How to Customize the Mac Dock Like a Pro (Without Terminal)

Want to tweak your Dock but don’t feel like running weird commands in Terminal? You’re not alone.

The macOS Dock is customizable — but only up to a point. And for anything truly flexible, you’ll need a better tool.

Here’s what you can do, what’s still frustrating — and how to go pro with extraDock, the lightweight utility for serious Mac users.

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🛠️ What You Can Customize with macOS System Settings

Head to:
System Settings → Desktop & Dock

You’ll find:

• Position on screen (bottom, left, right)
• Size of the Dock
• Magnification toggle
• Auto-hide settings
• Animation effects (e.g. minimize using scale/genie)

Basic stuff — but no multi-dock, no floating options, and definitely no layout control.

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🧪 Terminal Hacks (Optional, Risky)

Sure, you can run these to tweak deeper:

defaults write com.apple.dock autohide-delay -float 0 && killall Dock

Or:

defaults write com.apple.dock mineffect -string "scale" && killall Dock

But let’s be honest:
Most Mac users don’t want to mess with the command line just to move or tweak their Dock. And you still can’t:

• Make multiple docks
• Float a dock anywhere
• Assign docks to different monitors
• Create layout profiles

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🧱 The Better Way: Custom Docks with extraDock

extraDock is a drop-in tool that lets you:

• ✅ Create multiple Docks
• ✅ Drag and float them anywhere on your screen
• ✅ Customize each Dock with apps, files, or folders
• ✅ Keep the original Dock untouched

It’s the Dock freedom Apple forgot to ship.

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💡 Customize the Way You Work

With extraDock, you can:

• Create a Design Dock: Figma, Photoshop, Fonts folder
• Build a Dev Tools Dock: Terminal, VS Code, GitHub Desktop
• Pin a Folder Dock for daily reference files
• Float Docks per monitor, per workflow

Each Dock can be resized, dragged, and tailored — with no Terminal required.

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⚡ Quick Setup Guide

1. Download extraDock
2. Open it and click Create New Dock
3. Add items by drag-and-drop
4. Position it wherever you want
5. Repeat for additional workflows

Instant productivity, no system hacks.

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🧠 Bonus: Combine with Built-in macOS Tools

Want to go even deeper? Pair extraDock with:

• Stage Manager – One Dock per stage
• Spaces – Create Dock layouts per desktop
• Shortcuts – Automate launching Dock profiles for tasks

You’ll unlock a multi-monitor, multi-workspace layout that adapts to your day.

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🎯 For Power Users, Designers, Devs, and Minimalists

extraDock is used by:

• 🧑‍💻 Developers running 3-monitor setups
• 🎨 Designers who need toolbars outside the canvas
• 🧘‍♂️ Minimalists who want app access without visual noise
• 🧠 Productivity nerds who build context-specific workflows

It’s lightweight, local, fast — and respects your system.

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🧪 Try It Now

If you’re customizing the Dock… you’ve already outgrown it.

➡️ Get extraDock now and create your own Dock system — no Terminal needed.

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🔗 Related Articles

• Floating Dock on macOS: Myth or Possibility?
• macOS Sidebar vs Dock: When to Use Each
• Fix Your Mac Dock: Missing, Stuck, or in the Wrong Screen?

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Written by Frank Karro — developer of extraDock, for people who want more from their Mac.