OS X Mavericks: Customize the Dock
The Dock gives you a convenient place to keep the items you use most frequently. You can add or remove items from the Dock, make it larger or smaller, or even hide it altogether.
Folders in the Dock are called “stacks.” A stack can be a folder of documents or apps—anything you need to use frequently. The Dock comes with a Downloads stack, which saves files you download from the Internet or receive in messages or as “AirDrops.”
For quick access to all your apps, including ones that aren’t in the Dock, click the Launchpad icon.
Use items in the Dock
- To open an app, stack, or file in the Dock, click its icon. You can also open a file that isn’t in the Dock by dragging its icon to the Dock icon of the app you want to use to open the file.
- To open a Finder window, click the Finder icon (smiling face).
- To perform various actions such as opening or quitting the app, press and hold the app’s icon in the Dock, then choose an option from the menu that appears.
- To remove an item from your Mac, drag it to the Trash at the right end of the Dock. To empty the Trash, press and hold the Trash icon, then choose Empty Trash from the menu that appears. Or click the Trash icon to open the Trash window, then click the Empty Trash button.
Set options for the Dock
- Choose Apple menu > Dock > Dock Preferences.
- Try experimenting with the options to see what each one does. Move the pointer near the Dock to test magnification, or try opening apps from the Dock.
You can also choose Apple menu > Dock to quickly access some of the same options.
Add an item to the Dock
Drag the item to the Dock. Notice that there is a separator line in the Dock. Place apps to the left of the line, and files and folders to the right. If you moved the Dock to the left or right side of the screen, place apps above the line, and files and folders below.
When you drag an item to the Dock, an alias to the item is placed in the Dock. The original item is not moved.
Remove an item from the Dock
Click the item, and without pausing drag it away from the Dock. Continue holding the mouse or trackpad button until you see a puff of smoke around the icon. Then release the button.
Only the alias to the item is removed from the Dock. Removing an item from the Dock does not remove it from your computer.