What is LaunchCodes?

LaunchCodes gives you control over what happens when you double-click on a file icon.

Once upon a time, Macs did not use file extensions to identify a file’s type. Instead, the Mac created two invisible attributes for the file: its type, and its creator code. The type allowed Mac OS to determine which applications could open the file. The creator code identified the application that created the file.

When you double-clicked on a file icon, the Mac would look up the creator code for the file, and use that application to open the file. If you created a .txt file in BBEdit, the file would open in BBEdit. If you created a .txt file in TextEdit, the file would open in TextEdit.

This system was very different from a certain other operating system, which used the file’s extension to identify both the file type and the application that would be used to open the file. In that system, all .txt files would open in the same application, regardless of their creator.

Time passed, and as more and more people switched to the Mac, they became confused by the creator code system and wanted their Macs to act more like PCs and open files based on the extension. In Snow Leopard, Apple grant their wish and stopped using creator codes to determine which application should open a file.

Needless to say, that decision did not sit well with millions of devoted Apple users, who had been using creator codes for decades and liked them quite well, thank you.

As it turns out, the creator code information is still maintained in Snow Leopard. It’s just ignored. That’s where LaunchCodes come in.

LaunchCodes restores creator code functionality to Snow Leopard. It also gives you some control over when creator codes will be used, making your Mac more versatile than ever. LaunchCodes is easy to set up and use. Once you tell it your preferences, it just works.