Launchy

If you wish to open a folder, launch an application or access anything else on your Mac, you can place a shortcut on your desktop or on your dock. However, a large number of shortcuts will clutter your work environment and as a result, you will spend the same amount of time looking for an icon as you would browsing through your folders. If you install Launchy on your Mac, you can do away with this clutter and access anything on your machine much faster and easier. Thanks to its smart functionality, it takes a single keystroke to open any file, launch any application or perform other actions.

All you have to do is type the name of an application, file, website, or a folder's path, on Launchy's compact user interface and hit the Return key. This will open the targeted file or location instantly, without any further user input. Once installed, Launchy will immediately index everything on your Mac. This means that you can also type part of a name and the application will display all the files or other contents that contain your keyword in their names. When you type a keyword, Launchy will display the icon and full name of a file, folder or other contents, so you can make sure that you have targeted the right items.

The utility comes with a tabbed settings panel, on which you can make numerous tweaks to its behavior or appearance. It is possible to adjust transparency, fade in and fade out effects, to re-scan local directories and to configure various plug-ins. Additionally, you can choose different skins for the main user interface, to make it fit better with your work environment.