How to delete Google apps from the launchpad

It seems that apps that the only apps that are directly removable from Launchpad have to be installed through the App Store.

For every other app, you can simply do it the old fashioned way:

1. Open programs
2. Select 'open in finder'
3. Delete the app that you want to delete

Many people are using folders to reduce clutter of apps shown in Launchpad. (while eagerly awaiting either an update or some tools to manage Launchpad layouts.)

First make sure you don't really have three copies of the Application. You can use spotlight to clean out any duplicates and keep one copy of the application mounted.

Once that is resolved, you can delete the duplicates from Launchpad one by one; if they all go, just reinstall Skype.

You can also force Launchpad to recreate its database, if it is corrupt, or just to refresh the apps alphabetically by using this hack:

• run Terminal
• execute sudo rm ~/Library/Application\ Support/Dock/*.db
• execute sudo killall Dock to restart Dock and Launchpad

Just be aware that you will use any user-defined grouping/sorting etc. this way.

Another wonderful high-level (and safe with undos and backups) GUI solution is Launchpad control, which is a system preference panel.