Where is the Applications folder on a Mac?
The Applications folder is at the top of your Mac's disk, /Applications. How to open it, put it back in the Dock and sidebar, and find apps outside it.
The Applications folder is at the top of your Mac’s disk: /Applications. In Finder, click Applications in the sidebar, or press ⇧⌘A from anywhere in Finder. Every app installed for all users lives there.
Four ways to open it
- Keyboard: in Finder, ⇧⌘A.
- Sidebar: click Applications in any Finder window.
- Go to Folder: ⇧⌘G, type
/Applications, press Return. - Spotlight: ⌘Space, type “Applications”, press Return.
Put it back in the sidebar or the Dock
- Sidebar: Finder > Settings > Sidebar, tick Applications.
- Dock: open your disk (⇧⌘C, then the disk), and drag Applications to the right side of the Dock, next to the Trash. Control-click it there to show it as a Grid or a Folder.
A second Applications folder
There is also ~/Applications inside your home folder, for apps installed for your account only. Some installers use it, and web apps added from Safari go there. It doesn’t exist until something creates it.
Apps that never made it to Applications
Double-clicking a .dmg mounts the installer; the app only lands in Applications once you drag it there. An app run straight from the disk image vanishes once the image is ejected or the Mac restarts, and an app left in Downloads is easy to lose among other files. Signs of it:
- An app icon with a disk in the Finder sidebar, under Locations.
.appfiles and.dmgfiles sitting in Downloads.
Drag the app into Applications, then eject the disk image and trash the .dmg.
Keep Downloads from hiding apps
DeclutrDeclutr sorts Downloads, the Desktop or any folder into category folders by file type: Apps, Archives, Documents, Images, Videos, Audio, Code & Scripts, 3D Models and more. One Undo puts every file back. It sorts the folders you pick; it never touches /Applications. The sort is free; Pro, a one-time $8.99 purchase in the US, watches Downloads and sorts each new file as it lands. It needs macOS 13 Ventura or later.
Related: where are my downloads on a Mac? and how to free up disk space on a Mac.
Questions people ask
Where is the Applications folder on a Mac?
At the top level of your startup disk: /Applications. In Finder, click Applications in the sidebar or press Shift-Command-A. It holds every app installed for all users.
How do I put the Applications folder back in the Dock?
Open Finder, press Shift-Command-G, type /Applications and press Return. Go up one level (Command-Up Arrow), then drag the Applications folder to the right side of the Dock, next to the Trash.
Why is an app not in my Applications folder?
It may still be inside its installer: a .dmg you opened but never dragged to Applications, or an app left in Downloads. Search for it with Spotlight (Command-Space); Control-click the result in Finder and choose Show in Enclosing Folder to see where it is.