28.12.2020
Customize Mac Dock App
Customize Mac Dock App Rating: 7,6/10 2265 votes
The Dock is the center point of navigation on macOS. It’s the first place you go to after starting up the Mac. But, this does not mean that the Dock is perfect. Despite Apple’s continuous upgrades, there are a few things that you can’t do such as removing native apps, stretching the Dock to the sides, etc. That’s why I have made the list of the best Mac Dock customization apps. Let’s begin.
1) Create a folder; make sure you do not delete it later. We will be moving the required apps shortcuts in to this. 2) Now open the ‘Application’ folder (Go – Applications) and select the apps you need to move to the newly created. 3) Now we need to move this selection of icons to the new. The dock in iPad is the bar of apps running at the bottom of your screen. This is where you put your favorite or most-used apps for quick and easy access. If you have a new iPad, the first thing you should configure is the dock, since this is the place where you will use it often. Here are some ways for you to customize the dock in your iPad. If the customizable MacBook Dock seems like a nifty contraption to you, you’re right!— it’s like one of those big control rooms that NASA uses. From the Dock — that icon toolbar at the bottom of Mountain Lion’s desktop — you can launch an application, monitor what’s running, and even use the pop-up menu commands to control the. To remove shortcuts from the Dock ” all those Apple apps that get included by default on a fresh macOS install, maybe”just drag them out until the Remove label appears. Alternatively, click.
The dock contains shortcuts to several applications, making it easy to launch your favorite apps. This video shows how to get the applications you need into the dock. It also highlights some configuration options. Problem: macOS Dock is the command center for your Mac.With Apple Dock you can run applications, switch between apps, open documents and links. Unfortunately, Apple Dock lacks many useful features such as Window Management and Switching between Windows, appearance Customization, Hiding app icons. Solution: ActiveDock is a full replacement for Apple Launchpad and Dock with many new features. Keyboard shortcuts can make working with the Dock easier and faster: Use Ctrl+Cmd+D to show or hide the Dock, irrespective of the setting you’ve applied in the System Preferences pane.
You have two choices here. You can either use these apps and the Mac Dock side by side. Alternatively, you can go ahead and hide the dock. As of now, it is not possible to permanently disable the Mac dock. The maximum you can do is prevent it from showing up every time you open something. Either way, these Dock replacements will be worth your time.
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Customize Mac Dock
1. DockShelf
DockShelf lets you create multiple docks when one is not enough. In many ways, that’s true too. You can have multiple sub-docks to keep things better organized and easy to access in the long run.
By default, DockShelf is placed on the left side of the screen. There are three different sections, for Places, Notes, and Apps. Hovering on the section icons will open up the sub-docks. For instance, you can find the usual apps in the Apps section. Unlike the traditional dock, DockShelf lets you keep extra links and even files for easy access.
It’s hard to customize DockShelf, all of the options are crammed in a small interface which makes it hard to navigate. DockShelf offers a set of additional features such as Smart Folders and Desktop Docks.
Salient Features
- Basic and Intuitive
- Supports multiple docks
Check out DockShelf ($4.99, free demo)
2. ActiveDock
ActiveDock is meant to be a better version of what Apple offers in macOS. You get an improved dock with amazing features and customizability. You can do a lot of things in ActiveDock, especially things you were not able to do in the traditional dock. To simply quote the developers, it’s the same dock, but better.
In this dock, you can hover over the icon to see the current window. Even better, you can choose how to arrange the particular window. Simply click on the desired layout, and boom: everything is cleaned up.
Show Dock On Mac
From the background color to the icons in use, you can customize almost everything on the dock. You can also create Groups and Folder for better organization of your files, apps, and folders. Compared to DockShelf, ActiveDock is easy to set up, maintain, and use on a regular basis.
Salient Features
- Better Window Management
- Ultimate customization options
- Support Groups & Stacks
Check Out ActiveDock ($19.99, free demo)
3. HyperDock
HyperDock brings many features that you haven’t seen in the traditional dock. In effect, you’re using a different type of dock on the Mac. One thing that I loved about HyperDock is that it’s tightly integrated with your Mac. There is no need to worry about glitches even in macOS Mojave.
For instance, when you hover over the Calendar icon, HyperDock will show you the available events. In the same way, you can control media playback by hovering over the iTunes icon. When it comes to the standard windows, you get a clean preview and management options. As the developer says, the app is bringing many of the awaited features to the macOS dock.
HyperDock too offers ample options for customization. Because you are dealing with the traditional dock, it cannot change color or anything. Still, you can add options for window management and dock items.
