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App launcher widget

Put a one-click tile on a desk that opens an app on your computer, or brings it to the front when it is already running.

All plansUpdated

An App launcher is a tile on a desk that opens an app on your computer with one click. If the app is already open, the same click brings it to the front. Put the apps you use for a piece of work on its desk, and starting that work is one click per app.

App launcher tiles come from your connected apps. You add the app to PlexiDesk once, then drag it onto any desk that needs it.

Before you start

  • Plans. App launcher is on every plan.
  • A desk open. Connected Apps are listed in the side menu while a desk is open.
  • On a Mac, you choose an app from your Applications folder. The tile shows the app's own icon, and a green dot while the app is running.
  • On Windows, you choose a program or a shortcut to one. The tile opens it, with a standard icon and no running dot.

Step 1: Add the app to Connected Apps

  1. Open a desk.
  2. In the side menu, click the + beside the Connected Apps heading (Add a connected app). If you have no connected apps yet, you can click Add app in the empty box instead.
  3. In the Add a Connected App window, click the Local app tab.
  4. Click Choose app… and pick the app.
  5. Check the name under Display name. This is the name on the tile, so change it if you like.
  6. Click Add to sidebar.

The app is added to Connected Apps, and PlexiDesk moves away from the desk to the app's own page. Click the back arrow at the far left of the header to return to your desk.

You can also add apps with no desk open. Click the gear at the right of the header to open Settings, choose the Advanced tab, and click the + beside Connected apps. The same Add a Connected App window opens, and you stay in Settings when it closes. See Add and use connected apps Coming soon.

Step 2: Drag the app onto the desk

  1. With the desk open, find the app under Connected Apps in the side menu. If you have several apps, it may be under More apps: click More apps to show them.
  2. Drag the app's row onto the desk, and let go where you want the tile.

The tile appears where you let go, with the app's name in its title bar.

Use the tile

  • Click the tile to open the app. While it starts, the tile says launching….
  • When the app is not running, the tile says click to launch.
  • When the app is running on a Mac, a green dot shows on the icon and the tile says click to focus. Click it to bring the app to the front.
  • The running dot is checked every few seconds, so it can take a moment to appear after you open the app, or to go after you quit it.
  • If the app cannot be opened, for example because it was moved or deleted, the reason shows in small red text on the tile.

You can move, resize and remove the tile like any other widget. See The controls on every widget.

Change the app on a tile

A tile stays linked to the app you dragged onto the desk. To use a different app, remove the tile and drag the other app onto the desk.

If you remove an app from Connected Apps, its tiles say Linked app was removed. To get a working tile again, add the app again (Step 1), drag it onto the desk (Step 2), and remove the old tile.

Use AI with a launcher tile

The AI button, the sparkle at the start of the buttons on the right of the tile's title bar, opens the Plexii panel, where you can ask Plexii a question. A launcher tile has no AI of its own. See Use a widget's AI button.

Sharing a desk with a launcher tile

  • The tile opens an app on the computer you are using. If you share the desk and someone's tile says Linked app was removed., they can add the app on their own computer and drag it onto the desk.
  • A live view of the desk shows a picture of the tile, or a placeholder that says App launcher — not available publicly. Clicking it there does nothing. See Publish a live view of a desk.

Good uses

  • One desk, the apps it needs. Put a tile for each app a piece of work uses on its desk, for example your design app on a brochure desk, or your accounts app on a month-end desk.
  • Back to work in one click. Because a running app comes to the front, the tile also works as a quick way back to an app you already have open.
  • Many apps in one place. If you want a whole row of apps and other actions together, use a SpeedDeck instead.

Common questions

I cannot see Connected Apps in the side menu. They are listed there while a desk is open. Open a desk first.

Where is the running dot on Windows? The dot and the app's own icon show on a Mac only. On Windows, the tile opens the program you chose.

Can I use a website as a launcher tile? A website you add as a connected app becomes a Browser widget when you drag it onto a desk, with the site inside it.

Can I put an app launcher on my Home dashboard? Yes. Home has an App launcher of its own, which shows your favourite connected apps. See App launcher on your Home dashboard.

More about this widget Coming soon

Still need help? Contact support at [email protected].