Mac 101: Three Dock tips
There's a lot to love about the Mac's user-friendly desktop and one of my favorites is the Dock, otherwise known as "that spot at the bottom of the screen where all the application icons line up." Here are a handful of nifty tricks for the dock that new users might like to know about, and long-time users may have forgotten.
To quickly add an open application to the dock permanently, left click on its icon within the Dock and hold the mouse button down until the context menu appears. Next, select "Keep in Dock." To add a closed app or folder, simply drag it from the Desktop onto the Dock. If you change your mind about any changes you've made, icons can just be dragged off the Dock. The shortcut will disappear in a poof of smoke, but your application or file will remain intact.
To move the Dock from the bottom of the screen and pin it to the left or right side, right click on the Dock's vertical separator bar and select "Dock Preferences." Tick the "position on screen" radio button of your choice and the Dock will pop right over to where you want it.
Is your Dock always getting in your way because it's too big? Are you having trouble identifying the icons because they're too small? Show the Dock who's boss by ordering to be any size you choose. Position your cursor directly over the vertical separator bar and hold down the left mouse button. As you drag the bar, back and forth, the size of the Dock will change from itty-bitty to mega-mondo. When you've got it just the size you want it, release the mouse button and the Dock will stay that size until you change it.
