Dockish Help

Getting started#

What Dockish does#

Dockish is a dock for every display. It shows your pinned and running apps on each monitor, or a different dock on each one, with window previews, app folders, folder stacks and the Trash. It can hide the macOS Dock for you, and gives it back when you quit.

Installing and first launch#

Dockish needs macOS 14.0 or later.

1. Download Dockish from appish.app/dockish.
2. Open the downloaded zip file.
3. Drag Dockish into your Applications folder.
4. Open Dockish from Applications.

A dock appears at the bottom of each display. It starts with the apps pinned in your macOS Dock, or with Finder, Safari, Mail and Notes if it finds none there. macOS asks for one permission, which lets Dockish switch to your windows. The steps are under Permissions.

Your free trial of 7 days starts the first time Dockish opens.

The macOS Dock is still there until you hide it. See The macOS Dock.

Keep Dockish in the Applications folder. From another folder macOS can run a temporary copy, which can't install updates.

Where Dockish lives#

Dockish lives in the menu bar, as a small dock symbol. It has no icon in the macOS Dock. Click the menu bar icon to open Dockish's panel, which has three tabs: Dock, Displays and Settings.

You can also get there from a dock:

1. Right-click an empty part of the dock.
2. Choose Dockish Settings….

If you can't see the icon (the menu bar is full, the notch hides it, or a menu bar manager has tucked it away), open Dockish again:

1. Press Command-Space.
2. Type Dockish.
3. Press Return.

Dockish's settings open in a window of their own, with the same content as the panel.

Launch at Login#

With Launch at Login on, Dockish opens by itself when you log in. It's off until you turn it on.

1. Click the Dockish icon in the menu bar.
2. Click Settings.
3. Under General, turn on Launch at Login.

Quitting Dockish#

1. Click the Dockish icon in the menu bar.
2. Click Quit, at the bottom of the panel.

Dockish's docks close. If Dockish was hiding the macOS Dock, the macOS Dock comes back as you had it. The next time Dockish opens it hides it again.

Permissions#

Device Control and Data Access (called Accessibility before macOS 27)#

This permission lets Dockish switch to a window, list an app's windows in its menu, show minimised windows in previews, and keep windows above the dock. System Settings calls it Device Control and Data Access on macOS 27, and Accessibility on earlier versions.

To turn it on:

1. Click the Dockish icon in the menu bar.
2. Click Settings.
3. Under Permissions, click Open System Settings.
4. In Privacy & Security, open Device Control and Data Access (Accessibility before macOS 27).
5. Turn on Dockish.

Dockish notices the change by itself: you don't need to reopen it.

On a new install macOS shows its own request the first time Dockish opens. After that, while the permission is off, macOS asks once each time Dockish is opened, when you first click an app in the dock.

Without this permission the docks still show, and a click still opens an app or brings it forward. But the Dock tab shows a red Permission Needed banner, and these don't work: choosing one window from a preview or a menu, minimised windows in previews, scrolling through an app's windows, and Keep Windows Above the Dock.

If Dockish isn't in the list, or the banner reads "In System Settings, click + and add Dockish again", click + in that list and choose Dockish from Applications.

To check it, open Check Dockish (see Check Dockish). Its line reads "Device Control and Data Access is allowed" when all is well.

Screen & System Audio Recording (called Screen Recording before macOS 15)#

This permission lets Dockish take the pictures it shows as window previews. Live App Tiles and matching the macOS Dock's icon style use it too. Dockish records no sound and no video.

macOS asks for it when you turn on Window Previews. To turn it on later:

1. Click the Dockish icon in the menu bar.
2. Click Settings.
3. Under Permissions, click Open System Settings.
4. In Privacy & Security, open Screen & System Audio Recording.
5. Turn on Dockish.
6. When macOS offers Quit & Reopen, choose it.

Dockish closes and opens again a few seconds later, with the permission on.

Without it the docks work as usual, with no previews. While Window Previews or Live App Tiles (Experimental) is on, the Dock tab shows an orange Permission Needed banner that names what's waiting for it.

To check it, open Check Dockish. Its line reads "Screen & System Audio Recording is allowed", or "isn't needed" while nothing that uses it is turned on.

Full Disk Access#

Dockish needs Full Disk Access for one thing: Recent Documents in App Menus. macOS keeps each app's recent documents where only apps with Full Disk Access can read them.

1. Click the Dockish icon in the menu bar.
2. Click Settings.
3. Under Behavior, turn on Recent Documents in App Menus.
4. In the message that follows, click Open System Settings.
5. Turn on Dockish under Full Disk Access.

When Dockish sees the permission, it says "Recent documents are on". Not Now leaves the switch off.

Without it everything else works. The switch's note says recent documents won't show yet.

Recent documents come from the lists macOS keeps for each app. If a hidden macOS setting keeps none, there are none to show, and the switch's note says so. See Recent documents don't show.

Automation, for Finder#

Dockish uses Automation for one thing: Empty Trash…. Only Finder can empty the Trash, so Dockish asks Finder to do it.

macOS asks whether Dockish may control Finder the first time you empty the Trash from the dock. Choose Allow.

To turn it on later:

1. Open System Settings.
2. Open Privacy & Security.
3. Open Automation.
4. Under Dockish, turn on Finder.

If it's off when you choose Empty Trash…, Dockish says "Allow Dockish to control Finder" and opens that place in System Settings.

To check it, open Check Dockish. Its line reads "Automation for Finder is allowed" once Empty Trash has worked.

