Essential Tips for Using the Mac Dock: A Complete Guide

The Dock is one of your primary interface components on the Mac. You can open programs using the Dock, open files by dragging them onto its icons, access folders that you've saved there, and do a lot more with it. The various configuration choices available to you for the Dock, as well as the most effective method to use it as a highly effective productivity enhancer, are covered in the guide below.

What is in the MacBook Dock?

There are lines separating the Dock's two or three main parts. Apps that you have added to the MacBook Dock and those that you are now using are shown in the Dock at the bottom of the screen in standard orientation. You may add files or folders to the Dock's rightmost part, and it can display frequently used programs as well.

Applications that were in the Dock during Mac setup or that you installed are located in the leftmost area.

You may see four applications and a separation to the right of this area. Subsequently, there's an additional separator, and a file, folder, and minimized window are visible, followed by the Trash.

Recently used apps appear in the Dock to the right of the first separator if you want to display them. Select the option to ‘Show recent applications in the Dock’ under ‘System Preferences’ > ‘Dock & Menu Bar.’ There is just one separator if you don't choose this option.

In addition to recent apps, the Dock on Mac will display an app that can be handed over from another Mac.

The files or folders you've added to the Dock and windows you've minimized by double-clicking a window's title bar or by clicking the yellow icon at the top left of a window will appear to the right of the last separator.

Open Items in the Dock

In your Mac's Dock, perform any of the following:

To open an app, click its icon. For example, to access the Finder, select the Finder icon from the Dock.

Open a file in an app. Drag the file over the program icon. A document generated in Pages, for instance, may be opened by dragging it over the Pages icon in the Dock.

Display a file in the Finder: Make a command-click on the item's icon.

Hide the current app and navigate to the previous one: Click the current app's icon using the option key.

Switch to another program while hiding all other apps: Option-Command-click on the application icon that you wish to switch to.

Add, Remove or Rearrange Dock items

On your Mac, perform one of the following:

Add an item to the Dock on Mac: Drag applications to the left or above the line that distinguishes recently used apps. Drag and move folders or files to the right or below side of the line separating recently used programs. The right end of the Dock displays the separator lines that precede and follow the recently used applications space. When you drag a folder into the Dock, it appears as a stack. The Downloads folder is included by default on the Dock.

Remove an item from the Dock: To remove an item from the Dock, drag it out until the Remove icon appears. Only the alias is erased; the item itself remains on your Mac. If you unintentionally delete an app icon from the Dock, you may easily restore it (the app remains on your Mac). Open the program to see its icon appear again in the Dock. Control-click the program icon and then select ‘Options’ > ‘Keep in Dock.’

Rearrange items in the Dock: Rearrange items by dragging them to a different location.

Customize the Dock

Select ‘System Settings’ from the Apple menu on your Mac, then click ‘Desktop & Dock’ from the sidebar. (You might have to scroll down.)

Make the desired changes to the choices below Dock on the right.

You may, for instance, alter the MacBook Dock's appearance, size, location with regard to the left or right edge of the screen, or even make it invisible.

Click the ‘Help’ button at the bottom of the window to see the available options.

How Can I Fix Disappearing Mac Docks?

Go to ‘Open File’ and then ‘System Settings.’

Next, enter ‘Dock’ into the search field and submit.

Select ‘Desktop & Dock.’

Ensure that the ‘Size’ slider is not set to the left.

Then, verify that the ‘Automatically hide and show the Dock’ option is turned off. If it is active, turn it off.

While dock items are aliases of original files, you should be careful while deleting them. In case you see any missing or deleted files, make sure to use your backup to retrieve the lost data.

However, there are times when we end up losing data and do not have a backup saved. In such cases, rely on professional help with Mac data recovery before you override it. One of the software programs you can use is Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac. It offers a variety of features, including:

For effective and rapid data recovery, it enables you to customize your scans.

Retrieves information from several sources, such as encrypted disks and cleared ‘Trash.’

'Pause and Resume' scanning is possible while continuous file restoration is taking place.

Recovers data from native volumes, Time Machine backups, and Fusion disks.

Files from USB drives, jump drives, external storage drives, and other suitable storage devices can be retrieved.

It helps you restore data from third-party programs like Adobe Acrobat, MS Office, InDesign, and others.

Retrieves deleted Mail, iMovie, GarageBand, Pages, and photo files.

Files from Mac storage devices with a large capacity (>18 TB) are restored.

To sum up, the Mac Dock is an essential part of the user interface that lets users retrieve files, launch apps, and increase productivity. Users may rapidly access frequently utilized programs and enhance their productivity by customizing the Dock and rearranging its elements. Professional data recovery software, like Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac, may also be used to successfully and swiftly recover lost data in the event that files are missing or erased.