Your Mac comes with a small panel along the edge of the screen called the Dock: It lets you quickly access your favorite apps, files, and folders, as well as any actively-running apps. When you save an item to the Dock, you can access it at any time by clicking on it.
Check the brightness level: Try adjusting your display’s brightness. Check that your Mac is not in sleep: Press the Space bar or any other key to see if the Mac wakes. Check that your Mac and display are turned on: If you’re not sure if your Mac is turned on and functioning normally, try restarting your Mac. Check cables: Make sure that the cables that run between your Mac and the display. Dec 17, 2019 On Mac OS X, you can change the icon for almost any file on your computer. In most cases it's as simple as copy-pasting the image into the right window. If you want to alter certain special icons such as Finder, you'll need to.
By default, most of Apple's built-in apps start with shortcuts saved in the Dock, but you can also remove those shortcuts and add your own. You can also customize the Dock to fit your preferences. Here's how.
What is the Dock, and what gets displayed there?
The Dock has been with the Mac for over a decade, now: It offers you a quick way to access the Finder (your Mac's underlying filesystem) as well as your currently running applications, favorite apps, favorite files or folders, and the Trash.
When you first set up your Mac, your Dock lives along the bottom of your screen in a translucent rectangle; if you don't like its positioning, you can move it to the left or right of the screen, or have it automatically hide whenever you're not interacting with it. Items are organized as follows, left to right:
- The Finder
- Favorite app shortcuts
- Currently-running apps (you can also choose in the Dock preferences whether you want to view an indicator (a little black dot) for currently-open apps)
- Favorite files or folders
- The Trash
Though you can shuffle the position of app shortcuts in the Dock, you can't move the Finder or Trash — they live on opposite ends of the Dock, respectively — nor can you mix file shortcuts with apps in the same section.
How to add apps to the Dock on your Mac
- Launch a Finder window from your Dock.
Click on Applications in the sidebar.
- Select an app and drag it to the Dock.
Let go of the app while it hovers over the Dock.
If you want to permanently add a currently-running app to your Dock:
- Right-click or Control-click on the app icon in the Dock.
- Select Options under the drop-down menu.
- Click on Keep in Dock.
You can alternatively just drag the icon to a different position in your Dock, which will automatically save it as a favorite shortcut.
How to add files and folders to the Dock on your Mac
Files and folders can also be saved to your Dock, but they can only be stored on the far right of the Dock, after your app shortcuts. The Dock has a demarcating line that separates apps from files and folders, so you won't mix them up.
- Launch a Finder window from your Dock.
- Select a file or folder from its location on your Mac and drag it to the right side of the Dock.
- Let go of the file or folder while it hovers over the right side of the Dock.
How to remove apps, files, and folders from the Dock on your Mac
If you don't want a particular app, file or folder in your Dock anymore, you can remove it with just one gesture. Note that this doesn't remove the item from your computer, it just removes the shortcut from the Dock; you can always re-add the app or folder by following the steps above.
Select an app, file, or folder and drag it out of the Dock.
When it is hovering over your desktop, you will see the word Remove appear above the app, file, or folder.
Let go of the app, file, or folder. It will disappear from the Dock.
Repeat the steps above to remove all items you no longer want to kept in the Dock.
Note: If you do this on a currently-open app, it will continue to stay in the Dock until you Quit the application, at which point it will disappear.
How to organize the Dock on your Mac
You can rearrange the placement of apps, files, and folders in your Dock so they are in alphabetical order, color-coordinated, or however you like.
Note: You can't move the Finder or Trash icons to the far left and right of the Dock respectively. They are anchored to the Dock because of their importance to the system.
- Select an app, file, or folder in the Dock.
- Drag it to a new location in the Dock.
Let go of the app, file, or folder while it hovers over the new location in the Dock.
How to change the Dock's size on your Mac
You can adjust the size of the dock so that icons are larger or smaller on your screen.
- Click on the Apple icon in the upper left corner of your Mac's screen.
Select System Preferences from the drop down menu.
- Click on Dock.
Drag the Size slider to the left or right to increase or decrease the size of the Dock.
- Tick the box for Magnification to enable an animation that makes the items in the Dock that your cursor hovers over larger.
Drag the Magnification slider to the left or right to increase or decrease how large the icons grow when your cursor hovers over them.
How to change the Dock's orientation on your Mac
You can display the Dock on the bottom, right, or left side of your screen.
- Click on the Apple icon in the upper left corner of your Mac's screen.
Select System Preferences from the drop down menu.
- Click on Dock.
Select Left, Bottom, or Right to change the orientation of the Dock.
How to automatically hide or show the Dock on your Mac
On smaller laptop screens, every bit of screen space is valuable. If you don't want the Dock getting in the way of your productivity, you can keep it hidden until you want to access it, at which point, you can call it back up by hovering your cursor over the place where it normally resides.
- Click on the Apple icon in the upper left corner of your Mac's screen.
Select System Preferences from the drop down menu.
- Click on Dock.
Tick the box for Automatically hide and show the Dock.