Folders macOS protects#

A folder you pin from your Desktop, Documents or Downloads folder, or from an external or network disk, is protected by macOS. The first time Dockish opens one, macOS asks whether Dockish may. Choose Allow.

If you choose Don't Allow, the folder shows "Can't open" with its name. To allow it later, open System Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Files & Folders, and turn the folder on under Dockish.

The dock#

What's in the dock#

• Your pinned apps, in the order you put them.
• A divider, then the apps that are running but not pinned.
• App folders, pinned folders from Finder, and the Trash, if you add them.
• Dividers and spacers, to group things.

A mark under an icon shows that the app is running. Move the pointer along the dock and the icons under it grow.

Open and switch apps#

Click an icon:

• An app that isn't running opens. Its icon bounces until it has.
• A running app comes forward.
• An app with only minimised windows gets one of them back.
• An app with no windows open is asked for a new one.
• A hidden app is shown again.

With a key held:

• Command-click shows the app in Finder.
• Option-click brings the app forward and hides the app you were in.

Scroll over a running app's icon to go through its windows one at a time.

Good to know

• If an app can't be opened, Dockish says "Couldn't open" with the app's name and the reason, at the top of the main display.
• A pinned app that has been deleted from your Mac keeps its place, with a plain icon. Click it and Dockish says the app can't be found. Remove it, or install the app again.

Arranging the dock#

Pin an app#

Any of these pins an app:

• Drag the app from Finder onto the dock. A gap opens where it will land.
• Drag a running app's icon across the divider, in among the pinned apps.
• Right-click a running app's icon, choose Options, then Keep in Dock.

Move an icon#

Drag it along the dock. The other icons make room.

Remove an icon#

• Drag it away from the dock, then let go.
• Or right-click it, choose Options, then Remove from Dock.

Dragging a pinned app across the divider, in among the running apps, unpins it. If it's running, it stays in the dock until it quits.

Dividers and spacers#

1. Right-click an empty part of the dock, where you want it.
2. Choose Add Spacer or Add Divider.

Drag a divider or spacer like an icon. To remove one, right-click it and choose Remove from Dock.

Open a file with an app#

Drag a file from Finder onto an app's icon in the dock. The app opens it.

Good to know

• Changes save by themselves.
• Dockish doesn't shrink a dock to fit. With more icons than the screen has room for, the dock runs off both ends: make the icons smaller with Icon Size, or put apps in a folder. Check Dockish says when a dock is too long for its display.
• An app can be in the dock once. Dragging in an app that's already pinned changes nothing.

App folders#

An app folder holds several apps behind one icon.

Make a folder#

1. Drag one pinned app onto another.
2. Hold it there for a moment, until the icon under it grows.
3. Let go.

The folder takes the name of the apps' shared category, or New Folder.

To add an app, drag it onto the folder and hold it there before letting go.

Use a folder#

Click the folder. Its apps open in a strip above it, which works like the dock: click an app to open it, drag to reorder, or drag an app out onto the dock.

The strip closes when you open an app from it, click elsewhere, or move the pointer away.

Right-click an app in the strip for Show in Finder, Move Out of Folder and Remove from Dock, and, while it's running, Hide and Quit.

The folder's menu#

Right-click the folder:

• Open All: opens the apps in it that aren't running.
• Quit All: quits the ones that are. Hold Option for Force Quit All.
• Rename…: gives it another name.
• Remove from Dock: removes the folder and the apps in it.

Good to know

• A folder goes when its last app is taken out.
• Hover over a folder to see window previews for every running app in it, when Window Previews is on.

Folder stacks#

A pinned folder from Finder shows what's in it when you click it.

Pin a folder#

• Drag the folder from Finder onto the dock.
• Or right-click an empty part of the dock, choose Add Folder…, and pick one.

Choose how it opens#

Right-click the pinned folder and choose View Content As:

• Strip: a row above the dock, like an app folder, with up to 20 items and a link to the rest in Finder. This is how a new folder opens.
• Fan: up to 15 items rising from the icon, with Finder on top.
• Grid: a panel of icons that scrolls. Click a folder inside it to look in; Back returns, and Open in Finder opens the folder you're looking at.
• List: a menu, with folders inside as submenus.
• Automatic: a fan for up to 12 items, and a grid for more.

Sort By offers Kind, Name and Date Added. Open in Finder opens the folder itself, and Remove from Dock unpins it.

Click an item to open it. To close a fan or a grid, click the folder again, press Escape, or click somewhere else.

Good to know

• On a dock at the left or right edge, a fan opens as a list.
• A pin follows its folder when you rename or move it.
• A folder Dockish can't show says why: it's empty, it can't be opened, or it can't be found.
• A list shows up to 100 items at each level, then a link to the rest in Finder.

The Trash#

Add the Trash to the dock#

1. Click the Dockish icon in the menu bar.
2. Click Settings.
3. Under General, turn on Trash in the Dock.

It's off until you turn it on. You can also right-click an empty part of the dock and choose Add Trash.

Use it#

• The icon shows whether the Trash has anything in it.
• Click it to open the Trash in Finder.
• Drag files, folders or apps from Finder onto it to move them to the Trash. Dockish says how many it moved.
• Drag one of the dock's own icons onto it, wait a moment for the Trash to grow, and let go: the icon leaves the dock. The app itself stays where it is.
• Right-click it for Open in Finder, Empty Trash… and Remove from Dock.

Empty Trash… asks first, then has Finder empty it. See Automation, for Finder.

