How to reset and back up your Launchpad layout

Open Terminal and run this line. The Dock restarts and Launchpad is rebuilt:

defaults write com.apple.dock ResetLaunchPad -bool true; killall Dock

After the reset, Apple’s apps are back on the first page and everything else follows by name. Your folders and custom order are gone, so back up first.

The old Launchpad keeps its layout in a database whose location differs per user. This copies it to your Desktop:

cp -R "$(getconf DARWIN_USER_DIR)com.apple.dock.launchpad" ~/Desktop/launchpad-backup

This database is also what third-party Launchpads read when they import your old layout. It usually survives the upgrade to macOS 26 and 27, so keep it if you might want to import it later.

macOS 26 removed Launchpad, so the reset command has no effect on the Apps view. The system decides the Apps view order, so there’s no layout to reset.

If you use a third-party Launchpad, use its own tools. Here’s how it works in LaunchHome.

All of these are on the Organize tab in LaunchHome’s settings:

1. Export Layout: under Backup, save your current pages, folders and order to a file. Do this before switching Macs or reinstalling.
2. Import Layout: pick a file you exported earlier. Your current layout is backed up first.
3. Undo today’s changes: Restore Layout from Last Launch takes you back to how things were when LaunchHome last started.
4. Bring back hidden apps: under Layout Maintenance, click Show Removed Apps.
5. Start over: Reset Layout to Default clears all folders and custom arrangement and sorts apps by name. It’s backed up first, too.
6. Import the old Launchpad: click Import System Launchpad Layout, or choose it from the ⋯ menu next to the search field, to bring over the old Launchpad’s pages and folders as they were.

LaunchHome saves its layout to ~/Library/Application Support/com.wlh.launchpad/layout.json. The same folder holds automatic backups: layout.before-import.json from before an import, layout.before-reset.json from before a reset, and layout.previous.json from the last launch.

If the layout file ever gets corrupted, the app moves it aside under a new name instead of overwriting it, so nothing is lost.