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How to change your Mac’s Dock with Focus modes

Connect a saved Dockset layout to a macOS Focus filter. Set up automatic Dock switching and learn what happens when you turn Focus off.

This is useful when your Dock should follow your day: work tools during Work, or music and messages during Personal. You choose the layout once, then let the Focus activate it.

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Before you start

You need macOS 13 Ventura or later, Dockset installed in Applications, an activated license, and at least one saved Dock. If you have not created one yet, follow the guide to saving Dock layouts first.

Dockset provides the Dock-switching filter. macOS provides the Focus settings and scheduling. Setting up a Focus alone does not choose a different Dock layout.

Connect a saved Dock to a Focus

  1. Open Dockset and check that the layout you want is saved. If the editor shows Save Changes, click it before configuring the filter.
  2. Open System Settings → Focus.
  3. Select the Focus you want to use, such as Work. If you need a new one, choose Add Focus and set it up first.
  4. Find Focus Filters and click Add Filter.
  5. Select Dockset. Its filter is called Switch Dock.
  6. Choose the saved Dock you want this Focus to use, then click Add.
  7. Open Control Center → Focus in the menu bar and turn on that Focus. Check that your pinned apps match the saved layout.

The arrangement is taken from the saved profile, so an unsaved edit in Dockset will not be part of the switch. For the macOS side of setup, see Apple’s Focus guide.

  1. Work FocusTurns on in macOS
  2. Switch DockRuns the Dockset filter
  3. Work DockApplies saved pinned items
Example: a Work Focus activates the Work Dock selected in its filter.

Make your Dock switch on a schedule

In the same Focus settings, use Add Schedule to choose when the Focus activates. A weekday Work schedule can select your work Dock each morning. You can also use the app or location scheduling options available in macOS.

The schedule activates the Focus; the attached Dockset filter applies the Dock. Check the Focus itself first if the switch does not happen at the expected time.

What happens when you turn the Focus off?

Dockset keeps the last Dock active. Turning a Focus off does not restore the previous Dock or select a default one.

To switch back, choose another saved Dock from Dockset’s menu bar menu. Alternatively, attach your Personal Dock to a Personal Focus and turn that Focus on. If a Work schedule ends in the evening, the Work Dock stays until another Dock is selected.

If the Dock does not switch

  • Check activation. Open Dockset and make sure your license is activated before using the filter.
  • Check the saved profile. Switch to it manually from Dockset’s menu. Resolve any error there, such as an application that has moved or been removed.
  • Check the filter. Make sure it is enabled under the correct Focus and has the intended Dock selected. If you deleted that Dock, select another saved one.
  • Trigger it again. Turn the Focus off and on after saving or changing the filter.

Common questions

Will this close distracting apps?

No. The filter changes the Dock’s pinned apps and spacers. Open apps keep running and may still appear in the Dock. Configure the Focus’s notification settings separately if you also want fewer interruptions.

Can each Focus use a different Dock?

Yes. Add a Dockset filter to each Focus and select the saved Dock for that activity. Work and Personal can each have their own arrangement.

Does this give every desktop its own Dock?

No. This setup responds to a Focus becoming active. It does not assign Dock profiles to individual Mission Control desktops or switch layouts when you move between Spaces.

Create Dock profiles. Switch in a click or automatically with Focus.Get Dockset for Mac