The features you'll actually use.
Pops
Group anything.
Apps, files, folders, and links — together in one Pop you open from the Dock.
Dock icons
Each Pop, its own icon.
Pin any Pop to the Dock and click straight into it — no carousel, no menus.
Files & Folders
Browse files and folders.
Open files, drill into folders, and Quick Look anything with Space — all without leaving the Pop.
Drag & Drop
Drag it onto the Dock.
Drop apps, files, or folders from Finder straight onto a Pop's Dock icon to add them — then reorder right in the popover.
Customize
Make it yours.
Colors, custom Dock icons, grid density, hover, and sizes. Pick a color to see it change.
See all 50+ features
🖱️ Dock Icon & Access
- Click the DockPops icon to open a popover of apps and files
- Pops work with Dock on bottom, left, or right side of screen
- Dynamic Icon — Dock icon shows a live grid of your active Pop's apps
- ProAdjustable grid density (Auto / 2×2 / 3×3 / 4×4)
- Pro4 premium app icon variants — Amber, Blue, Slate, Violet
🔗 Multiple Dock Icons
- Every Pop becomes a Siri & Spotlight shortcut — "Show [Pop Name] in DockPops"
- Pin Pops to your Dock via the free DockPops Companion app (recommended)
- Or via macOS Shortcuts — guided 4-step walkthrough in the app
- Dynamic Icon works on every linked Pop
🚀 Launch Apps, Files & Folders
- Click an app icon to launch it
- Click a file icon to open the file
- Files and folders show rich QuickLook thumbnail previews
- ProClick a folder to browse its contents inside the Pop
- Pro"Open in Finder" cell at the end of every folder
- Pro"Open All" launches every item in a Pop simultaneously
- ProArm-then-confirm step before Open All (global toggle)
👀 Quick Look & Keyboard
- Press Space over any file for an inline Quick Look preview
- Arrow keys move between items inside a Pop
- Enter opens the focused item
- Esc closes the preview, drills out, or closes the Pop
- Preview header — Reveal in Finder, Open in default app, Close
- ProPopover resizes to fit folders with lots of items
📺 Menu Bar Mode
- Run DockPops from the menu bar instead of the Dock
- Choose: a click opens your Pop carousel, or a quick menu
- Per-Pop color extends through the menu-bar popover
- Companion Poplets open instantly — no Dock flash
⭐ Premium Features
🧠 SmartyPops
- ProSwipe, dismiss, and regenerate SmartyPop previews
- ProSave SmartyPop suggestions to your Pops
📌 Pop Out Windows
- ProPop Out any Pop as a floating, always-on-top window
- ProLaunch items directly from Pop Out windows
👆 Pop Carousel
- Swipe between 2 Pops
- Show up to 6 apps
- Navigation arrows and clickable page dots
- Change animation speed (Slow / Medium / Fast)
- ProSwipe between 20 Pops
- ProShow up to 25 apps, files or folders
- ProSort items Alphabetically, by Most Used or Recently Added
- ProHide Pops from the carousel — keep them as Dock icons only
🤏 Drag & Drop Pop
- Drag apps from Finder onto the DockPops icon to add to the active Pop
- Drag onto any Pop's Dock icon to add to that specific Pop
- Spring-load — drag-hover a Pop's icon to open it, then drop inside
- Reorder items inside an open Pop by dragging — no Organizer needed
- Remove items by dragging them off the Pop popover
- Save links from any app via the Share extension
- ProDrag files and folders from Finder (premium content types)
- ProPop picker when dragging into multiple Pops
- ProDrag multiple items from Finder at once
🔍 App Browser
- + button and Browse button open the App Browser
- Live search bar
- Category filters
- Sort & filter apps
- Click an app to add or remove from current Pop
- Pro"Not in Any Pop" filter
- Pro"Recently Installed" filter
🗂️ Organizing Pops
- Reorder items by dragging within the editor grid
- Remove icons from browser or Pop preview
- Rename Pops by swiping right on the name or clicking it on the Pop preview
- Reorder Pops by dragging in the sidebar
- Swipe and right-click for rename and delete
- Create a new Pop from the button or ⌘N
- Item count and limit
🔒 Private by Design
- No data collection — zero analytics, zero tracking
- No network access — everything runs locally on your Mac
- Fully sandboxed with minimal permissions
✨ And More
- Now in German and Spanish
- Built-in Help guide, right inside the app
- Easy onboarding with starter Pop templates
- Right-click actions on Dock icon
- Reduce Motion respected — no spring animations
- Light and dark mode support
- Access Settings via ⌘, or gear button
- "Launch at login" toggle
Download Free. Upgrade Once.
