What is the macOS Dock?
The Dock is the main app launcher on a Mac. It sits at the bottom of the screen by default and can be moved to the left or right edge. Finder is always the first icon and the Trash is always the last; everything between them can be added, rearranged or removed. It plays the role that pinned and running apps play on the Windows taskbar, while the menu bar at the top of the screen holds app menus, the clock and status icons.
Parts of the Dock
- App section: apps the user keeps in the Dock plus any other apps that are running. A small dot under an icon marks an open app when Show indicators for open applications is turned on.
- Recent apps: an optional section for recently used apps that are not kept in the Dock.
- Divider: a thin line separating apps from folders, files and windows.
- Stacks: folders such as Downloads appear as stacks that open as a fan, grid or list.
- Minimized windows: shown as thumbnails near the Trash, unless the option to minimize windows into the app icon is on.
- Trash: drag files here to delete them. Dragging an external drive onto it turns the icon into an Eject symbol and ejects the drive.
Everyday actions
- Keep an app: Control-click (right-click) its icon and choose Options > Keep in Dock, or drag the app in from the Applications folder.
- Remove an app: drag the icon out of the Dock until Remove appears, or choose Options > Remove from Dock. This removes only the shortcut; the app stays installed.
- Quit or force quit: Control-click the icon and choose Quit. Holding
Optionchanges the item to Force Quit, which closes a frozen app. - Hide or show the Dock:
Cmd+Option+Dturns automatic hiding on or off.
Settings
Dock options are in System Settings > Desktop & Dock on macOS Ventura and later. Before that they were in System Preferences, in a pane named Dock (Dock & Menu Bar in Big Sur and Monterey). The main controls are size, magnification, position on screen, the minimize effect (Genie or Scale), automatic hiding, open-app indicators, and whether suggested and recent apps appear. In managed fleets, MDM profiles can set the Dock's contents and lock them so every user sees the same apps.
Troubleshooting
- "The Dock disappeared": automatic hiding is probably on. Move the pointer to the Dock's edge of the screen or press
Cmd+Option+D. With more than one display, the Dock can move to whichever display the pointer reaches the bottom of. - "An app is missing from the Dock": it was removed, not uninstalled. Open it from the Applications folder or Spotlight and choose Keep in Dock.
- Dock frozen or showing wrong icons: run
killall Dockin Terminal. macOS relaunches the Dock at once, with no logout needed. - Too many window thumbnails: turn on minimizing windows into the app icon so the Dock stays short.
- An icon keeps bouncing: the app wants attention, often because a dialog box is hidden behind other windows or on another desktop. Mission Control helps find it.
Dock compared with the Windows taskbar
| Need | macOS | Windows |
|---|---|---|
| Launch favorite apps | Dock | Taskbar pins or Start menu |
| See what is running | Dots under Dock icons | Taskbar buttons |
| Status icons and clock | Menu bar, top right | Notification area, bottom right |
| App menus | Menu bar, top left, for the active app | Inside each app window |
| Deleted files | Trash in the Dock | Recycle Bin on the desktop |
Do not confuse the Dock with a docking station, the hardware that connects a laptop to monitors, a network cable and peripherals.
macOS Dock on the CompTIA A+ exam
The Dock belongs to Core 2 (220-1202) objective 1.8, macOS features and utilities. Know its parts (apps, stacks, minimized windows, Trash), where its settings live (Desktop & Dock in System Settings), and that it is the Mac counterpart to the Windows taskbar. If a scenario says a user lost an app icon, think Keep in Dock rather than reinstalling the app. If a user needs to close a frozen app quickly, think Force Quit from the Dock menu or Cmd+Option+Esc.