Updated July 10, 2026

How to Open Multiple Apps at Once on Mac (5 Ways)

Starting a work session on a Mac usually means the same ritual: open the editor, the terminal, the browser, Slack, maybe Figma — one icon at a time. macOS can do better. Here are five ways to open multiple apps at once, from built-in tools to a one-click Dock group. All of them work on macOS 14 Sonoma through macOS 26 Tahoe.

1. Shortcuts app (built in)

The Shortcuts app can chain Open App actions:

1. Open Shortcuts and create a new shortcut.
2. Add the Open App action once per app and pick each app.
3. Name it (e.g. "Start Work") and run it from the menu bar, Spotlight, or a keyboard shortcut. From the File menu you can also add it to the Dock.

Good for: no extra software, integrates with Apple's ecosystem. Limits: editing the set means editing the shortcut; there's no matching "quit them all" without building a second shortcut.

2. Automator application (built in)

The older but still reliable route:

1. Open Automator, create a new Application.
2. Add the Launch Application action once per app.
3. Save it (e.g. Morning.app) and drag it to your Dock.

Double-click launches everything. It's effectively a homemade app-group launcher.

Good for: a Dock icon that opens a fixed set of apps. Limits: clunky to edit, no quit-all, and the icon looks like a generic robot unless you change it manually.

3. Login Items (opens apps at startup)

If it's the same apps every day, let macOS open them at login: System Settings → General → Login Items & Extensions, then add apps under Open at Login.

Good for: a fixed daily baseline. Limits: all-or-nothing — it runs at every login, whether it's a work day or not, and slows startup.

4. Terminal one-liner

For terminal users, open -a chains cleanly:

open -a "Visual Studio Code" && open -a Slack && open -a Figma

Save it as a shell alias or a small script and you have a scriptable launcher. Swap && for ; if you want later apps to open even when an earlier one fails.

Good for: developers who live in the terminal anyway. Limits: invisible to everyone else; quitting apps needs osascript gymnastics.

5. DockGroups (one click, and one click to undo it)

DockGroups turns the pattern into a first-class feature: named groups of apps that live in your Dock.

• Open All launches every app in a group with one click, bringing each window to front as it's ready.
• Close All ends the session just as fast — ⌥-click quits gracefully, ⌘-click force-terminates.
• Each group can be a standalone Dock icon you pin permanently, so "Dev Setup" sits in your Dock like an app of its own.

The free version covers 2 groups (unlimited apps in each); Pro is a one-time $9.99.

Good for: switching between workflows all day, not just starting one. Limits: a third-party app, free tier caps at 2 groups.

Which one should you pick?

If you only ever start one fixed set of apps, Shortcuts is the best built-in answer. If you switch between projects — and want to close a project as cleanly as you opened it — that's exactly what DockGroups was built for. Related: how to group apps on your Mac Dock.

FAQ

Can I open multiple apps at once without extra software?

Yes — the Shortcuts app (chained Open App actions), an Automator application, or a Terminal open -a one-liner all work with what ships in macOS.

Can I also quit all those apps at once?

The built-in options only launch. DockGroups adds Close All, which gracefully quits (or force-terminates) every app in a group.

How do I open the same apps every time I log in?

Add them to System Settings → General → Login Items & Extensions → Open at Login. For sets you don't want at every login, use a Shortcuts shortcut or a DockGroups group instead.