Good to know

• With Running Apps Only on, the Trash is hidden with the other pinned items.
• In Independent mode each display's dock has its own Trash, which you can move or remove on its own.

Window previews#

Hover over a running app's icon to see pictures of its windows.

Turn previews on#

1. Click the Dockish icon in the menu bar.
2. Click Settings.
3. Under General, turn on Window Previews.
4. Allow Screen & System Audio Recording when macOS asks. See Permissions.

Previews are off until you turn them on.

Use a preview#

• Click a picture to bring that window forward.
• Click the close button on a picture to close that window.
• With more windows than fit, the last tile says how many more there are. Click it to see them.
• An app with no windows open shows "No windows open" and New Window.

Preview Delay sets how long the pointer rests on an icon before the preview shows.

Preview size on each display#

1. Click the Dockish icon in the menu bar.
2. Click Displays.
3. Under Preview Size, drag a display's slider.

Sizes run from 50% to 300%. Reset puts a display back to 100%. While Window Previews is off, a note there says the sizes won't show yet.

Good to know

• Previews are pictures taken as you hover. They don't update while they're showing.
• Without Device Control and Data Access, minimised windows aren't in the preview, and clicking a picture can't pick one window out.
• Very large previews shrink to fit the display.
• A preview closes a moment after the pointer leaves it, unless the pointer is back on its icon.

Right-click menus#

Right-click a running app's icon:

• Its windows, by title. Choose one to bring it forward.
• Recent Documents, when that's turned on.
• Actions some apps have, such as a new window, a private window, a browser profile, or Play/Pause, Next Track and Previous Track for a music app.
• Options: Keep in Dock or Remove from Dock, and Show in Finder.
• Hide.
• Quit. Hold Option for Force Quit.

For a running app that isn't pinned, Options also has Hide From This Dock and Hide From All Docks, which keep it out of the running apps. In All Monitors mode the first reads Hide From Shared Dock.

To bring a hidden app back:

1. Click the Dockish icon in the menu bar.
2. Click Settings.
3. Under Behavior, find the app under Hidden from Running Apps. Each row says which dock it's hidden from.
4. Click Show Again.

Good to know

• Recent Documents lists what macOS keeps for that app, as the macOS Dock's own menu does. An app with no recent documents has no such section.
• If a hidden macOS setting keeps no recent documents, no app has the section. See Recent documents don't show.

Badges and live icons#

• App Badges shows unread counts and progress on icons, as the macOS Dock does. It's on until you turn it off.
• Calendar's icon shows today's date.
• Activity Monitor's icon shows its CPU graph when its own Dock Icon setting is CPU History.
• On macOS 26 and later, Dockish's icons follow the macOS Dock's icon style (Dark, Clear or Tinted) while the macOS Dock is showing and Screen & System Audio Recording is allowed.

Live App Tiles#

Live App Tiles (Experimental) shows an app's live dock icon, such as a download's speed or an encode's progress, as the app draws it. It's off until you turn it on.

1. Click the Dockish icon in the menu bar.
2. Click Settings.
3. Under Behavior, turn on Live App Tiles (Experimental).

Good to know

• Dockish reads badges from the macOS Dock, about once a second while an app that shows badges is running.
• Live App Tiles keeps the macOS Dock showing underneath Dockish's dock, because the tiles are copied from it. Turning it off puts the macOS Dock back as it was.
• Live App Tiles and icon styles need Screen & System Audio Recording.

How the dock looks#

Everything here is on the Dock tab of the panel, and changes as you move the control.

Size and magnification#

• Icon Size and Spacing set the icons' size and the gap between them.
• Magnification grows the icons under the pointer, up to Magnified Size.

Theme#

Theme sets the dock's background: Glass, Dark, Light, Tinted or Custom.

• Tinted adds Tint Color.
• Custom adds Style: Solid with a Color, Gradient with a Start Color, an End Color and a Direction, or Image with Choose Image….

Transparency fades the whole background, so more of what's behind the dock shows through. The icons stay solid.

Position, names and indicators#

• Position puts the dock at the Bottom, Left or Right of the screen.
• App Names shows an app's name On Hover, Always, or not at all.
• Indicator is the mark under a running app: Dot, Line, Bar, Glow or None. Indicator Color and Indicator Size change it.
• Dim Background Indicators dims the indicators of the apps behind, so the front app's stands out.

Good to know

• While Reduce transparency is on in System Settings, the dock's background is solid and Transparency is dimmed.
• If the picture behind a Custom image background is moved or deleted, the dock uses a plain colour until you choose another.
• A colour swatch opens macOS's colour panel. The dock recolours as you pick. The colour panel closes when Dockish's panel does.

Auto-hide and full screen#

Auto-Hide#

With Auto-Hide on, a dock slides away when the pointer leaves it, and comes back when the pointer reaches that edge of the screen. Reveal Delay sets how long the pointer has to rest at the edge first.

1. Click the Dockish icon in the menu bar.
2. On the Dock tab, turn on Auto-Hide.

Dragging a file to the edge brings the dock back at once. A dock doesn't hide in the middle of a drag, or while a folder is open above it.

Full screen#

When an app goes full screen on a display, that display's dock hides. It comes back when the app leaves full screen. The other displays' docks stay.

Hide every dock#

Press Option-Command-D to hide all of Dockish's docks, and again to show them. See Shortcuts.

Good to know

• With Keep Windows Above the Dock turned off, a video player whose window fills the screen under the menu bar hides the dock while it plays. Dockish notices when you switch to the player. If you pause and play again without switching apps, the dock stays until you next switch apps or Spaces.

