Introducing Start Menu for Mac: the app launcher for macOS

As far back as 2012 when I made the switch from PC to Mac as my at-home daily driver, I've missed the Start Menu in Windows, where all the applications on my computer were in one place, neatly organized into folders or pinned to the Start Menu itself. I don't like the Launchpad where I have to wade through rows and rows of icons to find my desired app. I've tried a few app launcher apps for macOS, but none comes close to the experience that I wanted.

So, I finally made my own. 

Start Menu for Mac adds a popup menu to the macOS desktop menu bar, where you can find your apps all in one place. Out of the box, the standard macOS apps are organized by app categories. Organize your apps by selecting an app category from the context menu, or use the Organizer for greater control. Your installed apps are always available to browse in the All Apps menu, or click Search to look for an app by name. No more wading through endless rows of icons to find your desired app.
 

Start Menu for Mac is brought to you by First Letter Software, a new brand that I'm using for standalone software, distinct from my Firefox and Thunderbird extensions currently released under the AE Creations name.

Testers Wanted!

Version 0.8.1 is the first public beta release of Start Menu for Mac, aimed at testers, power users and enthusiasts who crave the latest and greatest! Get it from the First Letter Software website at firstlettersoftware.com/startmenu4mac.

Start Menu for Mac is compatible with macOS 13 Ventura and newer, on Apple Silicon and Intel Mac devices.

Things You Should Know About 

• This beta release is available free of charge, but expires 90 days after installation, after which it will stop working.
• Automatic updating is not yet available. Check back at the First Letter Software website for the latest release.

Help and Support 

Questions and comments about Start Menu for Mac should be posted to the discussion forums over at GitHub which is set up to support beta testing.

If you find a bug, you may file a bug report on GitHub. Please search the issues list first to confirm that your issue has not already been reported.

Clippings for Thunderbird 7.1.7 released!

Another minor update for Clippings for Thunderbird, the extension that saves frequently-entered text for later pasting into email messages, has been released and is now available from Add-ons for Thunderbird and the AE Creations website. Compatible with Thunderbird 140 and newer.

If you already have an older version of Clippings for Thunderbird installed, it will be updated for you if automatic extension updates are enabled. Otherwise, open Add-ons Manager (from the Thunderbird menu, click Add-ons and Themes), click on the entry for Clippings for Thunderbird in the list of installed extensions, and then scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Check for Updates.

What's New

•  Updated French and German localizations

Help and Support

Questions and comments about Clippings for Thunderbird should be posted to the AE Creations Help and Support forums, hosted on Groups.io.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Crowdin contributor Johannes Endres for providing improved German translations for Clippings! Also, a belated and heartfelt thanks to Crowdin contributor fanfu who helped to update the French localization of Clippings for version 7.1, along with previously-credited contributors DenB10 and Vollandet.

If you're fluent in English and another world language and would like to help update or add a new translation, consider contributing a translation in CrowdIn. Localizations in other languages are always welcome, and will be added in future releases.

Clippings 7.1.7 released!

Another minor update for Clippings, the Firefox extension from AE Creations that lets you save frequently-entered text for later pasting into web page forms, has been released and is now available from Firefox Add-ons and the AE Creations website. Clippings 7.1 is compatible with Firefox 140 and newer. 

If you already have Clippings installed, it will be updated for you if automatic extension updates are enabled. Otherwise, open Add-ons Manager (from the Firefox menu, select "Extensions and Themes"), click on the entry for Clippings in the list of installed extensions, and then scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Check for Updates.

What's New

•  Updated French and German localizations

Things You Should Know About

• Thunderbird Users: This version of Clippings is designed for Firefox and is not compatible with Thunderbird. Get Clippings for Thunderbird, which is compatible with Thunderbird 140 and newer.
  
• Some features may not be available when Firefox is in Private Browsing mode, or if the browser privacy settings are too restrictive.
• While Clippings works on the vast majority of web sites, some are now preventing pasting into text boxes. If pasting doesn't work, copy the clipping from Clippings Manager or Clippings Sidebar by right-clicking on it and selecting Copy Clipping Text. You can then paste the clipping into the web page by selecting Paste from the browser context menu.

