Dock Groups for Mac

DockGroups is a native macOS app (SwiftUI + AppKit) that turns your Dock into a launcher for workflows, not just individual apps. Instead of one endless row of icons, you organize apps into named, emoji-tagged groups — "Dev Setup," "Design Mode," "Deep Focus" — and then start and stop entire groups with a single click. It does not replace or modify the system Dock, requires no special permissions for its core features, and keeps all your data in local files on your Mac.

It runs on macOS 14 Sonoma through macOS 26 Tahoe, on both Apple Silicon and Intel, and updates itself via signed Sparkle releases.

Core Features

App Groups

• Organize apps into named groups, each with a custom emoji icon, stored by bundle ID.
• Pin important groups to the top of the sidebar.
• Create and delete groups directly from the main panel — no detour into Settings.
• Default starter groups (Work, Creative, Utilities) appear on first launch.
• Group data is saved atomically with owner-only file permissions, and the app tolerates missing fields so updates never wipe your groups.

The Floating Panel

• A panel anchored next to your Dock that positions itself correctly whether your Dock sits at the bottom, left, or right of the screen.
• Opens from the Dock icon or the menu bar; closes automatically when it loses focus.
• A collapsible sidebar toggles between full labels (with shortcut badges) and a compact icon-only rail.
• Frosted-glass or solid panel style, plus System / Light / Dark themes.

Open All / Close All — the signature feature

• Open All launches every app in a group with a small stagger (so macOS doesn't choke on simultaneous launches).
• Close All does the reverse, and this is something no competing dock app offers:
  • Plain click → hides every app in the group
  ⌥-click → quits them gracefully ⌘-click → force-quits them
• Live indicators show which apps in a group are currently running, and clicking a running app restores its windows — including minimized ones.

Most Used (dynamic group)

• A self-maintaining group showing your top 10 most-launched apps.
• Tracks launches passively system-wide with no permissions required, and excludes system processes.

In-Panel App Management

• Add and remove apps right in the panel grid.
• Drag to reorder apps within a group.
• Right-click any app for Quit, Force Quit, or Show in Finder.

Keyboard Shortcuts

• ⌘1–9 switches groups inside the panel.
• ⌥⇧1–9 are true system-wide hotkeys that work even in full-screen apps — with no Accessibility or Input Monitoring permissions needed.
• Shortcuts are fully remappable, with conflict detection and inline badges.

Menu Bar Mode

• An optional menu bar icon for quick access without using the Dock.

Privacy & Auto-Update

• All your data (groups, usage stats) stays local — no cloud, no accounts.
• The only optional network signal is anonymous update statistics (app version, build, macOS version — no IP, no identifiers), which you can turn off in Settings → Updates.
• Updates are cryptographically signed and verified on your Mac; the app ships with an Apple privacy manifest declaring no tracking.

What Pro actually unlocks

• Unlimited groups. Free is capped at 2 groups (though each can hold unlimited apps). Pro removes the cap.
• Standalone Mode. Any group can be detached as its own pinned Dock icon — a self-contained little app bundle that lives in ~/Applications/DockGroups Groups/. It opens straight into that one group (no sidebar, no tabs), and stays in live sync with the main app: rename the group or change its emoji and the Dock icon rebuilds itself automatically. Crucially, this requires no companion/helper app — a pain point in competing apps where multiple Dock icons mean a second download.