Would you like to add frequently used applications or documents to your Dock? Would you like to remove rarely used items from the Dock? If so, below are instructions on how to do this. The Dock is the row of icons that’s typically located across the bottom of the screen, though it can be moved. Apple populates the Dock with items that they think, or want, you to use, but you can customize it to suit your own needs. You can add applications, documents or folders to the dock.
The separator at bottom right of the dock (or at the bottom if your Dock is on the side) is not there to show your last opened programs. Instead, to the right of the separator are what's called stacks, any minimsed app windows and the Trash. Basically, stacks are really just folders located in the Dock.
Dock Basics
- The Dock is divided into two, disproportionately sized sections. Look for the dividing line which appears a little bit to the left of the Trash. The left-hand section can contain Application icons. The right-hand section can contain icons for files, folders or web sites.
- When you’ve opened an application on your Mac you’ll see its Dock icon displays a small black dot below it. (Older versions of the Mac operating system displayed either white horizontal bar or a bluefish white circle, both of which are hard to see, if you ask me.)
- Apple populates the Dock with some of its applications. You can rearrange or remove these icons using the instructions below.
- When you open an Application whose icon is not already on the Dock, this application’s icon will temporarily appear on the Dock. When the application is quit its icon will vanish from the Dock.
- The Finder icon, which appears at the far-left end, and the Trash icon, which appears at the the far right-end, can not be moved around or removed. They are locked in place.
- Clicking and holding an icon on the Dock produces a menu of choices. For example, if you click and hold on the Trash icon its menu lets you choose to either open the trash or empty it (if you have files in the trash).
Rearrange Items On The Dock
- To rearrange icons on the Dock, click and drag an icon to either the left or right.
Remove Items From The Dock
- Click and hold on a dock icon to display its menu.
- Select Options
- Select Remove From Dock (If you want to remove a Folder icon, hold down the Control key and then click and hold its icon to see it’s menu.)
Add Applications To The Dock
- There are a few ways to add Applications to the Dock but this one is the one I use most often.
- Click on the Finder icon on the Dock to open a Finder window
- Click on the Go menu, at the top of the screen, select Applications.
- Locate the application that you want to add to the Dock.
- Click and drag this application’s icon to the left-hand section of the Dock. (Make sure you don’t drag this icon on top of another dock icon. Instead, make sure that you see the dock icons scoot to the side to make room for this new icon.)
Add Files or Folders To The Dock
- Click on the Finder icon on the Dock to open a Finder window
- Navigate to the file or folder that you want to add
- Click and drag this application’s icon to the right-hand section of the Dock (Make sure you don’t drag this icon on top of another dock icon. Instead, make sure that you see the dock icons scoot to the side to make room for this new icon.)
Change The Dock’s Location
- Click on the Apple menu and select System Preferences
- Click on the Dock icon
- Locate the Position on screen section and select, Left, Bottom or Right.
You might also be interested in Apple’s Dock overview article.
If you are running macOS Mojave or later, you have noticed the Dock at the bottom carrying a trio of recently used apps on the right alongside the regular apps. The Dock adjusts the recent apps and updates automatically as you launch apps, and it’s quite useful if you want to quickly launch the most used apps on your Mac. But what if you don’t want it?
The recent apps feature was initially seen on the Mojave update and most users are just fine using it. But for some people, it seems the recent apps feature is useless, and removing it will reduce the clutter in the Dock.
The Dock at the bottom of your Mac consists of a total of three apps that changes upon the usage of the apps, how long you use the app, and how frequently you launch it. It could be iTunes, Safari, Google Chrome, Calculator, or any other. But those who prefer not to have the feature for any reason, the recent apps in the Dock can be disabled.
Note: This guide works only for macOS Mojave version 10.14 or later. If you are on any previous macOS versions, this feature won’t not available.
How To Hide Recent Apps On Your Mac
To disable the recent apps in the Dock on Mac, do the following.
- Go to the Apple icon in the top left corner of the screen in the menu bar and click on it.
- Click on the System Preferences and choose the Dock.
- Uncheck the box that says Show recent applications in Dock to hide the recent apps in the Dock.
Once you remove the tick from the box, the recent app icons will immediately disappear from the Dock which eventually gives you a room for the Dock to accommodate more apps.
While this disables the recent apps from the Dock, you still can access the recent apps from the menu bar. Click the Apple icon in the corner and select Recent Items which gives you a list of apps that you have recently used on your Mac.
Whether you accidentally open the recent apps or want a cleaner Dock, this trick is for you. If you accidentally open the launchpad and launch the app, here’s how to disable the Launchpad on your Mac. More tips and tricks, guides, and tutorials on Mac and Windows are available, go check them out.
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