Using ExtraDock as a Dock Replacement

ExtraDock can fully replace the native macOS Dock. Here’s how to set it up and which features cover what the built-in Dock does.

Hiding the native Dock

Open Settings (⚙) → General → toggle Hide native macOS Dock. ExtraDock suppresses the built-in Dock while the app is running. Turn this off anytime to bring it back.

See General Settings for details.

Matching native Dock features

The macOS Dock provides a set of core features. Here’s how ExtraDock covers each one:

Launching apps

Drag apps into any dock or use the + Add button. See Adding Apps & Folders.

Running indicators

A dot appears on each running app’s icon, just like the native Dock. See Running App Indicators.

Notification badges

Red badge counts appear on app icons for unread notifications. See Notification Badges.

Drag and drop

Drag files onto app icons to open them with that app. See Drag & Drop onto Items.

Folders

Drag folders into a dock for quick access. Folders can display their name below the icon. See Folder Display Names.

Trash

Add the Trash widget to any dock for drag-to-trash and empty-trash functionality.

Finder access

Add the Finder widget to open Finder windows from the dock.

App actions

Right-click any app icon to quit, hide, or reveal it in Finder. See App Actions.

Auto-hide

Docks can auto-hide and reappear on hover, with configurable delays. See Auto-Hide.

Position on screen

Pin a dock to any edge — bottom, left, right, or top — or leave it floating anywhere. See Fixed Mode and Floating Mode.

Tracking running apps with Live Dock

The native Dock shows running apps with a small dot — but you still have to remember what’s open. The LiveDock widget solves this by giving you a dock that updates itself automatically.

Live Dock has two modes:

  • Running Apps Only — The dock only shows apps that are currently running. Apps appear when launched and disappear when quit. This turns a dock into a live task switcher — you always see exactly what’s open, nothing more.

  • Full Dock — Mirrors your macOS Dock contents including persistent apps, folders, and files. This is useful if you want a second copy of your Dock layout on another screen or edge, without manually recreating it.

For a full replacement workflow, Running Apps Only on a second dock works well alongside a primary dock of pinned apps. You get a clean separation: one dock for launching, one for managing what’s running.

See LiveDock for setup details.

Knowing what’s in your current Space

If you use multiple macOS Spaces (virtual desktops), it’s easy to lose track of which apps have windows in the Space you’re currently on. The Space Awareness widget shows exactly that — it displays icons for apps with windows in the active Space, updating as you switch between them.

This is especially useful in a dock replacement setup where you have several Spaces for different tasks. Instead of opening Mission Control to see what’s where, you get that information right in your dock.

Going beyond the native Dock

Once you’ve replaced the built-in Dock, ExtraDock opens up more features macOS doesn’t offer:

  • Multiple docks — Separate docks for different workflows or screens (Creating & Managing Docks)

  • Multi-monitor — Assign docks to specific displays (Multi-Monitor)

  • Widgets — Clock, IP address, Stripe revenue, and more (Widgets)

  • Collapse mode — Minimize a dock to a single icon (Collapse Mode)

  • Global hotkeys — Show/hide any dock with a keyboard shortcut (Hotkeys)

  • Custom icons — Replace any icon with your own (Custom Icons)

  • Visual effects — Snow and fireworks overlays (Effects)

  • Vertical docks — Rotate any dock to vertical orientation (Orientation)