How to Make Folders in the Mac Dock (App Groups That Actually Work)

macOS doesn't let you create app folders in the Dock the way iOS does - there's no drag-one-app-onto-another interaction, and Apple hasn't added one. What you can do is add a folder of apps from Finder as a Stack, which gets you partway there. For a proper iPhone-style grouping experience, a third-party app like Dockish is the only real option on Mac right now.

Why can't you just group apps in the macOS Dock?

The macOS Dock was designed around two zones: apps on the left, files and folders on the right (separated by a divider). Apple never built folder grouping for the apps side. You can drag apps to reorder them, pin them, and remove them - but you can't nest them. This has been true since the Dock debuted in Mac OS X 10.0, and macOS Sequoia didn't change it.

If your Dock has 25+ apps and finding anything is a chore, you're not missing a hidden setting. The feature simply isn't there.

The native workaround: Stacks from a Finder folder

You can drag any Finder folder into the right side of the Dock (past the divider) and it becomes a Stack - a fan or grid of its contents that expands on click. This works for files and apps alike, and it's the closest thing to folder grouping that macOS ships with.

To set one up:

1. Open Finder and create a new folder somewhere convenient (your home folder works fine).
2. Add aliases to the apps you want to group. In Finder, right-click any app in /Applications → Make Alias, then move the alias into your folder.
3. Drag the folder to the right side of the Dock (after the divider line).
4. Right-click the Stack to set View content as → Grid and Sort by → Name for the cleanest look.

The limitation: Stacks live on the right side of the Dock only, mixed in with your Downloads and Trash. They don't look like app groups - they look like folders, because they are. And you can't put them on the apps side of the Dock at all.

How Dockish adds real iPhone-style app folders

Dockish replaces the macOS Dock with one that works the way most people expect: drag one app icon onto another and they merge into a folder, exactly like iOS. The folder shows a 2×2 preview grid of its contents and gets auto-named based on what's inside (you can rename it). Tap the folder to expand it and launch any app from there.

This means you can actually organise the apps side of your Dock - put all your creative apps together, group your communication apps, keep browser variants in one place. A Dock that used to scroll off-screen with 30 icons becomes manageable at a third of the length.

Dockish is a one-time purchase at $6.99 with a 7-day free trial, and it runs on macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later.

Setting up your first folder in Dockish

1. Install Dockish and open it. Its dock starts with the apps pinned in your macOS Dock, so you don't start from scratch.
2. Drag one app onto a related one and hold it there until the icon under it grows, then let go. The two become a folder named after the apps' shared category, or New Folder.
3. To add another app, drag it onto the folder and hold it there before letting go.
4. Click the folder to open its apps in a strip above it. Click one to open it, or drag them into the order you want.
5. To take an app out, drag it from the strip onto the dock, or right-click it and choose Move Out of Folder. A folder goes when its last app leaves.
6. To rename a folder, right-click it and choose Rename…. The same menu has Open All and Quit All for the apps inside.

A click inside a folder works as it does on the dock: it opens an app that isn't running, brings a running one forward, and brings back a minimised window. With Window Previews on, hovering over the folder shows previews for every running app in it.

How Dockish folders compare to the Stacks workaround

• Making one: a Stack needs a Finder folder of app aliases; a Dockish folder is one app dragged onto another.
• How it looks: a Stack fans out or shows a grid of icons, and looks like a file folder; a Dockish folder shows a 2×2 preview of its apps, like an iPhone folder.
• Opening an app: a Stack opens it through a Finder alias; a Dockish folder opens it directly.
• Renaming: rename the folder in Finder, or right-click a Dockish folder and choose Rename….
• Cost: Stacks are free; Dockish is $6.99 once.

If you only want a rough grouping and don't mind the alias setup, the Stacks workaround is free and gets the job done. If you want folders that behave like the ones on your iPhone, Dockish is the more complete answer.

Folder ideas that work

The biggest gain comes from collapsing apps you use now and then but still want close by:

• Browsers: Safari, Chrome, Firefox and Brave are four slots for one job. Keep your main one on the dock and put the rest in a folder.
• Communication: Mail, Messages, Slack, Discord, Zoom. One folder turns five icons into one.
• Creative tools: design apps you don't open every day but don't want buried.
• Utilities: Activity Monitor, Terminal, TextEdit, Calculator. Useful now and then, not worth a slot each.
• Work and personal: two folders draw a clear line on a Mac you use for both.

After grouping, a dock of 28 icons can come down to 10 or 12 items: your everyday apps on their own, everything else in four or five folders.

If you only want a tidier macOS Dock

If you'd rather not replace the dock, invisible spacers are the closest native option. Run this in Terminal once for each gap you want, then drag the blank tile into place:

defaults write com.apple.dock persistent-apps -array-add '{tile-type="spacer-tile";}'
killall Dock

Spacers don't group apps into folders, but they make a long dock easier to scan. More in how to add spacers to the Mac dock and how to organise a cluttered Mac dock.

What about adding a regular Finder folder to the apps side?

You can't - macOS enforces the divider. Anything dragged to the apps side has to be an application bundle. Finder folders get rejected or bounce back. This is another reason the Stack workaround feels like a compromise rather than a solution.

Is Dockish the only way to get app folders on a Mac?

For the drag-one-app-onto-another folder, as far as we know, yes. uBar is a mature alternative, but it takes a Windows-taskbar approach rather than iPhone-style folders. DockDoor is free and worth knowing about if you only want window previews, but it doesn't replace the dock or add folders. The macOS Dock's own Stacks are Finder folders. For all the dock apps side by side, see the best dock apps for Mac.

Does this work with apps from anywhere, or just the App Store?

Both approaches - Stacks and Dockish folders - work with any app on your Mac, regardless of where it came from. App Store apps, direct-download apps, and even apps in unusual locations all work. The only requirement for Dockish is macOS 14+.

Will Sequoia's window tiling help with dock organisation?

Not really - those are separate concerns. macOS Sequoia's tiling features arrange windows on screen; they don't touch the Dock at all. If window layout is also a headache (especially across multiple monitors), Layoutish handles that separately with saved layouts and display profiles.

Common questions

Can I put a folder on the left (apps) side of the macOS Dock?

No. macOS only allows application bundles on the apps side of the Dock. Regular folders, including ones full of app aliases, can only live on the right side as Stacks. There's no hidden setting or Terminal command that changes this behaviour.

How do I make app folders on the Mac Dock without a third-party app?

The closest native option is a Finder folder full of app aliases dropped into the right side of the Dock as a Stack (set to Grid view). It's functional but not the same as true folder grouping - the folder sits separate from your pinned apps and looks like a file folder, not an app group.

Does Dockish replace the macOS Dock completely, or run alongside it?

Dockish replaces the macOS Dock - it includes a one-click option to hide the built-in Dock so you're not running both at once. If you decide Dockish isn't for you, re-enabling the macOS Dock takes one click. Nothing is permanently changed.

Can I still use apps that aren't in a folder?

Yes. Apps that aren't in a folder sit on the dock as usual, next to your folders. Group only what makes sense: five browsers in one folder, say, with your most-used apps left on their own.

Do Dockish folders work on every monitor?

Yes. Dockish can show a dock on every display, the same on each or different, and folders work the same way in each. See how to get the Mac dock on both monitors.

Can I bring my existing macOS Dock apps into Dockish?

Yes. Dockish starts with the apps pinned in your macOS Dock, and Import macOS Dock Apps in its settings adds any it doesn't have yet.

Will my dock folders survive a restart or an update?

Yes. Dockish saves the dock, folders included, as you change it, so restarting your Mac or updating Dockish leaves it as it was.