Mac Dock Settings Explained: Size, Position, Magnification, Auto-Hide

Open Apple menu > System Settings > Desktop & Dock. Size and Magnification set how big icons are and whether they grow on hover; Position puts the Dock on the left, bottom or right; Automatically hide and show the Dock reveals it only at the screen edge; Show indicators for open applications adds the running dot; Show suggested and recent apps controls the temporary section; Minimize windows into application icon keeps minimized windows off the right side. A few more options, such as a single-app mode or the auto-hide delay, exist only as Terminal defaults.

Most people never open the Dock settings, and the defaults are reasonable. But three or four of these switches make a real difference on a laptop screen or a crowded Dock, and a couple of useful ones are not in the panel at all. This is the full tour: every option in System Settings, what it actually does, the Terminal equivalents, and a few setups that work well.

Where the settings live

Apple menu > System Settings > Desktop & Dock. The Dock options are the first section. (macOS 12 and earlier: System Preferences > Dock & Menu Bar.) Changes apply instantly; nothing needs a restart.

Size and Magnification

Size sets the resting size of the icons, from tiny to the full width of the screen. You can also drag the Dock's divider line up or down to resize it live, which is often faster than the slider.

Magnification enlarges icons as the pointer passes over them, up to the second slider's size. It lets you keep a small Dock that is still readable on hover. Turn it off if the motion bothers you or if you click by position and the growing icons throw off your aim.

A combination many laptop users settle on: Size small, Magnification on and large. The Dock takes little room but every icon is legible when you reach for it.

Position on screen

Left, Bottom or Right. On a widescreen laptop, a side Dock gives back vertical space, which is the scarce dimension. Two things change with a side Dock: the folder section is below the divider instead of to the right, and the Dock cannot move between displays (see show the Dock on all displays).

You can also move the Dock by holding Shift and dragging the divider to another edge, which is how it ends up on the side by accident.

Minimize windows using

Genie effect or Scale effect: purely the animation. Scale is faster and plainer.

Double-click a window's title bar to

Fill, Zoom, Minimize or do nothing. Not strictly a Dock setting, but it determines whether double-clicking a title bar sends the window to the Dock.

Minimize windows into application icon

Off, minimized windows pile up as thumbnails on the right side of the Dock. On, they disappear into their app's icon and you get them back by clicking the icon or using App Exposé. Turn it on if the right side of your Dock keeps filling with window thumbnails you forgot about.

Automatically hide and show the Dock

Hides the Dock until the pointer reaches its edge. Shortcut: Command-Option-D. Good for small screens; the cost is a pause every time you reach for it. If you ever think the Dock has vanished, this switch (or an accidental Command-Option-D) is the first suspect; the full checklist is in Mac Dock keeps disappearing.

The reveal delay and animation are not in the panel. From Terminal:

• Remove the delay: defaults write com.apple.dock autohide-delay -float 0 && killall Dock
• Faster animation: defaults write com.apple.dock autohide-time-modifier -float 0.3 && killall Dock
• Undo either: defaults delete com.apple.dock autohide-delay && killall Dock (same for autohide-time-modifier)

Animate opening applications

The bounce while an app launches. Cosmetic; turn it off if it distracts you.

Show indicators for open applications

The small dot under running apps. Keep it on unless you are deliberately after a minimal look; without it the Dock gives no clue what is running.

Show suggested and recent apps in Dock

Adds a section of up to three recently used, unpinned apps between your pinned apps and the divider. Off keeps the Dock static. Everything about this switch, including how to pin an app you relied on from that section, is in how to turn off recent apps in the Dock.

Settings that exist only in Terminal

killall Dock restarts the Dock to apply a change; it does not log you out or delete anything.

Replace true with false, or use defaults delete com.apple.dock <key>, to undo any single one.

Three setups that work

Laptop, one screen. Position Left, Size small, Magnification on, Minimize into application icon on, recent apps off. Vertical space stays free and the Dock stays predictable.

Big external display. Position Bottom, Size medium, Magnification off, auto-hide off. There is room, so make the Dock a stable, visible landmark.

Minimal and fast. Auto-hide on with autohide-delay 0, recent apps off, indicators on, and only a handful of pinned apps, with everything else behind folders or groups. How to get the icon count down is the subject of how to group apps in the Mac Dock.

What these settings do not control

• Which display shows the Dock: that is Mission Control's Displays have separate Spaces. See show the Dock on all displays.
• Icon appearance: an icon is the item's own icon. To change one, see how to customize Dock icons.
• Grouping: macOS has none beyond Finder folders. Dock organizers such as Otterdock add groups to the folder side without touching any of the settings above.