Organizing the Mac OS X Applications directory

You can move Applications to any folder. There is nothing magic about the Applications folder other than that it's especially easy to get to from the Finder. Feel free to add any subdirectories and put the apps in them.

When I download an app I'm not sure if I want to keep, usually I'll just run it out of the ~/Downloads folder. All personal settings get saved in your home directory, so nothing gets lost when I eventually move the app to the /Applications folder.

As commenters have mentioned, it's probably not a good idea to move Apple apps since it will cause problems with Software Update. In general, though, an app can be run from anywhere your user account can access it.

I have recently started using Mac OS 10.6 along with Win XP. In Windows, applications must reside in their installed directories. However, shortcuts to the executable files can be organized as desired in the Startup menu. I have adopted this strategy in the Mac OS as other posters have suggested; i.e., by making aliases to Applications and organizing these in a "Programs" folder with subfolders. The Programs folder can be placed in the Dock for convenience, and the Applications folder can be removed from the Dock.

You can manually set a directory where you put aliases to your apps, just like Windows start menu. Put that directory to your Dock, and that's all!

As others have stated, you can generally move applications around wherever you see fit. In addition, you might want to consider using spotlight to avoid the start menu altogether. I usually do <Command-Space> and start typing the application name, and Spotlight finds it. Hit <Enter> and it launches it.

Obviously, this won't work if you don't remember the application's name, but for your commonly-used applications, it's a real timesaver.

My favorite strategy is to keep everything under /Applications.

I have tried ~/Applications and /Apps as alternatives for programs that I install, but it becomes confusing as to where an app might be. And also, so many installers install in /Applications. So, I prefer everything in one place, but its up to you.

Next, create a new folder like /Shortcuts or /Programs or /Launchers or whatever you like for keeping shortcuts for each app. Under that directory, create folder for each category like Audio, Video, Office, Games, etc and then create aliases/shortcuts for each app under there.

Next, drag the /Shortcuts into the dock, to get a menu. The point is to have an extensive menu for apps you use less frequently. For frequently used apps, you have spotlight.

An alternative/compliment to this strategy is to use a color label for all the apps in the /Applications. You have to assign a color to each category and also remember them. But the best part is that you can arrange by label. (But I don't use this strategy, because I forget which color is which category. Still its pretty good)