How to Add Apps (and Websites) to the Dock on Mac

To add an app to the Dock on a Mac, drag it from the Applications folder (or the Apps view) onto the Dock, to the left of the separator line. If the app is already open, Control-click its Dock icon and choose Options > Keep in Dock. To add a website, open it in Safari, click the Share button and choose Add to Dock.

Short answer: the steps are below. When the Dock runs out of room, our pick for keeping more apps, websites and folders one click away is Jetty: up to four extra bars on your screen edges, with tabs and tiles for apps, files, folders, websites and Shortcuts. It is a $9.99 one-time purchase on the Mac App Store and needs macOS 14 or later.

Disclosure: I build Jetty.

Add an app to the Dock

Method 1: drag it in

1. Open Finder and go to Applications (or open the Apps view).
2. Drag the app onto the Dock, to the left of (or above, for a side Dock) the separator line next to the recent apps.
3. Release. The Dock makes room and keeps the icon there.

Apple's guide: "Drag apps to the left side of (or above) the line that separates the recently used apps." Only an alias goes in the Dock; the app stays where it was (Apple Support: Use the Dock on Mac).

Method 2: keep an open app

1. Open the app. Its icon appears in the Dock while it runs.
2. Control-click (or right-click) that icon.
3. Choose Options > Keep in Dock.

Drag the icon left or right to put it where you want it.

Add a website to the Dock (Safari web app)

Safari can turn a website into a web app with its own Dock icon. Per Apple's Safari guide (macOS Sonoma 14 and later):

1. Open Safari and go to the website.
2. Click the Share button in the toolbar, then choose Add to Dock.
3. Click Add.

Apple says the icon "is added to the Dock and Spotlight Applications", and the web app "has a simplified toolbar, and you can receive notifications from the web app just like you would from any app." Other browsers have their own install options; check their help pages.

Add a folder or file to the Dock

Drag the folder or file to the right of the separator (or below it on a side Dock). A folder becomes a stack: click it to see its contents. Downloads is there by default as one.

A folder tile on a Jetty bar does a similar job and lists the folder's contents in a popup; see open folders and files in one click.

Remove or rearrange icons

Drag an icon to a new spot to reorder it. To remove one, drag it out of the Dock until Remove appears; the app itself stays installed. All methods are in how to remove apps from the Dock.

When the Dock gets too full: add a bar of your own

The Dock is one row, and every app, website and folder you add shares it.

Jetty gives the overflow its own place:

• Drag apps, files and folders from Finder onto a bar, or use + Add Tile.
• Websites are tiles too. Add a URL; one click opens it in your browser.
• Folders open a list of their contents; click an item to open it.
• Tabs keep a "Work" set and a "Personal" set in one bar.
• Up to four bars on the top, bottom, left or right edge, or floating.

A setup that works: daily apps in the Dock, everything else in a Jetty bar on the top edge. Jetty's bars sit on the main display. For other ways to add a dock, see the best dock apps for Mac.

If the Dock is already crowded, too many apps in your Mac Dock has a short cleanup routine.

How we checked

On 2026-10-10 we read the Apple Support pages linked on this page for the built-in steps, and checked every Jetty detail against the app's source code and its App Store listing, collected on the facts page. I build Jetty.

FAQ

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

Drag the app from the Applications folder to the left side of the Dock's separator line, or open it, Control-click its Dock icon and choose Options > Keep in Dock.

How do I add a website to the Dock on Mac?

In Safari, open the website, click the Share button, choose Add to Dock, then click Add. Apple documents this for macOS Sonoma 14 and later.

Why can't I keep an app in the Dock?

Check that you dragged it to the apps side of the separator, not the files side, or use Options > Keep in Dock while it is open.

How do I remove icons from the Mac Dock?

Drag the icon out of the Dock until Remove appears, or Control-click it and choose Options > Remove from Dock. Details in how to remove apps from the Dock.

What is the best way to keep more apps and websites one click away?

Our pick, in my opinion as its developer, is Jetty: extra bars on your screen edges with tabs, holding apps, files, folders, websites and Shortcuts, so the Dock can stay short.

How do I add a shortcut to the Dock on Mac?

Our pick is a Shortcut tile on a Jetty bar: it runs a named shortcut from Apple's Shortcuts app in one click, next to your app and website tiles (I build Jetty). Apple's own ways to run shortcuts are in the Shortcuts User Guide for Mac.

Get Jetty on the Mac App Store. $9.99 one-time purchase, macOS 14 or later.