Help and Support

Questions and comments about Clippings should be posted to the AE Creations Help and Support forums, hosted on Groups.io.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Crowdin contributor Johannes Endres for providing improved German translations for Clippings! Also, a belated and heartfelt thanks to Crowdin contributor fanfu who helped to update the French localization of Clippings for version 7.1, along with previously-credited contributors DenB10 and Vollandet.

If you're fluent in English and another world language and would like to help update or add a new translation, consider contributing a translation in CrowdIn. Localizations in other languages are always welcome, and will be added in future releases.

Read Next 1.6.2 released!

A minor update for Read Next, the reading list extension for Firefox from AE Creations, has been released and is now available from Firefox Add-ons and the AE Creations website. Read Next 1.6 is compatible with Firefox 128 and newer.

If you already have an older version of Read Next installed, it will be updated for you if automatic extension updates are enabled. Otherwise, open Add-ons Manager (from the Firefox menu, select "Extensions and Themes"), click on the entry for Read Next in the list of installed extensions, and then scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Check for Updates.

What's New

• Minor fixes and improvements 

Help and Support

Questions and comments about Read Next should be posted to the AE Creations Help and Support forums, hosted on Groups.io.

Check Links 1.0.2 released!

Another minor update to Check Links, the Thunderbird extension from AE Creations that lets you review the URLs of hyperlinks in a draft message before sending, has been released and is now available from Add-ons for Thunderbird and the AE Creations website. Check Links is compatible with Thunderbird 128 and newer.

If you already have Check Links installed, it will be updated for you if automatic extension updates are enabled. Otherwise, open Add-ons Manager (from the Thunderbird menu, click Add-ons and Themes), click on the entry for Check Links in the list of installed extensions, and then scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Check for Updates.

What's New

• Now available in German 

Help and Support

Questions and comments about Check Links should be posted to the AE Creations Help and Support forums, hosted on Groups.io.

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to Crowdin contributor Johannes Endres for translating Check Links into German!

If you're fluent in English and another world language and would like to help update or add a new translation, consider contributing a translation in CrowdIn. Localizations in other languages are always welcome, and will be added in future releases.

Monthly update: May 2026

This month, expect updates to Clippings, Read Next and Check Links with updated translations and other minor improvements. As always, they will be announced here on the blog once they are available.

Work is also progressing on the other project that I've mentioned in past monthly updates. I'm close to publishing the first beta release for testing, so keep an eye on this blog for the beta release announcement and a call for testers.

Localize Check Links using Crowdin

Check Links, the Thunderbird extension that lets you review the links in a draft message before sending, is now available on Crowdin for localization.

If you're fluent in English and another world language and would like to help translate Check Links, you're invited to join the Crowdin project! New translations will be reviewed and added to future releases.

Monthly update: April 2026

Firefox 149 introduces Split View, a new feature that lets you view two browser tabs side by side. Panic Button, the extension that hides all browser windows with a click of a button, doesn't currently support Split View. If the Panic Button action is set to Hide and Replace, the tabs that were joined in Split View at the time the Panic Button action was triggered will be separated out when the browser windows are restored. A fix for this issue is not yet available, so it's something to keep in mind for now.

Minor updates for Clippings and Read Next were recently released with updates to the French localization. Thanks to the Crowdin contributors that provided the updated translations! If you're interested in having my Firefox and Thunderbird extensions translated in your language, consider contributing them to the Crowdin project for the extension; links can be found in the extension home page on the AE Creations website.

My biggest priority for this month is the project that I've been alluding to in my recent monthly updates. Below is a screenshot -- more details to come!

Clippings for Thunderbird 7.1.6 released!

Another minor update for Clippings for Thunderbird, the extension that saves frequently-entered text for later pasting into email messages, has been released and is now available from Add-ons for Thunderbird and the AE Creations website. Compatible with Thunderbird 140 and newer.

If you already have an older version of Clippings for Thunderbird installed, it will be updated for you if automatic extension updates are enabled. Otherwise, open Add-ons Manager (from the Thunderbird menu, click Add-ons and Themes), click on the entry for Clippings for Thunderbird in the list of installed extensions, and then scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Check for Updates.

