2

Somehow, Apple's App Store app icons are duplicated in the Launchpad on my MacBook Pro running macOS 11.5 (Big Sur). Since this is a system-level application, I cannot delete one of these redundant icons. I tried the strategies that I found on the Internet, i.e.,

  1. Remove ~/Library/Application Support/Dock/*.db
  2. Run defaults write com.apple.dock ResetLaunchPad -bool true
  3. Run killall Dock
  4. Restart the system

But these duplicated icons are still in Launchpad after reboot. I am wondering how to remove one of them. Thanks a lot for your help!

Improve this question

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
0

You can try with the procedure described in this link : https://1upnote.me/post/2018/06/remove-icon-from-launchpad/

Here is a trick to remove it.

  1. Open Terminal, run the following command

    sudo find /var/folders -name com.apple.dock.launchpad

It will show you where the Launchpad folder locates. In My Mac, it shows: /var/folders/xw/88q1ph5s1pz4737f6cy1gn6h0000gn/0/com.apple.dock.launchpad

  1. Open that folder

    open /var/folders/xw/88q1ph5s1pz4737f6cy1gn6h0000gn/0/com.apple.dock.launchpad

  2. Open the db folder inside In the db folder, there are 3 files: db, db-shm, db-wal.

  3. Open the db file This db file is a SQLite DB file. You can open it easily using DB Browser for SQLite, or using sqlite3 command line (up to you).

  4. Check apps table Here it is! There is a table named apps containing all the information of app icon in Launchpad. If you are using DB Browser for SQLite, you can see its data easily. Just click Browse Data tab, choose apps from Table. Choose the line of the Icon you want to remove and click Delete Record. Remember to save your changes before close.

  5. Log out and log in back Check if it works!

It's work for me using DB Browser for SQLite.

Improve this answer
4
  • While this link may answer the question, it is better to include the essential parts of the answer here and provide the link for reference. Link-only answers can become invalid if the linked page changes.
    – grg ♦
    Aug 2, 2021 at 5:26
  • @Jean_JD, it didn't work for me. First of all, I had to change the file protections of those folders and db file since those were set as read-only for the so-called "test" user. Once I changed those via sudo chmod a+rx command, at least I could look at the db file. Using the DB Browser for SQLite, I could check the contents of the db file, and AppStore app is only listed once in the apps table. So, I got stuck here.
    – BVP
    Aug 2, 2021 at 18:36
  • Have you the same problem with an another user?
    – user415185
    Aug 2, 2021 at 20:09
  • Jean_JD: I am the sole user on my MacBook Pro. So, I cannot answer your question.
    – BVP
    Aug 2, 2021 at 23:12

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .