What's New in Otterdock — April 2026 Release Roundup

April 2026 brings the biggest update to Otterdock since launch. This release focuses on keyboard-driven workflows, visual customization with Pro skins, and quality-of-life improvements across the board. Here is everything that shipped.

Global keyboard shortcuts

You can now open any Dock group from any app with a single hotkey. Default bindings are Ctrl+1 through Ctrl+6 for your first six groups. Shortcuts use Carbon hotkey APIs at the system level — no Accessibility permission required. Customize each group's hotkey in Settings, and the popup appears near your cursor instead of anchoring to the Dock.

Full keyboard navigation

Once a group popup is open (via hotkey or click), you can navigate entirely with the keyboard. Use ↑ / ↓ to move between items, Enter to launch, and Esc to dismiss. Combined with global shortcuts, this creates a three-keystroke workflow from any app to any item in your groups.

Pro skin system

The icon skin system now includes Pro-exclusive skins. The first is Sunset Warm, a rich warm-toned gradient inspired by golden hour. Free users keep all existing skins (Shelf, Glass, Gradient, Minimal, Otter, custom import) and can preview Pro skins before upgrading. More Pro skins are coming in future releases.

In-group sorting

Groups now support sorting items by name, kind, or manual drag order. Previously, items were always displayed in the order they were added. Sorting preferences are saved per group, so your Development group can be alphabetical while your Quick Access group stays manually ordered.

Free tier: 8-item limit per group

The free tier now supports up to 8 items per group (previously 6). This gives free users more room to build useful groups without hitting the limit. Pro remains unlimited.

Redesigned onboarding

New users see a streamlined onboarding flow that creates a starter group in under 30 seconds. The redesign reduces steps, uses clearer language, and gets users to their first working group faster than before.

Simplified settings

The Settings panel has been reorganized for clarity. Group configuration, hotkey assignment, skin selection, and general preferences are now logically grouped with fewer nested menus. Finding what you need takes fewer clicks.

Bug fixes highlights

• Fixed popup positioning on external monitors with non-standard scaling.
• Resolved a rare issue where Dock icons would not update after changing skins.
• Improved Dock sync reliability when adding or removing items quickly.
• Fixed hover mode sensitivity when the Dock is set to auto-hide.