Move .app files to Your Applications folder

Owned by Cody Janak (Unlicensed), created
Last updated: Nov 17, 2021
1 min read

This article will show how to move .app files to the ~/Applications folder using the Self Service Portal. This is meant to be used by non-admin accounts. This will allow the application to be indexed correctly by Spotlight and Launchpad.

The file will be moved to the current user’s Applications folder, so it still will not appear for all users.

 Instructions

  1. If the app is in a .zip or other compressed format, double click it to unzip it. The app should be in your Downloads folder by default, but it just needs to be saved locally

  2. Open the Self Service Portal and find the Move Application to User Application Folder app

  3. Click Move and a Finder window will open. Navigate to the application, select it, and click Choose. The file will be moved to your Applications folder automatically

With Finder as the active window press Cmd + Shift + G and enter for ~/Applications to find the copied file