way most Mac users deal with this, often in conjunction with Spotlight (Cmd-Space) to open less frequently-used applications.
If the dock isn't big enough for you, check out Launchpad, which is in your Applications folder. You can configure a keyboard shortcut to open it (in System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts), and it shows you a grid of launch icons for all your installed applications, much like an iPhone home screen, which you can rearrange as you see fit. Most long-time Mac users don't use or like it much, but if you're used to having shortcuts for everything on your desktop rather than using the Windows Start menu, it might work for you.
You can also access something more like a Start menu by adding the Applications folder to your dock, then right-clicking it and selecting "Show Contents as List". Then whenever you click it in future, you'll see a menu of all your installed applications that you can click to launch.
answered 9 mins ago
calum_b
4,0601526
add a comment |Â
4 Answers
4
active
oldest
votes
4 Answers
4
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
4
down vote
I've always been firmly of the school of "nothing on the desktop" personally - but each to his/her own.
You can find apps to launch in one of at least 6 ways...
The Apple  Menu > Recent Items
The Applications folder itself
LaunchPad
Spotlight
Drag the App to the Dock
Double-click any document & the relevant app will launch, or right-click Open With > for a list of alternatives which can handle that document type.
So many alternatives that it doesn't feel necessary to clutter the desktop with another.
However, it's your machine - do as you wish ;-)
answered 2 hours ago
Tetsujin
54.9k1584172
add a comment |Â
up vote
4
down vote
I've always been firmly of the school of "nothing on the desktop" personally - but each to his/her own.
You can find apps to launch in one of at least 6 ways...
The Apple  Menu > Recent Items
The Applications folder itself
LaunchPad
Spotlight
Drag the App to the Dock
Double-click any document & the relevant app will launch, or right-click Open With > for a list of alternatives which can handle that document type.
So many alternatives that it doesn't feel necessary to clutter the desktop with another.
However, it's your machine - do as you wish ;-)
answered 2 hours ago
Tetsujin
54.9k1584172
add a comment |Â
up vote
4
down vote
up vote
4
down vote
I've always been firmly of the school of "nothing on the desktop" personally - but each to his/her own.
You can find apps to launch in one of at least 6 ways...
The Apple  Menu > Recent Items
The Applications folder itself
LaunchPad
Spotlight
Drag the App to the Dock
Double-click any document & the relevant app will launch, or right-click Open With > for a list of alternatives which can handle that document type.
So many alternatives that it doesn't feel necessary to clutter the desktop with another.
However, it's your machine - do as you wish ;-)
answered 2 hours ago
Tetsujin
54.9k1584172
I've always been firmly of the school of "nothing on the desktop" personally - but each to his/her own.
You can find apps to launch in one of at least 6 ways...
The Apple  Menu > Recent Items
The Applications folder itself
LaunchPad
Spotlight
Drag the App to the Dock
Double-click any document & the relevant app will launch, or right-click Open With > for a list of alternatives which can handle that document type.
So many alternatives that it doesn't feel necessary to clutter the desktop with another.
However, it's your machine - do as you wish ;-)
answered 2 hours ago
Tetsujin
54.9k1584172
edited 1 hour ago
answered 2 hours ago
Tetsujin
54.9k1584172
answered 2 hours ago
Tetsujin
54.9k1584172
answered 2 hours ago
Tetsujin
54.9k1584172
54.9k1584172
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
Yes, use the Dock. You will probably have to drag the application icon onto it to add it, though.
If you want the icons to always appear, in the Dock control panel uncheck the list item "Automatically hide and show the Dock".
answered 1 hour ago
fabrice
111
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
Yes, use the Dock. You will probably have to drag the application icon onto it to add it, though.
If you want the icons to always appear, in the Dock control panel uncheck the list item "Automatically hide and show the Dock".
answered 1 hour ago
fabrice
111
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
up vote
1
down vote
Yes, use the Dock. You will probably have to drag the application icon onto it to add it, though.
If you want the icons to always appear, in the Dock control panel uncheck the list item "Automatically hide and show the Dock".
answered 1 hour ago
fabrice
111
Yes, use the Dock. You will probably have to drag the application icon onto it to add it, though.
If you want the icons to always appear, in the Dock control panel uncheck the list item "Automatically hide and show the Dock".
answered 1 hour ago
fabrice
111
answered 1 hour ago
fabrice
111
answered 1 hour ago
fabrice
111
answered 1 hour ago
fabrice
111
111
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
I would say desktop alias creation at install time for an app is an anti-pattern and bad practice.
- The desktop belongs to the end user and macOS is designed to install apps for everyone so you’re either escalating the installer to root privileges to change multiple desktops or you’re ignoring the way apps get installed.
- The launchpad and dock and spotlight / Siri are the bespoke app launch spaces and idioms so you can assume your users are very familiar with how to start an app they just chose to install.
The most kind way to do this would be to onboard the user and ask if they want any shortcuts the first time they launch the app. I would encourage you to read over the HIG - Human Interface Guidelines and the many free WWDC videos on app packaging and installation - your question is a good one and thinking how people see your app during installation is super helpful to make your app succeed with many customers.
- https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/
answered 16 mins ago
bmike♦
151k46268589
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
I would say desktop alias creation at install time for an app is an anti-pattern and bad practice.
- The desktop belongs to the end user and macOS is designed to install apps for everyone so you’re either escalating the installer to root privileges to change multiple desktops or you’re ignoring the way apps get installed.
- The launchpad and dock and spotlight / Siri are the bespoke app launch spaces and idioms so you can assume your users are very familiar with how to start an app they just chose to install.