What's New

• Updated French localization

Help and Support

Questions and comments about Clippings for Thunderbird should be posted to the AE Creations Help and Support forums, hosted on Groups.io.

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to Crowdin contributors DenB10 and Vollandet for updating the French localization of Clippings!

If you're fluent in English and another world language and would like to help update or add a new translation, consider contributing a translation in CrowdIn. Localizations in other languages are always welcome, and will be added in future releases.

Clippings 7.1.6 released!

Another minor update for Clippings, the Firefox extension from AE Creations that lets you save frequently-entered text for later pasting into web page forms, has been released and is now available from Firefox Add-ons and the AE Creations website. Clippings 7.1 is compatible with Firefox 140 and newer. 

If you already have Clippings installed, it will be updated for you if automatic extension updates are enabled. Otherwise, open Add-ons Manager (from the Firefox menu, select "Extensions and Themes"), click on the entry for Clippings in the list of installed extensions, and then scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Check for Updates.

What's New

• Updated French localization 

Things You Should Know About

• Thunderbird Users: This version of Clippings is designed for Firefox and is not compatible with Thunderbird. Get Clippings for Thunderbird, which is compatible with Thunderbird 140 and newer.
  
• Some features may not be available when Firefox is in Private Browsing mode, or if the browser privacy settings are too restrictive.
• While Clippings works on the vast majority of web sites, some are now preventing pasting into text boxes. If pasting doesn't work, copy the clipping from Clippings Manager or Clippings Sidebar by right-clicking on it and selecting Copy Clipping Text. You can then paste the clipping into the web page by selecting Paste from the browser context menu.

Help and Support

Questions and comments about Clippings should be posted to the AE Creations Help and Support forums, hosted on Groups.io.

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to Crowdin contributors DenB10 and Vollandet for updating the French localization of Clippings!

If you're fluent in English and another world language and would like to help update or add a new translation, consider contributing a translation in CrowdIn. Localizations in other languages are always welcome, and will be added in future releases.

Read Next 1.6.1 released!

A minor update for Read Next, the reading list extension for Firefox from AE Creations, has been released and is now available from Firefox Add-ons and the AE Creations website. Read Next 1.6 is compatible with Firefox 128 and newer.

If you already have an older version of Read Next installed, it will be updated for you if automatic extension updates are enabled. Otherwise, open Add-ons Manager (from the Firefox menu, select "Extensions and Themes"), click on the entry for Read Next in the list of installed extensions, and then scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Check for Updates.

What's New

•  Updated French localization

Help and Support

Questions and comments about Read Next should be posted to the AE Creations Help and Support forums, hosted on Groups.io.

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to Crowdin contributor DenB10 for updating the French localization of Read Next!

If you're fluent in English and another world language and would like to help update or add a new translation, consider contributing a translation in Crowdin. Localizations in other languages are always welcome, and will be added in future releases.

Clippings for Thunderbird 7.1.5 released!

Another minor update for Clippings for Thunderbird, the extension that saves frequently-entered text for later pasting into email messages, has been released and is now available from Add-ons for Thunderbird and the AE Creations website. Compatible with Thunderbird 140 and newer.

If you already have an older version of Clippings for Thunderbird installed, it will be updated for you if automatic extension updates are enabled. Otherwise, open Add-ons Manager (from the Thunderbird menu, click Add-ons and Themes), click on the entry for Clippings for Thunderbird in the list of installed extensions, and then scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Check for Updates.

What's New

• Bug fix: Duplicated items in the Clippings menu when a clipping or folder is moved in Clippings Manager using drag 'n drop (issue #257)

Help and Support

Questions and comments about Clippings for Thunderbird should be posted to the AE Creations Help and Support forums, hosted on Groups.io.

Clippings 7.1.5 released!

Another minor update for Clippings, the Firefox extension from AE Creations that lets you save frequently-entered text for later pasting into web page forms, has been released and is now available from Firefox Add-ons and the AE Creations website. Clippings 7.1 is compatible with Firefox 140 and newer. 

