How to show only active apps in Dock on Mac

Mac Dockbar Optimization Guide: Show only running applications

The dock bar of your Mac is the core of the system, from which you can launch Finder, Trash, recently used apps, active apps, and bookmark apps, and even add folders such as Document and Downloads. By default, the Mac dock bar will display more than a dozen Apple-owned applications. Most users will add more applications, but rarely delete any applications, resulting in the dock bar being cluttered and difficult to use effectively.

This article will introduce several ways to help you organize and clean up your Mac dock bar, which can be done in just a few minutes.

Method 1: Manually organize the dock bar

You can manually remove unused applications and keep only commonly used applications.

Remove the application:

1. Right-click on the application icon.
2. Select Options → Remove from Dockbar.

Alternatively, you can drag the application icon directly from the dock bar. For the application you want to keep, select Options → Stay in the dock bar.

Method 2: Use Almighty application

The easiest way to get the Mac dock bar to show only running applications is to use the Almighty app.

Almighty is a powerful utility that contains hundreds of unique shortcuts that are difficult (and sometimes impossible) to execute through the Mac's user interface. You can use this app to quickly customize your Mac and create the perfect process, from hiding any extra items to enabling shortcuts and changing default actions, all in just one click.

Show the currently active application:

1. Start Almighty.
2. Find the Dockbar section in the sidebar.
3. Turn on Show Active Applications Only.

To undo the changes, just turn off this option.

Method 3: Use terminal commands

Another more complex and advanced method is through terminal commands.

Note: Be sure to follow the terminal commands accurately to avoid system errors.

Shows only running applications:

1. Start the terminal from the Utilities folder.
2. Enter: <mark>defaults write com.apple.dock static-only -bool true; killall Dock</mark>
3. Press Enter.

To restore the default dock bar at any time, enter <mark>defaults write com.apple.dock static-only -bool false; killall Dock</mark> in the terminal and press Enter.

Method 4: Use system preference settings to display the most recent applications

In some cases, you may not want the Mac dock bar to show only running applications. For example, when you start your Mac, the dockbar will be empty, which means you must use Spotlight or enter Launchpad to open all applications again. This can be annoying if you restart your Mac frequently.

You may prefer to always easily access the most commonly used applications. The dock bar provides this option – displaying recently used applications.

Keep the recently opened apps:

1. Start System Preferences.
2. Go to Dockbar and Menu Bar.
3. Check "Show recent applications in the dockbar".

Now all common applications are accessible with just one click.

Other docking bar tips

The dockbar is at the heart of everything you do on your Mac, so it's not limited to the default options available in System Preferences.

uBar is an alternative and a more powerful taskbar. It has a clean interface, is powerful, and can be customized in any way. For example, uBar immediately displays application activity, whether it is the progress of songs in Spotify or the download progress of finder. It supports multiple monitors, takes up much less space than a regular dock bar, and has plenty of room to accommodate all folders, and a very useful mini calendar.

Sometimes, you might just want to show the applications running in the dockbar to make sure other applications are closed, thereby improving your Mac's performance. You can use utilities such as Quit All to achieve this.

Quit All is a lightweight utility that shows all open applications at a glance and can quickly exit them with one click (once every or all applications). It is located in the menu bar, takes up no space and runs smoothly.

As you can see, there are many options to display only the active applications in the dockbar, from adjusting some settings in System Preferences to using applications like Terminal Commands or Almighty, you can also completely redesign the dockbar using uBar's custom configuration, or just use Quit All to control all open applications at any time.

Almighty, uBar, and Quit All are available for free for seven days with the Setapp trial, with more than 230 great Mac and iOS applications on the Setapp platform that can meet any task you can think of, from creating a reliable backup (Get Backup Pro) to reading text from any PDF document (Prizmo) to fixing a faulty WiFi network (NetSpot). Trial all Setapp applications for free today and create your own perfect collection.

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