Cannot see all Apps on my Mac Mini since installing Mountain Lion

[wickerman]

Since installing ML on my Mac Mini I no longer have an Applications link under Favorites in the sidebar in Finder. I can navigate to my Applications directory by going to the HD directory first but when I open it the only ones I can see in there are ones I've installed myself. Where are all the rest? The only way I can find other apps on my system is by using the search feature in Launchpad. This is hugely inconvenient.

Can anyone explain why the Apps link has disappeared from the Finder, why I can't see all my apps in the Applications folder, and how I can rectify this?

 

[MisterMe]

Just drag the missing folder icons back onto the Sidebar.

 

[DeltaMac]

If you navigate to your hard drive, then to the Applications folder, you will see both applications that are part of OS X (Address Book, Calculator, Chess, Safari, iTunes, Preview, TextEdit, etc.) plus whatever apps you have installed yourself.
Are you saying that you don't see ANY of those?

You can also go into your Finder Preferences, and make sure that Applications is checked, under Places.

 

[wickerman]

OK, I follow how to get Applications to show in the sidebar. Thanks for that. However, navigating to Applications from the Device link in the sidebar produces a different result to opening Applications from the Username link. If I go myname (house icon)->Applications I see a list of only 5 apps, the ones I have installed on my Mac Mini manually. If I click on Device->Mac Mini->Macintosh HD->Applications I instead get a complete list of apps that I have been running not on my Mini but on my iMac (which is connected to the Mac Mini via home wireless network). HOWEVER, IT'S NOT THE CURRENT APPS LIST but an old one and includes many apps which I have long since deleted! WTF?

I seem unable to find the directory that shows a complete list of Apps running on my Mini.

 

[DeltaMac]

The Applications folder will not be in your own user folder (the house icon!) - although if you have added some apps, then applications will also be in your own user folder, if that's where you want them to be placed, and, if course, you can always add a folder to your own user folder with the name "Applications" if that's what you want to do. You do need to remember that Applications folder in your own user folder is NOT the Applications folder that your system uses for applications. Things can get quite confusing for you, if you put apps in your user folder that are more correctly placed in the systems Applications folder.
Most applications should usually be in the main /Applications folder, however.
One method to discover which is really the Applications folder on your hard drive (and not something on a completely different computer or external hard drive, for example), would be to go to your Finder (just click anywhere on the desktop) so you see Finder in the menu next to the Apple. Then click on the Go menu, and choose Applications from that Go menu.
And, then you will see the actual Applications folder that your system expects to use by default.

I'm thinking that you have just become confused about where your actual Applications folder is found.
You can make sure that the correct Applications folder is listed in the sidebar, by going to your Finder preferences, then click on the Sidebar tab. Make sure that Applications is checked, under Favorites. In fact, if you have a sidebar visible while the Finder Preferences is open, you can UNselect Applications, then re-select to watch the Applications disappear, then reappear each time you toggle that checkbox for Applications.
That will help you understand which is the correct Applications folder, because that will be the one listed in the Sidebar. I would suggest removing others, if they appear there. I would recommend that you change the name of an Applications folder, if you have made one inside your own user folder, to some other name. For example, instead of Applications, you could rename that to My Applications. I don't think the ML system will allow you to change the name of the system's Applications folder, so that will be your clue that really is your system's Applications folder.... Hopefully, that will help sort things out.

 

[wickerman]

OK, I have just clicked on the Applications folder under the Go command, and what appears is the same apps list that appears when I check the item in Finder Preferences. However, this is NOT the apps list for my Mac Mini but the old and redundant apps list for my iMac. Why am I 1) not seeing the Mac Mini apps list, and 2) seeing an old list of apps that I have now deleted from my iMac? Could they somehow have been copied over to my Mac Mini when I was setting up sharing?

The five apps that appear in the other Apps directory in my sidebar... Should I copy these to the true Apps directory? How did this directory get created in the first place? How do I find my true Apps directory containing my Mac Mini's apps?

:/

 

[DeltaMac]

The various apps that I listed in post #3 above, should ALWAYS exist in the real Applications folder. You might have more than one, through migration from another Mac, or accessible through file sharing because you have an external hard drive, or more than one attached - or through file-sharing to another Mac on your network.

Try this:
Disconnect from your network, by unplugging your ethernet cable, or (if you are wireless) turn off the airport card from the airport/wifi menu. Disconnect any external hard drives, or other storage.
Click anywhere on your desktop, so "Finder" appears next to the Apple menu.
Next, hold Shift, then press Command-A.
You will see the Applications folder open. THAT'S the "true Apps directory containing my Mac Mini's apps"

Do you see those sample apps from my post #3?
If not, what do you see? A list of what you see would be fine!

If you DON'T see TextEdit (for example), do a Spotlight search for TextEdit, and see what shows up, and where.
(hint: You only need one example of TextEdit.app on your Mac)

 

[jbarley]

How did this directory get created in the first place? How do I find my true Apps directory containing my Mac Mini's apps?:/

This usually occurs when on installing the app you are prompted to...
"Install for this user or for all users", I'll let you guess the results of this prompt.

 

[wickerman]

The various apps that I listed in post #3 above, should ALWAYS exist in the real Applications folder. You might have more than one, through migration from another Mac, or accessible through file sharing because you have an external hard drive, or more than one attached - or through file-sharing to another Mac on your network.

Try this:
Disconnect from your network, by unplugging your ethernet cable, or (if you are wireless) turn off the airport card from the airport/wifi menu. Disconnect any external hard drives, or other storage.
Click anywhere on your desktop, so "Finder" appears next to the Apple menu.
Next, hold Shift, then press Command-A.
You will see the Applications folder open. THAT'S the "true Apps directory containing my Mac Mini's apps"

Do you see those sample apps from my post #3?
If not, what do you see? A list of what you see would be fine!

If you DON'T see TextEdit (for example), do a Spotlight search for TextEdit, and see what shows up, and where.
(hint: You only need one example of TextEdit.app on your Mac)

OK. It turns out the real Apps folder is the one containing the redundant apps. I have now cleaned it up, added the new apps from the shadow directory (I still don't know what that's for) and corrected the link in the sidebar.

Thanks!