Tutorials

MaxiDock is a powerful macOS application that lets you create and customize multiple docks on your Mac. Instead of being limited to a single dock at the bottom or side of your screen, you can create as many docks as you need, each with its own apps, documents, and folders.
 

1. Getting Started

When you first launch MaxiDock, you will see a welcome screen that guides you through the initial setup. The app runs in your menu bar (the top of your screen), so you will see the MaxiDock icon there. Click it to access:

- Preferences: Configure MaxiDock settings

- Add New Dock: Create a new dock for apps, documents, or folders

- About MaxiDock: View app information

- Quit: Exit the application

 

2. Creating Your First Dock

1. Click the MaxiDock icon in the menu bar

2. Select "Add New Dock" and choose one of these options:

   - Dock for Apps: For launching applications

   - Dock for Documents/Folders: For opening documents and folders

   - Dock for Folders only: For opening folders only

A new dock window will appear on your screen.

 

3. Adding Items to Your Dock

There are two ways to add items to your dock:

Method 1: Drag and Drop

1. Open Finder and navigate to the app, document, or folder you want to add

2. Drag it from Finder onto your MaxiDock window

3. Drop it where you want it to appear

Method 2: Using Preferences

1. Click the MaxiDock menu bar icon

2. Select "Preferences..."

3. Click the "Docks" tab

4. Select your dock from the list on the left

5. In the "Dock Items" section, click "Add" and choose the item you want

 

4. Launching Applications

Simply click on any app icon in your dock to launch it. The icon will show a small indicator when the app is running.

 

5. Customizing Your Dock Appearance

Open Preferences and select your dock to customize:

Icon Size: Choose from 32, 48, 64, 96, or 128 pixels

Orientation: Set your dock to be horizontal or vertical

Transparency: Adjust how transparent your dock background is (0% to 100%)

Icon Spacing: Control how much space appears between icons

Background Style: Choose solid color or gradient

Background Colors: Select colors for your dock background

 

6. Moving Your Dock

If your dock is set to be movable:

1. Click and hold on an empty area of the dock

2. Drag it to your desired location

3. Release to place it

You can enable or disable dock movement in Preferences or via the contextual menu.

 

7. Reordering Items in Your Dock

To change the order of items:

1. Click and hold on an item for about half a second

2. Drag it to the new position

3. Release to drop it in place

 

8. Managing Multiple Docks

You can create multiple docks for different purposes:

- One dock for your most-used apps

- Another dock for project folders

- A third dock for documents you work with frequently

To manage docks:

1. Open Preferences

2. Click the "Docks" tab

3. Select a dock from the list to edit it

4. Use the minus button to remove a dock (you cannot remove the first dock)

5. Toggle "Enabled" to show or hide a dock without deleting it

 

9. Contextual Menu Actions

Right-click (or Control-click) on any item in your dock to see options:

- Activate: Launch the app or open the item

- Move to Front: Bring the app's windows to the front

- Show All Windows: Show all windows of the app

- Show in Finder: Reveal the item in Finder

- Copy Path: Copy the file path to your clipboard

- Remove from Dock: Remove the item from the dock

- Quit: Quit the running application

 

10. General Preferences

In the General tab of Preferences, you can configure:

Application Settings

- Start at Login: Launch MaxiDock when you log in

- Hide Apple System Dock: Hide the macOS system dock

- Hide Add New Dock Menu Option: Hide the menu option

Dock Display

- Show App Names on MouseOver: Display app names when you hover

- Show Notification Badges: Show notification counts on app icons

- Show Running Indicators: Show dots under running apps

Animations

- Enable Animations: Turn animations on or off

- Click Animation Effect: Choose from rotate, pulse, bounce, flash, shake, pop, ripple, or tilt

Appearance

- Overlay Background: Color for app name labels

- Running Indicator: Color for active app indicators

 

11. Security

- Password Protect Preferences: Require a password to open preferences

 

12. Tips and Tricks

 

1. Use different dock types: Create separate docks for apps, documents, and folders

2. Position docks strategically: Place docks on different sides of your screen for easy access

3. Customize colors: Match your dock colors to your desktop theme

4. Adjust transparency: Make docks more or less visible depending on your preference

5. Enable notification badges: See unread message counts on Mail and Messages icons

6. Use running indicators: Quickly see which apps are currently running

7. Reorder for efficiency: Place your most-used items at the beginning of your dock

8. Hide the system dock: Replace the macOS system dock entirely with MaxiDock