More than one display#

Choose where docks show#

1. Click the Dockish icon in the menu bar.
2. Click Displays.
3. Beside Docks, choose a mode.

• All Monitors: the same dock on every display.
• Main Only: one dock, on the main display.
• Independent: each display has its own dock, with its own apps and order.

Each mode remembers its own layout, so switching back brings back what you had.

Copy a layout#

Under Monitors, choose a layout beside "Copy from…" and one beside "to…", then click Copy Layout. Dockish asks before it replaces the second one, then says how many items it copied.

Icon size on each display#

Each display's card has its own Icon Size. It reads Global until you move it, and Reset puts it back.

Good to know

• Unplug a display and its dock goes. Plug it back in and its dock returns with its own layout.
• Preview size is per display too. See Preview size on each display.

Profiles#

A profile is a saved dock layout. Use profiles to switch between setups, by hand or when your displays change.

Save and apply a profile#

1. Click the Dockish icon in the menu bar.
2. Click Displays.
3. Under Profiles, click Save Current Layout as Profile….
4. Type a name and click Save.

To use it later, click Apply beside the profile. Dockish asks first, because your current layout is replaced, then says "Applied" with the profile's name.

The buttons beside a profile also rename and delete it. Deleting a profile removes its display rule too, and can't be undone.

Switch with your displays#

1. Arrange your displays the way you want the profile to apply: docked, for example.
2. Under Profiles, turn on Auto-Switch by Display Setup.
3. Choose a profile beside "Choose profile…".
4. Click Use for This Setup.

When that set of displays is connected again, Dockish applies the profile and says "Switched to" with its name. Make one rule for each setup. The small button beside a rule removes it.

Good to know

• In Independent mode a profile keeps each display's own layout.
• A rule applies its profile when the set of displays changes. Changes you make afterwards stay until the set changes again.
• Each profile can have its own shortcut. See Shortcuts.

Keep Windows Above the Dock#

With Keep Windows Above the Dock on, a window that opens or is zoomed behind the dock is moved or shortened so it sits above it, the way macOS keeps windows clear of its own Dock. It's on until you turn it off.

1. Click the Dockish icon in the menu bar.
2. Click Settings.
3. Under Behavior, turn Keep Windows Above the Dock on or off.

Also After Dragging lifts a window you drop behind the dock yourself. It's off at first, which matches the macOS Dock: you can park a window behind it.

Good to know

• It needs Device Control and Data Access.
• While Auto-Hide is on, windows are left where they are: the dock gets out of the way.
• A window is moved a moment after it arrives. More under What macOS allows.

The macOS Dock#

Hide the macOS Dock#

1. Click the Dockish icon in the menu bar.
2. Click Settings.
3. Under General, click Hide macOS Dock.

The macOS Dock restarts once and stays out of the way. Mission Control, Spaces and the app switcher keep working, because the macOS Dock is hidden, not quit.

To bring it back, click Restore macOS Dock in the same place. It returns with the settings you had.

Dockish also gives the macOS Dock back when you quit Dockish and when a trial ends, and hides it again the next time its docks open.

Bring your macOS Dock's apps across#

Under General, click Import macOS Dock Apps. Dockish adds the apps pinned in the macOS Dock that it doesn't have yet, and says how many.

Good to know

• If Dockish stops without quitting (a crash, or the app deleted while it runs), the macOS Dock can stay hidden. Press Option-Command-D to show it, or open Dockish again.
• With Live App Tiles (Experimental) on, the macOS Dock stays showing underneath Dockish's dock.
• If you had already set the macOS Dock to hide itself, Dockish leaves that setting alone.

Settings#

Dockish's settings are in its panel: click the Dockish icon in the menu bar. They're on three tabs: Dock, Displays and Settings.

Dockish shows the names of its sections in capitals: General reads GENERAL in the app, and Appearance reads APPEARANCE.

The Dock tab#

The top of the panel reads Active while Dockish is working. It reads Setup Required when Device Control and Data Access is off or the trial has ended, with a banner under it that says which.

Under Appearance:

• Icon Size: 24 to 96. 48 at first.
• Spacing: the gap between icons, 0 to 32. 9 at first.
• Magnification: icons grow under the pointer. On at first.
• Magnified Size: how big they grow, up to 128. 80 at first.
• Theme: Glass, Dark, Light, Tinted or Custom. Glass at first.
• Tint Color: the tint, for Tinted.
• Style: Solid, Gradient or Image, for Custom. Solid at first.
• Color, Start Color, End Color and Direction (Horizontal or Vertical): the custom background's colours.
• Choose Image…: the custom background's picture.
• Transparency: how much the background fades, up to 70%. None at first.

Under Dock:

• Position: Bottom, Left or Right. Bottom at first.
• App Names: Off, On Hover or Always. On Hover at first.
• Indicator: Dot, Line, Bar, Glow or None. Dot at first.
• Indicator Color: Automatic or Custom. Automatic at first.
• Indicator Size: 50% to 250%. 100% at first.
• Dim Background Indicators: the indicators of the apps behind are dimmed, and the front app's is a little bigger. On at first.
• Auto-Hide: the dock hides when the pointer leaves it. Off at first.
• Reveal Delay: how long the pointer rests at the edge before a hidden dock shows, up to 2 seconds. 0.2 seconds at first.

At the bottom are the version you have and Quit.

The Displays tab#

Under Monitors:

• Docks: All Monitors, Main Only or Independent. All Monitors at first.
• Copy Layout: copies one layout over another.
• Icon Size, on each display's card: that display's own size, with Reset.