Salient Features
- Brings features to the Dock
- Easy to implement and use
Check out HyperDock ($9.95, but it has a limited free version too.)
4. uBar
uBar is perhaps the most popular and trustworthy Dock replacements for macOS. It is packed with a number of features that can redefine your macOS navigation experience. Window Previews, Pinning, Multi-Monitor Support are just some of the features included in the package. This Dock replacement is expected to enhance your productivity.
You can configure uBar as a dock or as a taskbar. When configured as a taskbar, this app resembles a good old Windows taskbar. The active apps are stacked on the bar. When you hover over the icon, uBar shows a preview too. The bar also contains a few extra sections like Calendar, Clock, and shortcuts to Desktop, Trash, etc. The bar menu seems to resemble the Windows Start menu in many ways.
You can customize how this navigation app looks and performs. Just like you do in Dock, uBar can be placed on three sides of the screen. There is also a bunch of advanced customization when it comes to themes, Pinning etc. In short, uBar can your own in many ways.
Salient Features
- A Productive UI
- Advanced Window Management
- Plenty of Customization options
Check outuBar ($30, 14-Day free trial)
5. cDock
cDock is the app to get when you wish to personalize the Dock on macOS. cDock comes with a few exciting tweaks that allow you to do things that you can’t do with stock dock. For instance, you can completely remove Launchpad, Finder, and Trash from the Dock that wasn’t possible otherwise.
Other features include custom badges on icons such as Trash, hide apps from showing up in the Dock, custom colors and transparency modes, etc. It has a few personalization options such as dimming inactive apps, custom images on the Dock, fullscreen width dock that transform your boring Dock completely. cDock is free to try and costs just $5.
Salient Features
- Powerful customization options
- Custom themes
- Additional Settings to Customize Launchpad and Mission Control
Check out cDock ($4.99, Free Demo)
6. Dockey
Dockey isn’t a Mac dock alternative but more like a Mac dock customize App. Nevertheless, it can improve the overall Dock experience in the long run. You can use Dockey to speed up and optimize the Dock. You will have to do these things otherwise using Terminal, which is hard.
It’s a completely free app, which is easy to use. Simply launch the program, make the changes, and save the Settings. Your Dock will be optimized in no time. Sounds awesome, right?
Check out Dockey (free)
7. Replacement icons
Like most OS, macOS also allows you to install your own custom icons for favorite software and system components. However, find good icon packs for your macOS is a challenge. Fortunately, there are few artists who handmade replacement icons for macOS.
Changing an icon of an app is really simple. Simply download the icon pack from the links below and unzip the contents. Navigate to the folder or app whose icon you wish to change. In my case, I wanted to change the icon of Chrome. So I right-click the Chrome app in the Applications folder and press CMD+I. Now, simply drag the icon you downloaded and drop it to the thumbnail of the Chrome icon in the Get Info Window. Restart the app to see the changes.
Mac Dock Download
Check Out Replacement icons and Mac Replacement Icons (Free)
The Bottom Line
Most of the tools are freemium and you can check out the demo anytime. Coming to the options, we’d recommend uBar if you’re looking for some serious change and customization options. As we said, uBar brings a Windows task-bar feel to the whole macOS interface. On the other hand, if you want to boost the existing dock’s functionality, HyperDock would be something impressive. Also, let us know which one is your favorite.
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Unlike iOS, macOS on Mac does offer quite a few customizations to change the look, feel, and function of the OS. For starters, you can select the preferred web browser as default, customize keyboard keys, and use third-party apps to optimize your Mac experience. The default dock on Mac is one area where Apple hasn’t made any significant changes. However, you can opt for the default settings on the Mac to customize the dock. And if that’s not enough, you can go with third-party options from the web.
The macOS Dock normally appears at the bottom of your screen. The dock is customizable in quite a few ways you might not be aware of, especially if you’re a new Mac user.
In this article, we’ll discuss all the built-in ways to tweak Mac Dock, and if you want to go further, you can install third-party dock replacements from web. Let’s get started.
What Is Dock on Mac
The Dock has been with the Mac for over a decade. It offers you a quick way to access the Finder (Mac’s built-in file manager) as well as your currently running applications, favorite apps, favorite files or folders, and of course, the Trash.
When you first set up your Mac, your Dock lives along the bottom of your screen in a translucent rectangle. Most users don’t bother with its position, size, or default settings. However, macOS does offer a dedicated Dock menu in the System Preferences to make changes to the dock. Let’s explore every option with step-by-step directions.
First, we will talk about ways to change the Dock position, look, size, and then mention tricks on customizing it with a third-party app.
