Member Avatar for bugmenot
bugmenot 25 Posting Whiz in Training

Mac OS X Program

Sometimes, you find an application that you really, really like, but when you run it, the icon takes up valuable space in your Dock. With Dock Dodger, you can rid almost any application of its Dock icon, giving you your Dock back.

With Dock Dodger, removing the Dock icon is as easy as Drag and Drop. Simply drag in the application you want to Un-Dock and Dock Dodger takes care of the rest. When you re-launch that application, it will be sans Dock icon. Want the Dock icon back? Just re-drag the application into Dock Dodger and everything's back to normal.

ScreenShot

Totally Freeware!! :D

  • 1 Contributor
  • 0 Replies
  • 203 Views

Dani AI

Generated

Thanks to for surfacing Dock Dodger. A few practical notes and cautionary points for anyone coming across this thread long after it was posted.

Dock Dodger was written for older Mac OS X releases. Modifying an application bundle can interfere with code signing and auto-update mechanisms that appear in later macOS builds; Gatekeeper and System Integrity Protection (SIP) also make bundle edits riskier on modern systems. App Store and signed apps are particularly sensitive — editing a signed bundle may prevent it from launching or from receiving updates.

Recommended precautions and workflow:

  • Make a full copy of the .app bundle (duplicate it in Finder) before any change so the original can be restored.
  • Keep a copy of any modified Info.plist if the tool alters it.
  • Test the procedure first on a non-essential app or a copy, not on a critical utility.
  • If altering the original is undesirable, consider a wrapper/launcher approach: an auxiliary app with the LSUIElement key set hides the Dock icon without changing the original bundle (note: LSUIElement=1 usually also removes the normal menu bar and Cmd-Tab entry).

Quick troubleshooting:

  • Restarting the Dock forces icon updates. In Terminal:
    killall Dock
  • If an icon fails to return after reversing changes, restoring the backup copy or reinstalling the app normally fixes it. If an app stops launching after edits, restore the original bundle and check Console.app for launch errors.

In short: Dock Dodger can be handy on legacy systems, but on modern macOS the safer routes are wrapper/agent techniques or using OS-sanctioned mechanisms. Backups and careful testing are essential to avoid breaking app updates or signing-based protections.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.