How do you guys organize your Dock?

[Princess Cake]

I'm a bit of a stickler for how I like my desktop to look as "stock Apple" as possible but being able to support all the 3rd party apps and additional things I need quick access to- so I'm pretty much always shifting around the Dock icons and changing the size trying to find that perfect layout.

Does anyone here have a system they use for organizing it, or do you just toss things in there randomly?

 

[Fishrrman]

I put the dock "on the right" so I can use the full height of the display.

Other than that, set it up any way you want.
After all, it's yours!

 

[TripleYoThreat]

I have mine on the left, with hiding on.

 

[Princess Cake]

Well like I wanna have full sets of apps in the Dock so it looks "Complete" but when it comes to something like the iLife suite I don't know what to do anymore. iPhoto is obsolete, iDVD doesn't work anymore, and I don't even have iWeb (if it still works?) so should I have Photos, iMovies, and Garage Band together?

 

[Gregg2]

I put similar apps next to each other, starting with the Apple one, if applicable. Your grouping makes sense, but it's really whatever works for you.

 

[MacGizmo]

Spacers make a big difference:

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

Right side, in the middle. Apps that are always open at the top end. Games at the bottom end. Everything else in the middle, sorta organized into small clusters if they are somehow related or used together.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP:

There's no use keeping items in the dock that you don't use much.
Remove 'em!

One thing about iPhoto -- it still works, but you need THE FINAL VERSION of iPhoto, which is version 9.6.1. This is THE ONLY VERSION that runs on releases of the Mac OS that contain "Photos".

I know of two ways to get it:
First way:
- first, you have to MOVE or DELETE any version of iPhoto that is "previous to" 9.6.1 from the Applications folder, and then...
- ... go to the App store, go to "purchases", click previously "bought" (you didn't pay for iPhoto, but it may be there anyway), and choose to RE-download iPhoto
- this may give you 9.6.1 (the above is not guaranteed to work)

If the above method for getting iPhoto 9.6.1 doesn't work, then the only way you can get it is to do so from (cough... choke!) "unauthorized" downloading sources. No problems with that here. If Apple won't make it easy for you to get, get it any way that you can!

 

[Gregg2]

Spacers make a big difference

How do you create a space?

 

[brookter1]

I have the Dock on the right (seems daft having it take up horizontal space when the screen is wider than it is tall) and on the second smallest size. Not that it matters too much because then I turn hiding on and forget about it for days at a time.

Cmd-space and the first couple of letters of the application is much easier to use than faffing around with mice/trackpads. The Dock is occasionally useful, but it shouldn't take up any screen space normally. Cmd-opt-d brings it up if I want it.

 

[Gregg2]

I have the Dock on the right (seems daft having it take up horizontal space when the screen is wider than it is tall) and on the second smallest size. Not that it matters too much because then I turn hiding on and forget about it for days at a time.

Since, as you say, it doesn't matter too much with hiding turned on, it makes a lot of sense to have it at the bottom to take advantage of the wider screen making the icons larger than they would be if crammed on to the side over a shorter vertical.

 

[MacGizmo]

How do you create a space?

Easiest way is with an app like Deeper (free).

 

[Gigster]

I have it at the bottom and hidden. That way I can have apps take up the entire screen and I can open new apps without needing to minimise the current app.

 

[Gregg2]

Easiest way is with an app like Deeper (free).

Interesting. Same developer as for OnyX. Specific version for every major OS, just like OnyX. (If I remember, I might download it when I upgrade to High Sierra.)

 

[MacGizmo]

Interesting. Same developer as for OnyX. Specific version for every major OS, just like OnyX. (If I remember, I might download it when I upgrade to High Sierra.)

That's because it IS Onyx—with everything but the customizing parts stripped out. The guy also makes a third app that is Onyx with the customizing parts stripped out and leaving only the maintenance parts in.

 

[rafark]

Large icons, magnifying glass and only the essential apps I use everyday.

 

[TiggrToo]

OK, I'm probably missing something bloody obvious, but... now I've got OnyX installed, just how the devil do I add spacers to the dock?

 

[noreply]

This is mine.

I only put what I use there.
Big icons because I like icons and better readability.
Order comes according to in which space each app is located. So, apps located in the left side of the dock open inside a space located in the left side of the spaces "dock", and so on. And that order is given according to my workflow.
The first stacks are common folders. Then the other two are my downloads folder at the rightmost side, and the folder where my desktop clutter is moved each night automatically (Hazel.app).
[doublepost=1511158611][/doublepost]Also, I use the "bigger text" for my screen resolution. I find it to be a better scale for humans!

 

[MacGizmo]

OK, I'm probably missing something bloody obvious, but... now I've got OnyX installed, just how the devil do I add spacers to the dock?

Go to the Parameters area and click the Dock Tab, it's the item at the bottom. Clicking LEFT will add a spacer in the app area of the Dock, RIGHT will add a spacer to the files & folders side of the Dock.

 

[z970]

 

[Gregg2]

Great tip about adding spaces between groups of icons in the Dock. I didn't know that was part of OnyX. Thanks!

 

[adrianlondon]

Mine's on the left.

Spacers added by a terminal command (can be run multiple times to get more spaces):

> defaults write com.apple.dock persistent-apps -array-add '{tile-data={}; tile-type="spacer-tile";}'

 

[qawes]

I hide it.

 

[tarsins]

Dock and Menubar hidden on both my Macs. I like a clean screen.

 

[z970]