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Read MoreChange the Dock’s Size on Your Mac
The Mac ecosystem consists of hardware such as MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac Mini, iMac, and custom desktop. Accordingly, you might find the default dock size too small or big. Follow the steps to change the dock size on Mac.
Step 1: Click on the Apple icon in the upper left corner of your Mac's screen.
Step 2: Select System Preferences from the drop-down menu.
Step 3: Click on the Dock.
Step 4: Drag the Size slider to the left or right to increase or decrease the size of the Dock.
Step 5: Tick the box for Magnification to enable an animation that makes the Dock items that your cursor hovers over larger.
Step 6: Drag the Magnification slider to the left or right to increase or decrease how large the icons grow when your cursor hovers over them.
Magnification is useful when using dock on the big display and has too many apps on the dock.
Now that you have set the preferred Dock Size and magnification, it's time to change the dock's orientation.
Pro Tip: You can change the dock's size by positioning the cursor over the dock divider that separates apps from files and folders. The cursor will change to a double-sided arrow; click and drag to increase or decrease the dock's size. No Need to go to system settings to make changes.Change the Dock’s Position on Mac
I’m fine with the default position of the dock at the bottom. The majority also stick with the default dock orientation, but if you are coming from Linux, you will appreciate Apple's added customize option. Follow the steps below to change the dock position to left/right on the Mac.
Step 1: Click on the Apple icon in the upper left corner of your Mac's screen.
Step 2: Select System Preferences from the drop-down menu.
Step 3: Click on the Dock.
Step 4: Select Left, Bottom, or Right to change the orientation of the Dock.
Hide or Show Dock on Mac
Similar to Taskbar on the Windows, you can completely hide Dock on the Mac to maximize the screen area. If you don't want the Dock getting in the way of your productivity, you can keep it hidden until you want to access it, at which point you can call it back up by hovering your cursor over the place where it normally resides.
Step 1: Click on the Apple icon in the upper left corner of your Mac's screen.
Step 2: Navigate to System Preferences > Dock.
Step 3: Enable Automatically hide and show the Dock option.
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Read MoreHide Recent Applications on the Dock on macOS
Much like iPadOS on iPad, macOS puts users' recently used applications in a special section of the Dock. If you are not a fan of it, then turn off the option from the Dock menu.
Step 1: Navigate to the Dock menu in the System Preferences menu.
Step 2: Click the checkbox next to Show recent applications in Dock so that the check disappears (it's on by default).
Why Do You Need a Third-Party Dock Replacement
As you can see, you can make a few changes to the way the dock looks, but it is not enough. Sometimes, you need a dock that blends in with your other UI and stuff. Well, Apple is not offering that now.
Apple has brought no major changes to the dock in the last decade. On the other hand, Windows and Linux have made the launch-systems quite awesome. Windows, for instance, gives you an overview of the PC via the Start Menu.
A third-party Dock replacement won’t completely remove the default Dock from the OS. You can only hide and rearrange the dock. /spore-app-store-mac.html. That's because the dock is linked to some native functions in macOS. Removing the dock won’t play nice with some features.
Instead, these third-party apps hide the default macOS dock so well that you won’t notice the old dock during simple navigation. One such app is ActiveDock.
ActiveDock
ActiveDock is a full replacement for Apple Launchpad and Dock with many new features. ActiveDock allows grouping of documents and apps, quicker switching between apps and windows, manage windows right from the Window Previews panel.
Also, you can customize the appearance of icons and the dock itself as you need. At the same time, ActiveDock looks and behaves just like Apple Dock. So you won’t need to get used to it. It’s the same Dock, but better.
My favorite function is the window previews to quickly identify open apps while switching between them. But it doesn't stop there. It allows you to resize windows to different preset sizes right from an app's preview.
ActiveDock offers you to group different items into a single view. This comes in handy when you want to keep all the resources relevant to a project accessible from the dock. You can add apps, files, folders, and photos - any item works as long as it's accessible via Finder.
As for customization, you can switch to a different theme for the dock and add custom icons for applications. You can select new icons for Start Menu, Trash, and Show Desktop from one of the available presets. Neat!
ActiveDock offers a trial version with a $25 price tag to unlock all features.
Download ActiveDock for MacAlso on Guiding Tech
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Click here to see our mac apps articles pageLevel up Dock Experience on Mac
Using the tricks mentioned above, you can easily change the default look and feel of the macOS Dock on Mac. If you are not satisfied with the built-in options, opt for a third-party Dock app to spruce up the Mac experience. How are you optimizing the Dock on Mac? Sound off in the comments section below.
Next up:Looking to get productive with your new Mac? Read the post below to find the top seven Mac apps to stay organized.
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