Find an app that is missing from Sofla.

First: demo or native app?

The website preview contains a fixed collection of sample apps. It cannot inspect your Mac, discover your applications, or launch them. Searching for an app you installed does not add it to the demo.

The steps below are for the native Sofla app. Check download availability and installation. If you are using the website, try a sample such as Safari, Calendar, Calculator, or Terminal.

Check the collection and query

Switch to All Apps, clear the current search, and try the application’s full name. A Favorites or Recents view is not the whole app library.

If you are inside a folder, return to the main collection. A familiar icon may be in another folder even though it is not on the first visible page.

If a short query matches several applications, use the arrows to select the intended one. You can also try an alias you previously added. A partial name and a renamed display label may produce different results.

Look for a hidden app

An app hidden in Sofla is excluded from its visible catalog and search results. Open Settings → Search & Apps, use the Hidden application filter, and search for the app there.

Choose Unhide to bring it back. This does not reinstall anything; it changes the app’s visibility in the launcher.

If you previously used Hide App to simplify your layout, check this before changing discovery settings.

Confirm where the app is installed

Find the application in Finder and check that it is an installed app you can open. If it lives in a custom folder, review the configured application folders under Settings → Search & Apps.

The native app supports adding custom application folders. Add the relevant folder rather than broadly granting access to unrelated personal data.

Sofla discovers application bundles independently of Spotlight’s index. Rebuilding Spotlight is therefore not the first troubleshooting step for a Sofla-only discovery problem.

Keep discovery and launching separate

If an app appears in Sofla but fails to open, try opening the same app from Finder. That is a different problem from the app not appearing in a search.

Note the exact app name, its location, your macOS version, the active collection, and whether Finder can open it. Those details help distinguish search scope, hidden state, discovery, and launch failures.

Keep your existing layout while investigating. You do not need to reset all organization just because one application is missing.

For everyday search controls, see the keyboard guide. For intentional hiding and folder organization, read organizing Mac apps.