How to hide recent applications on the Dock on macOS Mojave
Much like iOS on the iPad, macOS Mojave puts users' recently-used applications in a special section of the Dock. If this doesn't sound like your cup of tea, it's easy enough to turn off.
- Open System Preferences from your Dock or Applications folder.
Click Dock.
Click the checkbox next to Show recent applications in Dock so that the check disappears (it's on by default).
You can check the box if you decide you want to use this feature.
Bonus: Pro tips for using the Dock
You can change the size of the Dock by positioning the cursor over the Dock divider that separates apps from files and folders. The cursor will change to a double-sided arrow; click and drag to increase or decrease the size of the Dock.
You can change the location of the Dock by holding down the shift key, clicking on that divider, and dragging the Dock to the left, bottom, or right sides of the screen.
If you'd like to keep an app that's open in the Dock permanently, right or control-click the icon in the Dock, select Options and select Keep in Dock.
If you want to add spacers between apps, there's a Terminal command to do so.
macOS Catalina
Main
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If you are switching from an iPhone to Android or you were reading a troubleshooting guide that mentioned app drawer, you must be wondering what this app drawer is ? Where is it present and how to open it on your Android phone?
Don’t worry! You don’t have to install a third-party app to access the app drawer. It’s pre-installed on most of the Android phones and is quite useful in organizing the installed apps. Only some stock launchers like Mi Launcher don't offer an app drawer.
So let’s check out the features of the app drawer and how to use it on Android.
What Is App Drawer
In simple words, an app drawer is a section on your phone that houses all the installed apps. Now, if you are coming from an iPhone, you would think that’s the home screen. But nope. On Android phones and tablets, things are different — you get a home screen and app drawer.
Whenever you install an app, it is placed in the app drawer and not on the home screen (some launchers let you place on the home screen simultaneously). You can open the app either from the app drawer or home screen. The apps that you access frequently should be placed on the home screen for quicker access.
App Drawer vs. Home Screen
Both app drawer and home screen are part of the same launcher. The primary difference between the two is that the home screen contains only some of the installed apps, particularly your favorites ones. On the contrary, if the app isn’t available on the home screen, you can access it from the app drawer. And if it’s not visible in the app drawer too, then the app isn’t installed on your phone.
You can remove an app from the home screen without uninstalling it, but the same isn’t possible in the app drawer. To remove an app from an app drawer, you will have to uninstall or hide it. Also, the app drawer doesn't support widgets.
How to Access and Open App Drawer
An app drawer can be accessed from the home screen only. There are two ways to access it. Swipe up from the bottom of the home screen. Or you can tap on the app drawer icon. The app drawer icon is present in the dock — the area that houses apps like Phone, Messaging, and Camera by default.
The app drawer icon usually looks like one of these icons.
On some phones, you will notice the small up arrow at the bottom. It indicates that you have to swipe up to access the app drawer.
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What Does App Drawer Look Like
The app drawer looks similar to your home screen but devoid of widgets and the dock. You will find all your apps neatly arranged. You can customize the row and column count of app drawer in supported launchers like Nova and Action Launcher.
Sort Apps in App Drawer
Typically, the apps appear in the order that you installed them on your phone. So the recently installed app will be seen at the end of the list. Most default app drawers follow alphabetical sorting order. However, some app drawers let you customize the sorting mode. You can choose from alphabetical order, most used, etc. For that, tap on the three-dot icon at the top-right corner of the app drawer and choose your sort mode.
How to Scroll Through Apps in App Drawer
In some app drawers, you can scroll up and down (vertically) to view all the apps. Others list the apps in horizontal pages similar to the home screen. That is, you have to scroll horizontally to access the full list. Some launchers give you the ability to choose the scrolling style. Check your launcher settings for the app drawer style option.
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The salient features of the app drawer include:
Folders
While all launchers support folders on the home screen, very few of them let you create folders in the app drawer. The default launcher from Samsung, Nova Launcher, and Microsoft Launcher are some apps that support folders in the app drawer.
Nova goes a step ahead by offering tabs in the app drawer. Tabs are different sections inside the app drawer to organize your apps. It is available in the premium version of Nova only.
Search
Almost all launchers provide a search bar at the top of the app drawer. You can use it to find and open the app quickly. Launchers like Nova Launcher open the search by double-tapping on the home button.
How to Place Apps on Home Screen
Any app that you install will be immediately placed in the app drawer. But the same isn’t true for the home screen unless you have enabled the ‘add apps to home screen’ option in your launcher settings.
Other than that, if you want to move an app from the app drawer to the home screen, touch and hold the app icon and drag it to any edge of the screen. You will be taken to the home screen. Release the app icon to put it on the home screen.
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If you like having a clean home screen with minimal icons, app drawer will act as a godsend gift. The app drawer helps in organizing the apps without cluttering the home screen. It also keeps the apps safe since you need to delete them from the app drawer and not on the home screen directly.
However, the drawback of the app drawer is that one forgets about the installed apps. On the home screen, the apps are directly visible, but once we add our favorite apps to the home screen, we rarely use the app drawer. But if you don't want an app drawer, check these launcher apps without the app drawer.
Next up: Are you a fan of the dark mode? Check these launchers that support dark mode in Android.
The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.
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