How to Customize the Dock on Your Mac

Mac has so many features to offer us that it’s easy to forget what you can do with the Dock. You probably just use it for certain things but never stop to think if you’re missing out on anything else. You’re probably in such a hurry most of the time that even if you wanted to dig deeper, you can’t. Keeping that in mind, we are going to let you know how you can easily customize Mac dock.

Customize Mac Dock

Instead of wasting time playing with options the Dock offers and maybe even misconfiguring something in the process, I’ll show you some great things you can do. It’s time to stop missing out on great thing your Dock has to offer and get in on the fun.

Magnify Icons When You Hover Over Them

Seeing how the icons increase in size when you hover over them looks fantastic. Unfortunately, this feature is not on by default and it’s something you’re going to have to enable. Click on the apple icon on the top left and choose Dock and click on Turn Magnification On.

If you want to customize the size of the icons when you select hover over them go to Dock Preferences in the menu.Where it says Magnification, you’re going to see a slider you can move that will determine the final size for the icons. Set the slider to the size you want, and you’re done.

Also Read: 7 Free Cleaning Apps for MacBook

How to Remove Files, Apps, and Folders from the Dock

Times change and so do you. That’s why an app, File or folder you need now is trash tomorrow. So, if there’s something you need to get rid of from the Dock all you have to do is the following. Select that file, App or Folder you don’t need anymore and drag it away from the Dock.

While the is hovering over the desktop, you should see the word Remove on top of it. To make it disappear, just let go of it, and you won’t see it on your Dock anymore. Keep in mind that if you want to eliminate an app that you’re using at the time, it won’t disappear from the Dock until you quit the app.

Add Apps to The Dock

Now that you’ve gotten rid of the apps you don’t need anymore, it’s time to add the ones you do need. You can easily do that by launching a Finder window from your Dock and clicking on Applications in the sidebar.

Choose and app and then drag it to the Dock and let go while it hovers over the Dock. If you want to permanently add the app you’re running at the time control-click or right-click on the app icon in the Dock. Select Options from the drop-down menu and click on Keep in Dock.

Select Options from the drop-down menu and click on Keep in Dock.If you want to place the icon in a different position, just drag the icon to a different part of the Dock. It will be automatically saved.

Change The Position of Your Dock

Most users usually have the Dock at the bottom, but if you like to be different why not place it to the side? To do this right-click on the space where the apps are divided and choose Position on Screen. You can either decide to place it to the right, Left or Bottom.

Easily Change Your Dock’s Size

If you don’t want to strain your eyes so much, you can always increase the size of the dock. All you have to do is click on the Apple icon and select System Preferences from the drop-down menu. Click on Dock and drag the Size slider.

Automatically Show or Hide The Dock

Not everyone has a big monitor and for those who have a small one, saving as much screen space is important. It may not seem like a lot but saving the space the Dock takes up can really make a difference.

If you only want to access the Dock when you need it click on the Apple icon and click on System Preferences from the drop-down menu. Select Dock and check the box that says Automatically hide and show the Dock.

Add Space to Your Dock to Separate Apps

1. Click on an empty space on the Home screen. This is important since it’s to make sure that you haven’t chosen any programs.
2. The Finder needs to be displayed in the left-hand corner of the menu bar. Once it is, click on Go.
3. Choose Utilities and scroll down and double-click on Terminal after you see a Utilities window appear.
4. Type in the following: defaults write com.apple.dock persistent-apps -array-add ‘{“tile-type”=”spacer-tile”;}’; killall Dock. Double check to make sure it correct and then press Return.
5. You should now see a single space in the Dock. The space can be moved around as if it were an app icon. You can place it anywhere, and you can use it to separate any apps.

Just in case you’re wondering, the space does nothing if you click on it. If you want to add more spaces, all you have to do is repeat the process. If you regret adding the space, you can get rid of it by clicking and dragging it out of the Dock. After a few seconds, you should see a remove pop-up.

Also Read: 11 Best Productivity Apps for Mac

Dock Quick Tip

• Place the cursor over the Dock divider that divides the folders from the files. You should see a double-sided arrow. Click and drag it to make the Dock bigger or smaller.

Conclusion

You can do all sorts of things with your Mac’s Dock. Sometimes you just need someone to show you how. You’ll now be able to customize the Dock to your liking and admire how great its set up. How do you personalize your  MacBook Dock? Leave a comment and let me know.