The most kind way to do this would be to onboard the user and ask if they want any shortcuts the first time they launch the app. I would encourage you to read over the HIG - Human Interface Guidelines and the many free WWDC videos on app packaging and installation - your question is a good one and thinking how people see your app during installation is super helpful to make your app succeed with many customers.
- https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/
answered 16 mins ago
bmike♦
151k46268589
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
up vote
1
down vote
I would say desktop alias creation at install time for an app is an anti-pattern and bad practice.
- The desktop belongs to the end user and macOS is designed to install apps for everyone so you’re either escalating the installer to root privileges to change multiple desktops or you’re ignoring the way apps get installed.
- The launchpad and dock and spotlight / Siri are the bespoke app launch spaces and idioms so you can assume your users are very familiar with how to start an app they just chose to install.
The most kind way to do this would be to onboard the user and ask if they want any shortcuts the first time they launch the app. I would encourage you to read over the HIG - Human Interface Guidelines and the many free WWDC videos on app packaging and installation - your question is a good one and thinking how people see your app during installation is super helpful to make your app succeed with many customers.
- https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/
answered 16 mins ago
bmike♦
151k46268589
I would say desktop alias creation at install time for an app is an anti-pattern and bad practice.
- The desktop belongs to the end user and macOS is designed to install apps for everyone so you’re either escalating the installer to root privileges to change multiple desktops or you’re ignoring the way apps get installed.
- The launchpad and dock and spotlight / Siri are the bespoke app launch spaces and idioms so you can assume your users are very familiar with how to start an app they just chose to install.
The most kind way to do this would be to onboard the user and ask if they want any shortcuts the first time they launch the app. I would encourage you to read over the HIG - Human Interface Guidelines and the many free WWDC videos on app packaging and installation - your question is a good one and thinking how people see your app during installation is super helpful to make your app succeed with many customers.
- https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/
answered 16 mins ago
bmike♦
151k46268589
edited 4 mins ago
answered 16 mins ago
bmike♦
151k46268589
answered 16 mins ago
bmike♦
151k46268589
answered 16 mins ago
bmike♦
151k46268589
151k46268589
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
As others have said, placing commonly-used applications on the dock is the way most Mac users deal with this, often in conjunction with Spotlight (Cmd-Space) to open less frequently-used applications.
If the dock isn't big enough for you, check out Launchpad, which is in your Applications folder. You can configure a keyboard shortcut to open it (in System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts), and it shows you a grid of launch icons for all your installed applications, much like an iPhone home screen, which you can rearrange as you see fit. Most long-time Mac users don't use or like it much, but if you're used to having shortcuts for everything on your desktop rather than using the Windows Start menu, it might work for you.
You can also access something more like a Start menu by adding the Applications folder to your dock, then right-clicking it and selecting "Show Contents as List". Then whenever you click it in future, you'll see a menu of all your installed applications that you can click to launch.
answered 9 mins ago
calum_b
4,0601526
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
As others have said, placing commonly-used applications on the dock is the way most Mac users deal with this, often in conjunction with Spotlight (Cmd-Space) to open less frequently-used applications.
If the dock isn't big enough for you, check out Launchpad, which is in your Applications folder. You can configure a keyboard shortcut to open it (in System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts), and it shows you a grid of launch icons for all your installed applications, much like an iPhone home screen, which you can rearrange as you see fit. Most long-time Mac users don't use or like it much, but if you're used to having shortcuts for everything on your desktop rather than using the Windows Start menu, it might work for you.
You can also access something more like a Start menu by adding the Applications folder to your dock, then right-clicking it and selecting "Show Contents as List". Then whenever you click it in future, you'll see a menu of all your installed applications that you can click to launch.
answered 9 mins ago
calum_b
4,0601526
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
up vote
1
down vote
As others have said, placing commonly-used applications on the dock is the way most Mac users deal with this, often in conjunction with Spotlight (Cmd-Space) to open less frequently-used applications.
If the dock isn't big enough for you, check out Launchpad, which is in your Applications folder. You can configure a keyboard shortcut to open it (in System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts), and it shows you a grid of launch icons for all your installed applications, much like an iPhone home screen, which you can rearrange as you see fit. Most long-time Mac users don't use or like it much, but if you're used to having shortcuts for everything on your desktop rather than using the Windows Start menu, it might work for you.
You can also access something more like a Start menu by adding the Applications folder to your dock, then right-clicking it and selecting "Show Contents as List". Then whenever you click it in future, you'll see a menu of all your installed applications that you can click to launch.
answered 9 mins ago
calum_b
4,0601526
As others have said, placing commonly-used applications on the dock is the way most Mac users deal with this, often in conjunction with Spotlight (Cmd-Space) to open less frequently-used applications.
If the dock isn't big enough for you, check out Launchpad, which is in your Applications folder. You can configure a keyboard shortcut to open it (in System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts), and it shows you a grid of launch icons for all your installed applications, much like an iPhone home screen, which you can rearrange as you see fit. Most long-time Mac users don't use or like it much, but if you're used to having shortcuts for everything on your desktop rather than using the Windows Start menu, it might work for you.
You can also access something more like a Start menu by adding the Applications folder to your dock, then right-clicking it and selecting "Show Contents as List". Then whenever you click it in future, you'll see a menu of all your installed applications that you can click to launch.
answered 9 mins ago
calum_b
4,0601526
edited 3 mins ago
answered 9 mins ago
calum_b
4,0601526
answered 9 mins ago
calum_b
4,0601526
answered 9 mins ago
calum_b
4,0601526
4,0601526
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
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'"Installation packages do not create a desktop shortcut as it does on windows." A lot of mac apps don't even have installers! They could of course create shortcuts of first boot, but this speaks to the overall paradigm difference between Mac and Windows.
– Wowfunhappy
5 mins ago