Apple Mac OS X: Additional Features of the Dock

This information is a little old I know, but most of it is still reliant and can be very useful.

The Dock offers useful controls and menus that may not be immediately apparent. You access these additional features by using different combinations of modifier keys (such as Option, Control) with different types of mouse clicks (click/release versus press and hold).

How to read mouse clicks, key combinations

The terms click and press are used to express nuance in using your mouse.

A normal click is when you activate your mouse button and release it as quickly as possible afterwards.

To press the mouse button means that you should hold the button down until the desired action happens, which may be after a delay of a fraction of a second.

Drag means to move your mouse while pressing.

If you press and hold the Control key while clicking your mouse button, you have just performed a Control-click. When the name of a key or keys precedes the word "click," and are connected by hyphens, that means you should press and hold those keys before you click, then release them after clicking. So if you see "Option-Control-press", then you would press and hold both the Option and Control keys, and while still holding them press and hold the mouse button. Some of the combinations below do not use the mouse.

Mouse clicks and key combinations for the Dock

* Click Brings the item forward, or opens it if not already open. Brings minimized windows out of the Dock.

* Control-click Reveals contextual menu for item. Menu choices vary per application or file. When used on Dock separator, it reveals Dock preferences. There you can turn magnification and hiding on or off, change the position of the Dock on screen, and change the minimization effect. Choose Dock Preferences to see more options.

* Command-click Reveals the original item in the Finder.

* Control-Option-click Force Quit replaces Quit in contextual menu. Menu choices vary per application or file.

* Command-Option-click Hides other open items, in addition to click action.

* Press Reveals contextual menu for item. Menu choices vary per application or file.

* Option-press Force Quit replaces Quit in menu, in addition to press action.

* Shift-click This applies to minimized windows only. The item is de-minimized in slow motion. You can see the item minimized in slow motion by pressing Shift while minimizing it.

* Shift-drag When used on Dock separator, changes Dock position on screen (left, bottom, right). * Option-drag When used on Dock separator, resizes Dock to common icon sizes (128 by 128, 64 by 64, 32 by 32, 16 by 16).

* Command-Tab Cycle forward through open applications (Application Switcher). Keep the Command key pressed continuously, while pressing and releasing the Tab key as desired.

* Command-Shift-Tab Cycle backward through open applications (Application Switcher). Keep the Command key pressed continuously, while pressing and releasing the Tab and Shift keys as desired.

* Command-H Hides an application that you have selected via Application Switcher. The Command key must be held continuously from the time your selection is made until you press H. After hiding an application, you must select another via Application Switcher, or it will return to the foreground when you release Command.

* Command-Q Quit an application. This is a common key combination independent of the Dock, but it may be useful with Application Switcher.

* Command-Option-D Hide or Show the Dock. This is equivalent of choosing Dock from the Apple menu and then Turn Hiding On or Turn Hiding Off from the submenu.

Notes

1. Open or "running" items appear in the Dock with a black triangle.

2. With a compatible multi-button mouse, the default behavior of the right button is equivalent to a Control-click.

3. Once a contextual menu opens in the Dock (whether by Control-click or by pressing), you can use the up and down cursor keys to make a selection. After making the selection, press Return, Enter, or the mouse button to execute it.