ActiveDock For Mac

ActiveDock is a minimalist application launcher created as a better and more full-featured option to Apple's macOS dock, with window previews on hovering above app icons, a start menu, and themes.

Moreover, the utility can be utilized much like the default macOS dock, therefore, switching to ActiveDock is an easy task since you will be able to use it just like you would use Apple's dock.

ActiveDock helps you to bring any running app to the foreground and launch any of the apps you've pinned using the Favorites feature with a simple mouse click.

You can customize ActiveDock's looks and behavior according to your needs as it comes with an ample collection of themes, as well as set custom icons for any apps displayed on the dock, and the start menu, the trash, and the "Show Desktop" dock applets.

You can also configure ActiveDock to hide any apps you don't need fast access too by adding them to the Excluded Apps list. Even though they will be hidden from the dock, the apps can still be accessed from the "Excluded Apps List" entry in the right-click contextual menu.

ActiveDock's contextual menu also makes it very simple to tweak the icon size effortlessly, and to change the dock's position to the left, bottom, or right side of your Mac's desktop.

Another thing easily customizable is the icons for all the apps displayed in the dock. This can be achieved by going into the "Custom Icons" tab in the app's preferences, select the app you want to change the icon for and then load the new icon.

Unfortunately, as a downside, the ability to move the apps in the dock by dragging them around with the mouse is not available yet. However, you can use the previously mentioned Favorites feature from ActiveDock's preferences to pin some apps on the left side of the dock and reorder them as you want.

All things considered, ActiveDock is an excellent alternative to the default macOS dock, especially since it comes with extra features such as window previews, dock themes, and a very handy start menu applet.