Under Preview Size: a slider for each display, 50% to 300%, with Reset. 100% at first.

Under Profiles:

• Save Current Layout as Profile…: saves the dock as it is now.
• Apply: puts a saved profile back.
• Auto-Switch by Display Setup: applies a profile when your connected displays change. On at first, and it does nothing until you make a rule.
• Use for This Setup: makes the rule for the displays connected now.

The General section#

• Launch at Login: starts Dockish when you log in. Off at first.
• Dock Toggle Shortcut: lets the shortcut hide and show every dock. On at first.
• Window Previews: pictures of an app's windows when you hover over it. Off at first.
• Preview Delay: how long you hover first, 0.1 to 2 seconds. Half a second at first.
• Trash in the Dock: adds the Trash. Off at first.
• Import macOS Dock Apps: adds the macOS Dock's pinned apps.
• Hide macOS Dock and Restore macOS Dock: see The macOS Dock.

The Behavior section#

• Window Level: where the dock sits among windows. Dock (Native) is where the macOS Dock sits, above your windows. Status Bar is higher still, Floating is just above ordinary windows, and Normal lets windows cover the dock. Dock (Native) at first.
• Show Running Apps: apps that are running but not pinned show after the divider. On at first.
• Running Apps Only: a dock of only what's open. Pinned items are hidden. Off at first.
• App Badges: unread counts and progress on icons. On at first.
• Keep Windows Above the Dock: on at first.
• Also After Dragging: off at first.
• Live App Tiles (Experimental): off at first.
• Recent Documents in App Menus: off at first.
• Hidden from Running Apps: the apps you've hidden, each with Show Again.

The Shortcuts section#

See Shortcuts.

The Permissions section#

This lists Dockish's permissions as your Mac names them, each with a green tick when it's on and a red cross when it's off. Open System Settings opens the place to change the one above it. Full Disk Access is listed while Recent Documents in App Menus is on.

The License section#

This shows your license: Licensed, Free Trial Active with the days remaining, License Not Confirmed or Trial Expired. Until a license is active it has a field for your key, Activate and Buy License. With one, it has Deactivate on this Mac. See Your license.

The Help section#

• Check Dockish: what's working, and how to fix what isn't.
• Export Diagnostics…: saves a file for support.
• Email Support: starts an email to hello@appish.app.
• Copy Log Command: copies a Terminal command that saves Dockish's log.
• Help on the Website: opens this page.
• What macOS Allows: the limits listed under What macOS allows.
• Acknowledgements: the open-source notices.

The About section#

This shows the version of Dockish you have. The current version is 1.2.5. Check for Updates looks for a newer one.

Shortcuts#

Dockish's shortcuts#

• Option-Command-D: Show/Hide All Docks. This is the only one set at first.
• Running Apps Only: turns that setting on and off. No keys at first.
• Auto-Hide: turns that setting on and off. No keys at first.
• Apply Profile: one for each saved profile. No keys at first.

Change a shortcut#

1. Click the Dockish icon in the menu bar.
2. Click Settings.
3. Under Shortcuts, click the box beside the shortcut.
4. Press the keys you want. Use at least one of Command, Option, Control or Shift.

Press Escape to leave it as it was. The small button beside a shortcut you've set clears it. For Show/Hide All Docks that puts Option-Command-D back.

Dock Toggle Shortcut, under General, turns Show/Hide All Docks off without forgetting its keys.

With the mouse#

• Command-click an icon: show the app in Finder.
• Option-click an icon: bring the app forward and hide the app you were in.
• Scroll over an icon: go through that app's windows.
• Hold Option in an app's menu: Quit becomes Force Quit.

Good to know

• If keys are already used by another Dockish shortcut, Dockish says Shortcut Already Used and names it.
• If macOS won't give Dockish the keys, a note under the shortcut says "macOS didn't accept this shortcut. Another app may be using it." Choose other keys.
• Option-Command-D is also macOS's own shortcut for hiding its Dock, so one press does both. To separate them, give Show/Hide All Docks other keys, or turn off "Turn Dock hiding on/off" in System Settings, under Keyboard, then Keyboard Shortcuts.

Your license#

The free trial#

The trial lasts 7 days from the first time you open Dockish, with every feature. The Dock tab shows the days remaining, and says when it's the last day.

When the trial ends without a license:

• Dockish's docks close, and the panel says "Trial ended: docks are paused";
• the macOS Dock comes back, if Dockish was hiding it;
• your layout, profiles and settings are kept;
• Dockish's license page opens, asking for a key.

Enter a license key and the docks come back, without reopening Dockish.

Buy and activate#

A license costs $6.99, once. To buy one, click the trial banner at the top of the Dock tab, or Buy License under License. Your key arrives by email.

To activate:

1. Click the Dockish icon in the menu bar.
2. Click Settings.
3. Under License, paste the key from your purchase email into the field.
4. Click Activate.

The section then reads Licensed. Activating needs an internet connection.

The license page that opens when a trial ends has the same field, with Activate License.

If activating doesn't work, Dockish says why:

• "Couldn't reach the license server. Check your connection and try again.": you're offline, or the server is busy.
• "This license key is for a different product.": the key belongs to another Appish app.
• "This key is active on the maximum number of Macs.": see The activation limit.
• Any other message comes from the license server. Check the key against your purchase email.

A key that isn't accepted doesn't end a running trial.

