How to add apps to the Dock on a Mac, and keep them there

How do I add an app to the Dock on a Mac?

Drag it from the Applications folder onto the left part of the Dock, and let go when the other icons move aside. That is the whole job.

1. Open Finder and click Applications in the sidebar, or press ⌘ ⇧ A.
2. Drag the app onto the Dock, to the left of the divider line.
3. Let go when a gap opens.

How do I keep an open app in the Dock?

Right click its icon in the Dock while it is open, choose Options, then Keep in Dock. Without that, an app you only opened disappears from the Dock when you quit it, which is the usual reason an app seems to vanish.

How do I add a folder or a file to the Dock?

Drag it to the right of the divider, next to the Trash. Folders become stacks: click one to fan its contents out. Your Downloads folder is there by default for that reason.

How do I add a website to the Dock?

In Safari, open the site and choose File, Add to Dock. It becomes a web app with its own icon and window. In other browsers, drag the address bar's icon onto the right side of the Dock to keep a link there.

Why does my Mac add apps to the Dock by itself?

That is the Dock's suggested and recent apps section, between the divider lines. It is a setting, and turning it off keeps the Dock to the apps you chose. On our Mac it was off and the Dock held seven apps.

How do I remove an app from the Dock?

Drag it up out of the Dock and hold for a moment until Remove appears, then let go. Or right click, Options, untick Keep in Dock. The app stays installed; only the shortcut goes.

For size, position and magnification, see customising the Dock. If the whole Dock is missing, see the Dock disappeared.

Checked on 16 October 2026 on a MacBook Air (M1) running macOS 27.0.1, by reading the Dock's settings, the labels in System Settings and the keyboard shortcut list. Nothing was changed.