Files Buried in Dock Folders? Mix Apps and Files in One Group
macOS Dock folders can only hold files. What if you need a project folder, an app, and a link together? Otterdock groups solve the mixed-content problem.
Native Dock folders on macOS are honest: they show you what is inside a directory—files and subfolders—when you click. That is perfect when "the work" lives in one place on disk. Real projects rarely look like that. You might live in Figma for hours, but the assets live in a shared drive, the brief is a PDF in Downloads, and the team chat is a Slack channel in the browser. A single folder on the Dock cannot hold that whole picture without awkward workarounds.
The mismatch
When people say files feel "buried," they often mean the Dock folder is the wrong abstraction. You are not looking for a list of every file in a tree—you are looking for a small set of handles that match how you actually jump between tools. The system folder is built for file browsing, not for mixing an app shortcut, a deep-linked URL, and a folder of exports in one place.
Key insight: Project work is usually mixed media: apps, paths, and links. When your Dock can only represent one of those cleanly, everything else ends up scattered.
What people end up doing instead
Some folks duplicate files next to the app. Others keep a scratch document with links. Some pin the app separately and keep the folder separately, which brings you back to a long Dock row and the same hunting problem. None of these are wrong—they are coping strategies for a layout that was not designed for mixed shortcuts.
How Otterdock fits this use case
Otterdock lets you create groups that include apps, files, folders, and links together in one named group on the Dock. Think of it as a project tray: Figma next to the assets folder, next to a bookmark to the channel or doc you need. You still enhance the stock Dock rather than replacing it; the groups sit where Dock icons already live. Open a group with a click (no extra permissions) or hover if you enable hover mode—hover uses Accessibility permission so the app can follow pointer position for Dock-level behavior.
Visuals matter when you have several groups: built-in skins include Shelf, Glass, Gradient, Minimal, and Otter, plus custom imports if you want the icon to match the project vibe. Data stays on your Mac under ~/Library/Application Support/Otterdock/. Requirements: macOS 14+. Free tier: two groups; Pro: unlimited. Direct purchase $6.99; Mac App Store $2.99 planned as coming soon—verify on the download page.
Closing thought
You do not need to reorganize your entire disk—just the handful of things you reach for when a specific project is active. Putting them in one group turns "where did I put that?" into "it is in the group I named for this job."