Move to another Mac#

Free the seat on the old Mac first:

1. Click the Dockish icon in the menu bar.
2. Click Settings.
3. Under License, click Deactivate on this Mac.
4. Click Deactivate.

Then activate your key on the new Mac.

After deactivating, Dockish goes back to its free trial on the old Mac if days are left. If none are left, its docks close there.

Deactivating needs an internet connection. Without one Dockish says License Still Active, and your license stays on that Mac. Try again when you're online.

On a Mac that was activated before Dockish 1.2.2, Dockish can't free the seat itself. It asks Remove the License from This Mac? instead. Click Remove, then email hello@appish.app and we'll free the seat.

The activation limit#

A key can be active on a set number of Macs. When they're all used, activating says: "This key is active on the maximum number of Macs. Deactivate it on a Mac you no longer use, or email hello@appish.app and we'll free a seat."

Entering the same key again on a Mac that already has it uses no new seat.

Using Dockish offline#

Dockish confirms your license when it opens and once a day. Offline, it stays licensed for 7 days after the last confirmation.

After that it shows License Not Confirmed and keeps your key. It asks the license server again every hour, and is licensed again as soon as the server answers.

License Not Confirmed#

Dockish has your key, but the license server hasn't confirmed it for more than 7 days, or didn't accept it.

• If trial days are left, the docks keep working, and the banner reads "License not confirmed".
• If none are left, the docks are paused until the key is confirmed. The banner reads "License not confirmed: docks are paused".

Click the banner to see why. To try again now:

1. Check that your Mac is online.
2. Click the Dockish icon in the menu bar.
3. Click Settings.
4. Under License, click Check Stored License Again.

If the key still isn't accepted, email hello@appish.app.

After a cleaner app has wiped the settings#

A cleaner utility can delete Dockish's preferences. Dockish keeps your license key in your Keychain too, so it comes back by itself the next time Dockish opens. You don't need to enter your key again.

Your dock's layout, profiles and settings are in a separate file, in the Dockish folder in Application Support. If a cleaner removes that too, Dockish starts with a new dock.

A lost key#

Your key is in your purchase confirmation email. If you can't find it, email hello@appish.app from the address you bought with.

Updates#

Dockish checks for a new version by itself, about once a day. If there is one, a window offers it.

To check yourself:

1. Click the Dockish icon in the menu bar.
2. Click Settings.
3. Under About, click Check for Updates.

An update keeps your dock's layout, your profiles, your settings, your license and Dockish's permissions. Dockish closes and opens again to finish it.

If something isn't working#

Check Dockish#

Check Dockish lists what's working and what isn't, each line with a button to fix it where there is one.

1. Click the Dockish icon in the menu bar.
2. Click Settings.
3. Under Help, click Check Dockish.

It checks again when you open it and when a permission changes. Check Again does it by hand.

What the lines mean:

• A permission's name with "is allowed", "isn't allowed" or "isn't needed": that permission's state. "isn't needed" means nothing that uses it is turned on. Open System Settings opens the place to change it.
• "macOS keeps no recent documents": Recent Documents in App Menus is on, but a hidden macOS setting keeps none, so there are none to show. Help on the Website opens this guide at Recent documents don't show.
• "Automation for Finder", with "is allowed", "isn't allowed", "hasn't been asked yet" or "isn't needed": whether Dockish may ask Finder to empty the Trash.
• "Launch at Login is on" or "is off". "Launch at Login needs your approval" means the switch is on but macOS hasn't allowed it: Open Login Items opens the place to allow it.
• "Every display has its dock": all is well, with the number of docks showing.
• "A display has no dock": Show the Docks brings them back. If one stays missing, quit Dockish and open it again.
• "The docks are hidden": the shortcut has hidden them. Show the Docks shows them.
• "The trial has ended, so the docks are paused": Open License opens the page for your key.
• "A dock is too long for its display": the icons at its ends are off the screen. Open the Dock Tab opens the place to lower Icon Size or Spacing. A display with its own Icon Size has it on the Displays tab.
• Lines about the macOS Dock say whether it's hidden or showing, and whether that's how Dockish is set. When the two disagree, Put It Right sets the macOS Dock to match.
• "The macOS Dock's settings can't be read": Dockish leaves the Dock as it is until they can. Restarting your Mac usually fixes this.
• "Your settings read cleanly": all is well.
• "Some settings couldn't be read": the damaged ones were reset and the rest loaded. A copy of the file as it was is in Backups.
• "Your settings came from a newer Dockish": everything this version knows loaded.
• "Your settings file couldn't be read": Dockish started with new settings and kept the old file.
• "Your settings file can't be read": Dockish is running with its default settings and isn't saving changes, so the file stays as it is. To start fresh, move config.json out of ~/Library/Application Support/Dockish, then open Dockish again. For help, export Diagnostics and email it to us.
• "Dockish isn't saving changes": it couldn't back up your settings file first, so it won't write over it. Check the free space on your Mac.
• "Every shortcut works", or "A shortcut didn't register": Open Shortcuts opens the place to choose other keys.
• A line that Option-Command-D also hides the macOS Dock: see Shortcuts.

Export Diagnostics#

Export Diagnostics… saves a text file that tells support how Dockish is set up on your Mac.

1. Click the Dockish icon in the menu bar.
2. Click Settings.
3. Under Help, click Export Diagnostics….
4. Choose where to save "Dockish Diagnostics.txt". Dockish suggests the Desktop.

Finder then shows you the file.

