Getting started

Build a custom Dock for the way you work

Add apps, widgets, folders, and links to a custom Dock, with examples for focused work, creative work, and everyday use.

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Create a custom profile

A custom Dock is a separate Dockset surface. It holds apps and widgets together, plus shortcuts to folders, files, and websites.

Open Manage Docks… from the menu bar.
Open the profile selector and choose New profile → Custom Dock. Name it for an activity, such as Deep work.
In Settings → Dock setup, choose macOS Dock + Custom Dock or Custom Dock as your main Dock.
Select your profile under Custom Dock in Settings.

You can save several custom profiles and switch between them. This does not display several custom Docks at once.

Add what you reach for

Use the editor’s add menu to choose Widget…, Apps…, Folders…, Files…, Link…, or Spacer. You can also right-click an empty part of the custom Dock and open Add.

Search the widget library by name or browse a category. Click a widget to open its controls; click it again to close the popout. Right-click it for the available layout and customization options. Drag items to change their order, and use a spacer to separate groups.

Three setups to try

Deep work

Keep your editor, browser, and project folder beside a Focus Timer and Hydration. Leave chat in another profile if it interrupts you.

Creative work

Put Figma, your browser, and a project folder next to Now Playing. Keep reference files within reach instead of reopening Finder for each one.

Everyday

Try Messages, Safari, and Obsidian alongside Calendar. It is a useful starting point if you want helpful information without a specialized workspace.

These are examples to build with your own apps and files, not preinstalled templates.

Give it a place on screen

In Settings, choose Left, Bottom, or Right under Position, and select a Display. Widgets adapt to the edge you choose. Adjust Size, or enable Automatically hide to reveal the Dock when you reach its edge.

The Custom Dock hides during Mission Control. In fullscreen, hold the pointer at its screen edge briefly to reveal it.

With macOS Dock + Custom Dock enabled, try Apple’s Dock at the bottom and the custom Dock on the right. If they share an edge, Hide when macOS Dock appears can keep them from competing for space.

Switch activities without rebuilding

Select a custom profile from the menu bar, or right-click the Dock and use Switch Profile. Switching does not quit your apps or rearrange their windows.

Turn on Show running apps to see open apps beside your pinned items. Turn it off to hide unpinned running apps. Minimized windows and Trash have their own controls. Read when to use both Docks.

Restore minimized windows

In the Custom Dock’s Settings, enable Show minimized windows. It works independently of Show running apps and adds each minimized window as a separate item before Trash. Click an item to restore that specific window. Dockset tries to switch to the window’s existing Space before restoring it.

Allow Accessibility access to find and restore windows. On macOS 14 or later, choose Allow Screen Recording… under Window previews for screenshots. Without a screenshot, the item uses a window symbol and its app icon. Previews preserve each window’s proportions within equal slots.

Previews are cached snapshots. Dockset keeps minimized previews on this Mac across restarts and removes them when windows close or the feature is disabled. A window minimized before Dockset could capture it may have no screenshot; restore it once, then minimize it again.

Swipe and keyboard shortcuts

Move the pointer over your Custom Dock and swipe with two fingers across it: up or down for a bottom Dock, left or right for a side Dock. This switches between custom profiles. Scrolling along the Dock moves through its items when they overflow. A Dock whose items already fit stays still, and a regular mouse wheel does not switch profiles.

To switch with the keyboard, open Settings → Shortcuts, click Record Shortcut beside a saved Dock, and press a key combination with at least two modifier keys. Shortcuts work from any app while Dockset is running. Click an assigned shortcut and press Escape or Delete to clear it.

Customize apps, folders, and links

With Show running apps enabled, right-click an unpinned running app and choose Keep in Dock. Use Remove from Dock to unpin an item.

Right-click a folder and choose Customize Folder…. Set a custom Name, choose a color, and add an optional Letter. Enable Show name below icon for that folder; it is off by default. The name is used only in Dockset, and clearing the field restores the folder’s name. Reset icon clears its color and letter.

Open opens a folder in Finder. Click and hold it, or choose Browse Contents, to browse inside the Dock. Press Escape to close the popout. While a popout is open, Dock scrolling pauses so its item stays in place.

Right-click a link and choose Edit Link… to change its name, URL, or Icon. Choose a built-in symbol to override its favicon, or select Website icon to use the favicon again. Click Save to apply the change.

Check system activity and storage

Add System Activity and open it to switch between CPU, Memory, and Storage. CPU includes per-core usage, the 1-, 5-, and 15-minute load averages, thermal state, and uptime. Load is not a CPU percentage. Memory includes pressure, swap, and a breakdown of memory use.

In Storage, click Scan folders to find the largest items in your home folder, Applications, and Library. The scan runs only when requested and can take several minutes. You can close the popout while it scans, then reopen it on the same tab to see progress or results. Use Cancel to stop it or Scan again to refresh the results. Click a result to reveal it in Finder. Dockset does not delete files.

Sizes are approximate space on disk. Protected folders can leave partial totals, marked with ≥, and shared files or snapshots can affect totals. This is not a complete map of every byte on the drive.

Keep a water log

Open Hydration and click the customize button. Save drink history records when you drink. Track drink amounts separately adds an amount to each entry; leave it off to log just the time. When enabled, Drink size starts at 250 mL and remembers your choice.

I drank water records a drink and restarts the reminder. When the reminder is stopped, use Log water to record one without starting it. Today shows your drink count and any recorded volume. If some drinks have no amount, the volume is labeled as logged rather than a complete total.

Expand History to see drinks grouped by day, use the minus button to remove a mistaken entry, or choose Show older drinks. After removing a drink, click Undo or press ⌘Z to restore its original time and amount. Undo remains available when you close and reopen the popout during the same app session. History stays on your Mac across restarts. Changing amount tracking preserves existing entries and never adds amounts to time-only drinks. Turning off Save drink history stops new entries while keeping your existing history.

Send files with AirDrop

Add AirDrop from the widget library, then drop files onto its tile and choose a recipient in the macOS picker. You can also click the tile and use Choose files….

For widgets that need a connection or permissions, see Now Playing, Calendar and Reminders, Weather, and Shortcuts.