Without a doubt, one of the most differentiating elements of Apple Mac computers is the dock that includes macOS by default. It is a concept that is increasingly present in other operating systems, which allows you to control the applications and programs that are used at all times on the Mac, as well as the placement of program and folder options in a much more practical and useful way for users.
However, the truth is that it is an aspect that, on certain occasions, can become somewhat uncomfortable, especially when using various applications. Thus, you may find it better to make the dock smaller on your Mac, in such a way that it does not prevent the correct use of the applications at any time.
So you can make your Mac dock smaller
As we mentioned, although it is true that the macOS dock can be very useful on many occasions, the truth is that it can also be annoying. However, in the event that this happens to you, you should not worry, because from Apple they offer the possibility to change the size of the dock without any problem.
In this way, if you are interested in making your Mac dock smaller, just you must follow the following steps to modify its size:
- Open the app System preferences macOS. You can find it in the dock itself if you keep your Mac’s settings by default, or in the Launchpad or through a Spotlight search.
- Once inside, on the settings home screen, select the option Dock and menu bar to access settings.
- Now in the section called Dock, use the slider to resize it, turning counterclockwise until it is the size you select.
- Customize the options to your liking: You can activate settings such as expansion or modify any configuration of the dock to your liking based on all the available options.
In this way, as you may have seen, the process to change the size of the Mac dock is quite simple. In addition, inside there are various customization options that you can try without any problem and that you may be interested in.
Are the settings falling short? So you can make your Mac dock even smaller
Although the settings that macOS includes by default are usually more than sufficient for the vast majority of users, the truth is that if you have a multitude of applications anchored in the dock, it is possible that the smallest size that Apple offers may not be enough for you.
At first, this can be a big problem. Nevertheless, There is a little trick by which you can make your Mac dock smaller to which is allowed by default. In this way, you can make sure that it does not bother you under any circumstances.
The trick in question It is not that simple to carry out, and for this you will need to perform a series of actions through the terminal on your Mac. However, you only need to run a few commands to make your Mac’s dock the perfect size for your own preferences.
If you are interested in carrying it out, first you will have to open the application “Terminal” of your Mac, which you can find by default in the folder Others within the Launchpad, or by performing a Spotlight search. Once inside, you must type or paste the following command to reduce the size of your Mac’s dock, Changing X
by the number you prefer:
defaults write com.apple.dock tilesize -integer X
Regarding the possible values of the X
, it is best to write the number 8
, in such a way that it is not as large as macOS allows by default nor as small make it appear invisible. In the same way, you can write a smaller number if you wish, being 1
a value not recommended because the use is too complicated, and 16
the minimum value that macOS allows by default using the above method, being too large for many.
One time selected the number in question and replaced by X
, to continue you must press the key enter of the computer. And then for the changes to take effect, you must enter this other command, by pressing the key again enter after doing so:
killall Dock
By following the steps and executing the command in question, you will be able to see how your Mac’s Dock is automatically resized, being quite smaller than usual. In case you see that it does not convince you, because it is too small or it is still too large, you can run both commands again by entering a different number in the first one, and with that the dock will change its size again.
On the other hand, In order to have good access to the icons that appear in it, it is quite likely that you will find it interesting to enable the dock expansion. Thus, when you approach it with the mouse pointer of your Mac, you will be able to see how the icons get bigger, being much easier to know what is chosen and the applications that are still open. This is something that you can easily achieve by following the steps in the previous procedure, because on the right side of the settings is the option to enable this setting, as well as to customize it easily.