The file holds your Mac's model, macOS version and displays, Check Dockish's lines, each permission's state, the state of your license, when Dockish last checked for an update, your settings, each display's dock, your profiles, the macOS Dock's settings, how many of each kind of item your docks hold, the names of recent crash reports, and recent lines of Dockish's log.

It doesn't hold your license key, an email address, window titles, or the names of your folders and profiles: those are replaced with stand-ins. Nothing is sent by itself. Read the file first if you like, then attach it to an email.

Email Support and Copy Log Command#

Email Support starts an email to hello@appish.app in your mail app. Say what happened and what you expected, and attach your Diagnostics file.

Copy Log Command copies a Terminal command that saves the last day of Dockish's log to your Desktop. Use it when support asks for the log:

1. Click Copy Log Command.
2. Open Terminal.
3. Paste the command.
4. Press Return.

The command is:

/usr/bin/log show --last 1d --info --predicate 'subsystem == "com.matmus.dockish"' > ~/Desktop/Dockish-log.txt

Attach "Dockish-log.txt" from your Desktop to your email.

Common problems#

The Dock tab says Permission Needed#

Cause: a permission Dockish needs is off. A red banner means Device Control and Data Access; an orange one means Screen & System Audio Recording.

Fix: click the banner. System Settings opens at the right place: turn on Dockish there. See Permissions.

Dockish isn't in the permission list#

Cause: a tool that resets permissions has taken Dockish out of System Settings' list, and macOS won't ask again by itself. The banner reads "In System Settings, click + and add Dockish again".

Fix: in System Settings, open Privacy & Security, then Device Control and Data Access. Click + and choose Dockish from Applications.

I can't find the Dockish icon#

Cause: the menu bar is full, the notch hides the icon, or a menu bar manager has hidden it.

Fix: open Dockish again from Applications or Spotlight, or right-click an empty part of a dock and choose Dockish Settings….

Two docks are showing#

Cause: the macOS Dock isn't hidden, or Live App Tiles (Experimental) is on, which keeps it showing underneath.

Fix: click Hide macOS Dock in Settings. If Live App Tiles is on and you'd rather not see the macOS Dock, turn it off.

My Mac has no dock at all#

Cause: Dockish stopped without quitting while it was hiding the macOS Dock, or its docks are hidden by the shortcut.

Fix: open Dockish again. To get the macOS Dock back without Dockish, press Option-Command-D.

Option-Command-D shows the macOS Dock#

Cause: it's macOS's own shortcut for its Dock's hiding as well as Dockish's shortcut for its docks.

Fix: give Show/Hide All Docks other keys, or turn off "Turn Dock hiding on/off" in System Settings, under Keyboard, then Keyboard Shortcuts.

The docks disappeared when my trial ended#

Cause: the trial is over and no license is active, so the docks are paused. Your layout is kept.

Fix: buy a license, then activate it. See Buy and activate.

Window previews don't appear#

Cause: Window Previews is off, or Screen & System Audio Recording isn't allowed.

Fix: turn on Window Previews in Settings, allow the permission, and choose Quit & Reopen when macOS offers it.

A preview says No windows open, but the app has a window#

Cause: the app's only windows are minimised, and Device Control and Data Access is off, so Dockish can't see them.

Fix: turn that permission on. See Permissions.

Windows move up when I put them near the dock#

Cause: Keep Windows Above the Dock is on, and with Also After Dragging it lifts windows you drop there too.

Fix: turn off Also After Dragging to park windows behind the dock yourself, or turn off Keep Windows Above the Dock.

The dock is cut off at both ends#

Cause: it has more icons than the screen has room for at this size.

Fix: lower Icon Size or Spacing, or put some apps in a folder.

Empty Trash does nothing#

Cause: Dockish isn't allowed to control Finder.

Fix: in System Settings, open Privacy & Security, then Automation, and turn on Finder under Dockish.

A pinned folder says Can't open#

Cause: macOS protects the folder and Dockish hasn't been allowed to open it, or the disk it's on isn't connected.

Fix: in System Settings, open Privacy & Security, then Files & Folders, and turn the folder on under Dockish.

The macOS Dock appears when I spread out an app's windows#

Cause: macOS shows its own Dock in that view, even while it's hidden.

Fix: there isn't one. It goes when you leave the view.

Recent documents don't show#

Cause: Recent Documents in App Menus is off, Full Disk Access isn't allowed, or a hidden macOS setting keeps no recent documents.

Fix: turn the switch on in Settings and allow Full Disk Access.

If the note under the switch says a hidden macOS setting keeps none, the setting is one that System Settings doesn't show. It applies to every app's Open Recent menu, not only to Dockish. To see it:

1. Open Terminal.
2. Paste this line and press Return:

defaults read -g NSRecentDocumentsLimit

It prints 0 when the setting keeps none. To remove the setting, paste this line and press Return:

defaults delete -g NSRecentDocumentsLimit

Each app keeps its recent documents again from the next time it opens, and the menus fill as you open documents.

Badges don't show#

Cause: App Badges is off, or the app's own badge is off in macOS.

Fix: turn on App Badges in Settings. In System Settings, under Notifications, check that the app may badge its icon.

Dockish says Trial Expired but I have a license#

Cause: Dockish couldn't confirm your key for more than 7 days, or the license server didn't accept it.

Fix: go online, then click Check Stored License Again under License. If the key isn't accepted, email hello@appish.app.

My key is active on the maximum number of Macs#

Cause: every seat of your license is in use.

Fix: on a Mac you no longer use, click Deactivate on this Mac under License. If you no longer have that Mac, email hello@appish.app and we'll free a seat.

