The BetterTouchTool Launcher

The Launcher is a Spotlight-style command window built into BetterTouchTool. Use it to reach your apps, files, BTT triggers, clipboard, calendar, and much more.

Requires macOS 13 or newer and BetterTouchTool 6.440 or newer.

Highlights

• Reuse Your Configured BTT Triggers - You can put any BetterTouchTool trigger into the Launcher with the Show In Launcher popup in its "Launcher Config" section (pick anything other than "Don't Include In Launcher"). That way every BTT trigger can become a searchable, named command - a true command palette for your automations. The prompt is saved to the variables BTTLauncherPrompt (full prompt), BTTLauncherPromptKeyword (matched keyword, or first word) and BTTLauncherPromptInputWithoutKeyword (remaining text), so your automations can use it.
• Search everything - apps, windows, files, BTT actions, your own triggers, and calendar events from one field.
• Clipboard Manager - full history with previews, inline editing, text transformers, and image markup.
• Calendar & Reminders - browse your macOS calendars and create events or reminders without leaving the keyboard.
• Speech Dictation - voice-to-text with review, edit, paste, or copy.
• File Search & Browser - fast name search with configurable scopes, plus a Finder-like browser.
• Apple TV Remote - full on-screen remote as a built-in widget.
• Plugins - third-party extensions can contribute their own rows, commands, and rich surfaces.
• AI Chat - jump straight back into recent h@llo.AI conversations, run AI queries, or use AI to configure BTT.
• AI Launcher Plugin Generation - use BetterTouchTool's AI Configuration Assistants (Ask AI) to generate fully custom native Launcher plugins.
• Multiple Instances - run several launchers in parallel, each with its own pinned items, window position, aliases, and query memory.

Opening the Launcher

You control the Launcher with three predefined BetterTouchTool actions. Assign any of them to a trigger (hotkey, trackpad gesture, menu bar item, Stream Deck button, …):

Action	Description
Show Launcher	Shows the Launcher, optionally opening a specific Launcher item or group right away.
Hide Launcher	Hides the currently active Launcher.
Toggle Launcher	Shows the Launcher if hidden, otherwise hides it.

A typical setup is a keyboard shortcut like ⌥ Space bound to Toggle Launcher.

All three actions accept an optional Launcher ID, so you can run several independent Launcher instances side by side. Show Launcher and Toggle Launcher also have positioning parameters, so you can place the Launcher exactly where you want it.

Customizing Results

You can customize every row in the Launcher, no code required:

• Aliases / keywords - make a row match extra search terms.
• Pinning - keep a pill above the results for one-click access.
• Priority - boost or lower a row's ranking in filtered searches.
• Hide - remove a row from results without deleting the underlying trigger.
• Groups (folders) - collect related sections into browsable folders with their own SF Symbol icons and keyboard shortcuts.

You'll find all of this in the per-item actions popover (⌘P by default) or in the Launcher Settings window. To open the settings, click the menu button (magnifying glass) in the top-left corner of the Launcher window.

Keyboard-First

The Launcher is built to be used with the keyboard. These are the most important keys:

Key	Action
↑ / ↓	Move selection.
↩	Activate the selected item.
Tab / →	Enter child items (e.g. an app's windows). → works while the results list has focus.
←	Go back one level (while the results list has focus).
Esc	Exit the current surface or group, clear the prompt, or close the Launcher.
Space	Quick Look preview on file rows (while the results list has focus).
⌘1 – ⌘9	Activate the 1st – 9th visible result.
⌘P	Per-item actions popover.

Learn More

See Items & Widgets for the full catalog of what can appear in the Launcher and what each item can do.