If you already have Clippings installed, it will be updated for you if automatic extension updates are enabled. Otherwise, open Add-ons Manager (from the Firefox menu, select "Extensions and Themes"), click on the entry for Clippings in the list of installed extensions, and then scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Check for Updates.

What's New

• Bug fix: Duplicated items in the Clippings menu when a clipping or folder is moved in Clippings Manager using drag 'n drop (issue #579)

Things You Should Know About

• Thunderbird Users: This version of Clippings is designed for Firefox and is not compatible with Thunderbird. Get Clippings for Thunderbird, which is compatible with Thunderbird 140 and newer.
  
• Some features may not be available when Firefox is in Private Browsing mode, or if the browser privacy settings are too restrictive.
• While Clippings works on the vast majority of web sites, some are now preventing pasting into text boxes. If pasting doesn't work, copy the clipping from Clippings Manager or Clippings Sidebar by right-clicking on it and selecting Copy Clipping Text. You can then paste the clipping into the web page by selecting Paste from the browser context menu.

Help and Support

Questions and comments about Clippings should be posted to the AE Creations Help and Support forums, hosted on Groups.io.

Monthly update: March 2026

Following the recent release of Read Next 1.6, I'll check back occasionally to see if the added support for more cloud file hosts (Google Drive and OneDrive) drives up interest in this Firefox reading list extension.

Clippings 7.1.5, which contains a long-overdue bug fix, is awaiting review from the Firefox Add-ons editors. Clippings for Thunderbird 7.1.5 is ready to go, but I want to release the two extensions together. Since the Firefox Add-ons review has been delayed for more than a week, I may decide to go ahead and ship the update for Clippings for Thunderbird first.

March is going to be a busy month as I work on another major project, details of which I'll share when the time is right.

Read Next 1.6 released!

A new version of Read Next, the reading list extension for Firefox from AE Creations, has been released and is now available from Firefox Add-ons and the AE Creations website. Read Next 1.6 is compatible with Firefox 128 and newer.

If you already have an older version of Read Next installed, it will be updated for you if automatic extension updates are enabled. Otherwise, open Add-ons Manager (from the Firefox menu, select "Extensions and Themes"), click on the entry for Read Next in the list of installed extensions, and then scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Check for Updates.

What's New

• You can now sync your reading list using Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive. Dropbox continues to be available as an option for syncing

Help and Support

Questions and comments about Read Next should be posted to the AE Creations Help and Support forums, hosted on Groups.io.

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to the Crowdin contributors who provided updated localizations for this version of Read Next!

• heretic43 – Chinese (Simplified)
• private-lock – German 

If you're fluent in English and another world language and would like to help update or add a new translation, consider contributing a translation in CrowdIn. Localizations in other languages are always welcome, and will be added in future releases.

Read Next 1.6 release candidate 1 released!

A release candidate build of the next version of Read Next, the reading list extension for Firefox from AE Creations, is now available for testers and early adopters. Unless there are any last-minute showstopper bugs, this may become the official release of Read Next 1.6.

Read on to learn what's new in this version of Read Next, and how to get it!

What's New

• You can now sync your reading list using Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive. Dropbox continues to be available as an option for syncing

How to Get It

If you've installed any of the beta releases of Read Next 1.6, you'll be automatically updated to this release candidate build if automatic add-on updates are turned on in Firefox.

New users can install this release candidate build by heading over to the Read Next 1.6 release candidate 1 page on GitHub and then clicking the link to readnext-1.6rc1.xpi. Follow the prompts to complete the installation.

Read Next 1.6 requires Firefox 128 or newer.

Help and Support

Questions and comments about Read Next should be posted to the AE Creations Help and Support forums, hosted on Groups.io.

If you find a bug, you may file a bug report on GitHub. Please search the issues list first to confirm that your issue has not already been reported.

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to the Crowdin contributors who provided updated localizations for this version of Read Next:

• heretic43 – Chinese (Simplified)
• private-lock – German 

If you're fluent in English and another world language and would like to help update or add a new translation, consider contributing a translation in CrowdIn. Localizations in other languages are always welcome, and will be added in future releases.