How to save and switch Dock layouts on Mac

Work

Personal

A work Dock might keep your browser, editor, and team chat together. A personal Dock might keep music, messages, and notes within reach. Saving both means you can switch between them without rebuilding the same row of icons each time.

What does a Dock profile save?

A Dock profile is a saved arrangement you can return to. In Dockset, it includes pinned applications, their order, and small or regular spacers. Give each one a name and a color so it is easy to recognize.

This guide covers macOS Dock profiles: pinned apps and spacers, not folders, recent apps, size, position, magnification, or auto-hide. Custom Dock profiles also support widgets, folders, files, and links. Neither kind restores window positions, changes browser tabs, or closes your apps.

Save the Dock you already use

1. Install Dockset in Applications, open it, and activate your license. Dockset requires macOS 13 Ventura or later.
2. Open the Dockset menu in your Mac’s menu bar and choose Manage Docks….
3. On first setup, choose Create from Current Dock. This saves the pinned apps and spacers already in your Dock without changing it. If you want to build an empty layout instead, choose Start Empty.
4. Click the Dock’s name in the editor to rename it, then press Return. Choose a name you will recognize later, such as Work or Personal.

If you have already set up Dockset, choose New profile → macOS Dock from the profile selector. Then open Profile actions → Replace with Current Dock… to copy the current pinned items into it. Confirming replaces the selected profile’s saved items, so use a new profile if you want to keep the old arrangement.

Create a second Dock layout

1. Open the profile selector and choose New profile → macOS Dock.
2. Rename it for another activity, such as Personal or Gaming.
3. Open the add menu, choose Apps…, and select the apps you want to pin.
4. Drag items in the preview to arrange them. To separate groups, choose Small spacer or Regular spacer from the add menu.
5. Click Save Changes to save the arrangement. Then click Use this profile to switch to it.

Saving an inactive profile does not switch your Mac to it. You can prepare a layout before using it. When editing the current profile, save first and click Apply Changes if that button appears.

To keep changes you make directly in Apple’s Dock, enable Automatically save Dock changes in Dockset’s settings. This syncs those changes to your active macOS Dock profile.

Switch layouts from the menu bar

Click Dockset’s menu bar icon, then click the name of a saved Dock. You do not need to open the editor each time. You can also assign a keyboard shortcut to each profile in Settings → Shortcuts. For automatic switching, you can connect a Dock to a macOS Focus.

Common questions

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