Apps & Folders#

CoolDock can launch individual apps, show all applications, organize apps into folders, and browse regular folders without leaving the Dock.

Add an app#

1. Open Widgets and select the Apps category.
2. Choose a featured app or click More Apps.
3. Select the application you want.

Clicking an app launches or focuses it. Right-click the app for macOS-style actions: its open windows, an Open Recent submenu for document apps, commands the app supports such as New Window, New Message, or New Document, Get Info, an Options submenu with Open at Login and Show in Finder, Change Icon and Reset Icon, Hide, Quit, Force Quit, and Remove. Options also holds Change App for a pinned app, or Add to Dock for a running app that is not pinned yet.

New windows and browser profiles#

New Window from the right-click menu opens the window on the desktop you are using instead of jumping to a Space where the app already has windows. The same applies to Safari's New Private Window and Notion's New Window.

Chrome, Brave, Edge, and Vivaldi, including their Beta, Dev, Canary, and Nightly builds, also show New Window with Profile. The submenu lists the browser's own profiles; choose one to open a new window in that profile. Safari profiles keep working through Safari's own New Window commands.

CoolDock presses the app's own menu item through Accessibility. If a New Window command does nothing, check Accessibility under Settings → Privacy.

Running apps#

Open Settings → Dock and choose where the running-apps cluster appears: Left side, Before apps, After apps, Right side, or Don't show. New installs start with Don't show; onboarding's Show live apps switch turns the cluster on at the right side. The Dock updates as soon as you pick a placement. Running apps can appear as individual tiles (Show all) or stay Collapsed in one folder.

Right-click a running app that is not pinned and choose Remove to keep it out of the running-apps cluster, or Options → Add to Dock to pin it.

Like the macOS Dock, CoolDock shows a running dot only for apps that have a Dock icon, so a menu-bar-only app stops showing one once its windows close. Badge counts follow the app's own badge, including values such as 99+, and clear when the app quits. Safari web apps, Chrome web apps, and Chrome's Beta, Dev, and Canary builds appear among running apps.

Turn on Window previews on hover (off by default) to see live previews and jump to a specific window. Accessibility enables full window controls; Screen Recording is required for preview thumbnails. Choose Pin to Dock in a window preview to keep that window as its own tile; Show pinned windows keeps those tiles in the Dock, and they reattach when the app reopens the window. Right-click a pinned window and choose Unpin from Dock to release it.

Drag apps to rearrange#

Under Settings → Dock → Dragging, turn on Drag apps to rearrange to move app and folder icons with a plain drag, like the macOS Dock. It is off by default.

While it is on, holding ⌘ while dragging across the Dock switches profiles when Drag to switch profiles is enabled; otherwise ⌘-drag still moves any item. Other widgets move while the widget browser is open. With the option off, a plain drag across the Dock switches profiles and ⌘-drag moves any item.

Create an app folder#

With the widget browser open, drag one pinned app onto another to create a folder. Open the folder and choose Edit in its gallery to add or remove apps, then right-click the folder for Folder Display (Folder Icon or Stack Preview), Folder Color (Default or one of eleven tints), Change Icon, and Reset Icon.

The Applications widget provides a browsable application library when you prefer not to pin every app individually.

Add a regular folder#

1. Open Widgets and select Folders.
2. Choose a common folder or click More Folders.
3. Select a folder from Finder.

Under Settings → Dock, turn Open Folders in Finder on to make folder clicks open Finder. Leave it off (the default) to browse folder contents in an in-Dock gallery. Right-click a folder for Open in Finder, Change Folder, Folder Display, Folder Color, Change Icon, and Remove.

The Trash card in the Apps category adds a Trash tile with Open in Finder, Empty Trash, and Folder Display commands. It uses direct folder access when macOS allows it, or Finder automation; see Permissions.

Files and drop zones#

Several widgets accept dragged files, including folders, app launchers, AirDrop, File Shelf, Dropbox, and Trash. The result depends on the target: opening with an app, moving or copying into a folder, storing temporarily, uploading, sharing, or deleting.