Dockish doesn't open after a restart#

Cause: Launch at Login is off, or macOS has turned Dockish's login item off.

Fix: turn on Launch at Login in Settings. If Check Dockish says it needs your approval, click Open Login Items and allow Dockish there.

My dock's layout is gone#

Cause: Dockish couldn't read its settings file and started with a new one. Check Dockish says so.

Fix: Dockish keeps a copy of the file as it was before it saves over it. Email hello@appish.app with your Diagnostics file, and we'll help you put it back.

What macOS allows#

Dockish works within what macOS allows any app that isn't Apple's. These limits come from macOS, not from a setting.

• The macOS Dock can be hidden, not removed. Mission Control, Spaces and the app switcher live in it, so Dockish hides it instead of quitting it. Quitting Dockish brings it back as you had it. If Dockish crashes, or is deleted while the Dock is hidden, press Option-Command-D to show it.
• App Exposé shows the macOS Dock. When you spread out an app's windows (Control-Down Arrow), macOS shows its own Dock over Dockish's, even while Dockish keeps it hidden. It goes when you leave that view.
• Window previews are pictures. macOS lets another app capture a window as a still picture, not follow it live, and only with Screen & System Audio Recording allowed.
• Badges come from the macOS Dock. macOS tells no other app when a badge changes, so Dockish reads them from the macOS Dock: about once a second while an app that shows badges is running, and once a minute otherwise.
• Live App Tiles and icon styles need the macOS Dock. Both are copied from the macOS Dock's own drawing, so it has to be on screen underneath Dockish, with Screen & System Audio Recording allowed.
• Recent documents need Full Disk Access. macOS keeps each app's recent documents where only apps with Full Disk Access can read them.
• Emptying the Trash asks Finder. Only Finder can empty the Trash, so Dockish asks it, and macOS asks you once whether Dockish may. macOS doesn't say when the Trash fills, so while Finder is in front Dockish looks once a second.
• Windows move after they arrive. With Keep Windows Above the Dock on, Dockish moves a window out from behind the dock a moment after an app puts it there, including one placed by a window manager such as Layoutish. macOS keeps room only for its own Dock, so nothing stops a window going there first, and some apps put their windows back.
• A second zoom doesn't restore a window above the dock. With Keep Windows Above the Dock on, a zoomed window that reaches under the dock is shortened to sit above it. macOS then no longer counts it as zoomed, so zooming it again fills the screen again instead of restoring its earlier size: drag or resize it back instead.
• A reset permission needs Dockish added again. If Device Control and Data Access is reset, by a cleaner app say, Dockish leaves its list and macOS doesn't ask again: in System Settings, click + and add Dockish again.
• The menu bar icon can go missing. macOS can switch it off (System Settings › Menu Bar), a menu bar manager can hide it, and the notch can cover it. Open Dockish again from Finder or Spotlight to reach its settings.
• Option-Command-D is also macOS's Dock shortcut. macOS turns the Dock's hiding on and off with it, and Dockish's Show/Hide All Docks uses it too, so one press does both. Give Show/Hide All Docks other keys in Dockish's Settings, or switch off “Turn Dock hiding on/off” in System Settings › Keyboard › Keyboard Shortcuts.

Removing Dockish#

Deactivate first#

Deactivating frees your license's seat, so you can use your key on another Mac. See Move to another Mac.

Quit and move Dockish to the Trash#

1. Click the Dockish icon in the menu bar.
2. Click Settings.
3. Turn off Launch at Login.
4. Click Quit, at the bottom of the panel.
5. Drag Dockish from your Applications folder to the Trash.

When Dockish quits, the macOS Dock comes back as you had it. Quit Dockish before you delete it: deleted while it runs, it can't give the Dock back, and you'd press Option-Command-D to show it.

What stays on the Mac#

Moving Dockish to the Trash leaves a few small things behind. To remove a file or folder, choose Go to Folder in Finder's Go menu, paste its path, and move it to the Trash.

• ~/Library/Application Support/Dockish: your dock's layout, profiles and settings, and the copies in its Backups folder.
• ~/Library/Preferences/com.matmus.dockish.plist: the rest of your settings.
• ~/Library/Caches/com.matmus.dockish, ~/Library/HTTPStorages/com.matmus.dockish and ~/Library/WebKit/com.matmus.dockish: small caches from the license and update checks.
• Your license key, in your Keychain. Open Keychain Access, search for "com.appish.dockish.license" and delete the items it finds.
• Dockish's lines in System Settings: under Privacy & Security, in Device Control and Data Access, Screen & System Audio Recording, Full Disk Access and Automation, and under General, in Login Items. Select Dockish there and click the minus button.

Privacy#

What leaves your Mac#

• The license check. Dockish sends your license key to the license server, run by Lemon Squeezy, when you activate, when Dockish opens, once a day, and when you deactivate. Activating also sends your Mac's name, so the seat can be told apart from your other Macs. The server gives the seat an id, which Dockish sends back when it confirms or frees that seat.
• The update check. About once a day, and when you click Check for Updates, Dockish fetches the list of versions from appish.app. A newer version is downloaded from there if you choose to install it.
• Email you send. Email Support opens an email in your mail app. Nothing goes until you send it.

What never leaves your Mac#

• Which apps, folders and files are in your docks, and what you open.
• The pictures of windows that Dockish takes for previews. They're shown and thrown away.
• The names of your windows and recent documents.
• The Diagnostics file. It's saved where you choose and goes nowhere unless you email it.

Dockish has no analytics and no tracking.