Everything Dock Switcher does
Dock Switcher gives you as many Docks as you need and switches between them in about a second. Here’s every part of it, in detail.
Unlimited Docks, each with a name, color and symbol
Make a Dock for each kind of work you do. There’s no limit.
- Name it after the work: “Client site”, “Podcast”, “Taxes”.
- Pick a color from eight tints, so each Dock is easy to recognize in the menu bar menu and the switch HUD.
- Choose a symbol that says what the Dock is for.
Holds everything the native Dock does
If you can put it in the macOS Dock, you can put it in a Dock you make with Dock Switcher.
- Apps, in any order you like.
- Folders and stacks, displayed as a stack or a folder, viewed as fan, grid, list or automatic, and sorted by name, date added, date modified, date created or kind.
- Files, like the document you open every morning.
- Web links to the pages you use for this kind of work.
- Spacers, regular and small, to group things.
Every Dock remembers how it should look and behave
These are the same options you’ll find under Desktop & Dock in System Settings. Dock Switcher saves a full set with each Dock and applies them when you switch.
| Setting | Options |
|---|---|
| Icon size | Small to large |
| Magnification | On or off, with a maximum size |
| Position on screen | Left, bottom or right |
| Automatically hide and show | On or off, with an auto-hide delay |
| Animation speed | How fast the Dock hides and shows |
| Minimize effect | Genie or scale |
| Minimize windows into app icon | On or off |
| Show indicators for open apps | On or off |
| Show suggested and recent apps | On or off |
| Animate opening apps | On or off |
| Show only open apps | On or off |
| Dim icons of hidden apps | On or off |
Switch instantly, from anywhere
- The menu bar. Click the Dock Switcher icon and pick a Dock.
- The main window. Switch while you’re editing your Docks.
- Global keyboard shortcuts. Assign one to each Dock, like Control-Option-1. They work in any app.
- The Shortcuts app. Dock Switcher adds a Switch Dock action, so you can build it into your own shortcuts. Or ask Siri: “Switch to Design in Dock Switcher”.
- A URL. Open
dockswitcher://switch?dock=Designfrom a launcher, a script, a note or a web page.dockswitcher://restorebrings back your original Dock.
Open a Dock’s apps when you switch to it
Switch to “Video Editing” and have your editor and audio tools open, ready to go.
This is an option on each Dock, and it’s off unless you turn it on. Use it for the Docks where you always open the same apps.
Let your Dock change on its own
- On a schedule. Choose the days and the time. Switch to “Work” at 9:00 on weekdays and to “Personal” at 18:00.
- When a display connects or disconnects. Plug into your desk monitor and get your desk Dock. Unplug and get your laptop Dock back.
Automations run while Dock Switcher is open in the menu bar.
Your Docks on all your Macs
Dock Switcher syncs through your iCloud account. There’s no new account to create and nothing to sign up for.
- Make a Dock on your desktop Mac and it’s ready on your laptop.
- Apps that aren’t installed on a particular Mac are skipped gracefully. The rest of the Dock works as usual.
- Your Docks are stored in your private iCloud database, which Omevi can’t see.
Your original Dock is always safe
Before your first switch, Dock Switcher automatically backs up the Dock you have now.
- Restore Original Dock puts it back with one click, whenever you like.
- Capture your current Dock as a new Dock in Dock Switcher, so the setup you’ve built over the years is one switch away.
Start from a template
Seven templates help you get going. Each one fills in with matching apps you already have installed, so you only see apps you can open.
Then change anything you like. A template is just a starting point.
- App Development
- Graphic Design
- Video Editing
- Writing
- Music Production
- Communication
- Focus
Share a setup with your team
Export any Dock as a .dockswitcher file. Send it by email, chat or a shared folder, and your teammate imports it into Dock Switcher.
It’s a handy way to give a new team member the same tools, or to keep a copy of a Dock you love.
Always know which Dock you’re in
When you switch, a small HUD appears for a moment with the Dock’s name, color and symbol, then gets out of your way.
Native, quiet and private
Native SwiftUI
Built with SwiftUI. It looks at home in light and dark mode.
Lives in the menu bar
Dock Switcher is a menu bar app, and you can hide its icon from the Dock.
Private by design
No accounts, no analytics, no tracking. Your Docks live on your Mac and in your private iCloud.
How Dock Switcher changes your Dock
Dock Switcher changes the Dock the same way System Settings does. It updates the Dock’s own preferences on your Mac, then restarts the Dock. That takes about a second, and you’ll see the Dock briefly redraw. Your open apps and windows stay as they are.
The first time you switch, macOS asks you to let Dock Switcher control the Dock. This is a standard Automation permission, and it’s what allows Dock Switcher to restart the Dock for you.
$4.99, once
No subscription and no in-app purchases. Family Sharing included.
- macOS 14 Sonoma or later
- Apple silicon and Intel
- Every feature on this page