> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.hermesvoice.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# App Launcher

> Open applications with your voice.

## What it does

App Launcher opens any application on your Mac. Say "open Slack" and Slack launches.

## Configuration

| Setting                   | Default | Description             |
| ------------------------- | ------- | ----------------------- |
| **Activate on Launch**    | On      | Bring app to foreground |
| **Allow Partial Matches** | On      | "saf" matches Safari    |

***

## How app matching works

Hermes finds your app using smart matching:

1. **Exact match**: "Safari" → Safari
2. **Partial match**: "saf" → Safari (if enabled)
3. **Common names**: "Chrome" → Google Chrome
4. **Fuzzy match**: "Safar" → Safari (handles typos)

### Common corrections

Hermes automatically handles spoken variations:

| You say        | Opens              |
| -------------- | ------------------ |
| "eye term"     | iTerm              |
| "vee ess code" | Visual Studio Code |
| "ex code"      | Xcode              |
| "chrome"       | Google Chrome      |
| "word"         | Microsoft Word     |
| "excel"        | Microsoft Excel    |

***

## Examples

| Trigger Phrase   | Opens              |
| ---------------- | ------------------ |
| "open safari"    | Safari             |
| "launch slack"   | Slack              |
| "open terminal"  | Terminal           |
| "start vscode"   | Visual Studio Code |
| "open finder"    | Finder             |
| "launch spotify" | Spotify            |

***

## Creating an app launcher trigger

### Option 1: Generic "open" trigger

Create one trigger that opens any app by name.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create trigger">
    Phrase: `open`
    Matching: **Prefix**
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select App Launcher">
    Choose **App Launcher** as the action type.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enable partial matching">
    Turn on **Allow Partial Matches**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save">
    Now "open \[any app]" will work.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Option 2: Specific app triggers

Create dedicated triggers for frequently used apps.

**Trigger**: "slack"
**Matching**: Exact
**Action**: App Launcher (opens Slack)

This is faster since there's no "open" prefix needed.

***

## Launch options

### Activate on Launch

When enabled, the app comes to the foreground. When disabled, the app opens in the background.

**Use cases for background launch:**

* Start an app without switching to it
* Launch multiple apps in sequence
* Begin a process while continuing current work

***

## Tips

* **Use prefix matching** for a generic "open \[app]" trigger
* **Use exact matching** for single-word app shortcuts ("slack", "safari")
* **Partial matching** helps when you don't remember exact app names

***

## Related

<Card title="Web Search" icon="magnifying-glass" href="/triggers/types/web-search">
  Open websites instead of apps.
</Card>