Free
DockPops
Free forever
- ✓2 Pops
- ✓6 apps per Pop
- ✓Swipe between Pops
- ✓Quick Look any file with Space
- ✓Keyboard navigation
- ✓Run from the Dock or Menu Bar
- ✓Drag apps from Finder onto your Dock icon
- ✓Reorder & remove inside the Pop
- ✓Light & dark mode
LIFETIME
Premium
$1.99one time
No subscription. Ever.
- ✓Up to 20 Pops
- ✓25 items per Pop
- ✓Apps, files, and folders in any Pop
- ✓Drill into folders without leaving the Pop
- ✓Customize each Pop's Dock icon (color, grid density, variant)
- ✓Per-Pop color for the popover
- ✓SmartyPops — on-device AI
- ✓Open All & Sort
- ✓Pop out into floating windows
- ✓Hide Pops from the carousel
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about DockPops, the Companion app, pricing, and privacy.
Do I need the Companion app for multiple Dock icons?
Only with the Mac App Store version. App Store apps are sandboxed, and macOS won't let a single sandboxed app add more than one Dock icon — so DockPops Companion, a free sibling app, provides each extra Dock tile (install one per Pop). The direct download isn't sandboxed, so it creates the extra Dock icons itself — no Companion app needed. Either way, the main DockPops app runs everything.
What's the difference between DockPops and macOS Dock folders (Stacks)?
Stacks just show what's inside a real folder on disk — useful for Downloads, awkward for grouping apps by intent. You can't easily build "my Office apps" or "my Creative apps" without making throwaway folders of aliases. DockPops lets you curate Pops by use case: drag any mix of apps, files, and folders into a Pop, name it, and access it from your Dock. Multiple Pops, swipeable, with Quick Look and keyboard navigation built in.
Is DockPops a replacement for Launchpad?
macOS 26 (Tahoe) removed Launchpad. DockPops covers a similar use case — a grid of apps you click from your Dock — but you build each Pop yourself: pick the apps, files, and folders, name it, and add as many Pops as you want. Multiple Pops, swipeable. Works on macOS 14, 15, and 26.
How is DockPops different from Alfred, Raycast, or Spotlight?
Alfred, Raycast, and Spotlight are hotkey-driven search overlays — invisible until you summon them. DockPops sits in your Dock, always visible. You curate Pops (named buckets of apps, files, and folders) instead of searching. Different mental model: pre-organized one click away, not search-and-find. Many users keep both.
What do I get for $1.99?
One-time purchase, no subscription. Premium unlocks up to 20 Pops with 25 items each, files and folders in any Pop, folder browsing, custom Dock icons per Pop, SmartyPops AI suggestions, sort modes, Pop Out floating windows, and more. Free DockPops gives you 2 Pops with 6 apps each — enough to try the core feel.
Does DockPops collect data about me?
No. Zero analytics, zero tracking, no network access. Everything runs locally on your Mac, fully sandboxed. SmartyPops AI suggestions run on-device via Apple Intelligence — nothing leaves your machine. The Companion app talks to DockPops locally through a shared container; no servers, no telemetry.
Can I add files and folders to the free version?
Adding files and folders to a Pop is a Premium feature — the free tier supports adding apps only. Once a file is in a Pop, opening it and Quick Look preview work the same on either tier; the gate is on the "add" action, not on file use. Free DockPops gives you 2 Pops with up to 6 apps each.
What is SmartyPops?
SmartyPops is on-device AI that suggests apps you might want in each Pop, based on what's already there and how you use your Mac. It runs entirely on your machine via Apple Intelligence — no cloud, no data sharing. Requires macOS 26 or later and Apple Intelligence-compatible hardware. Premium-tier feature.
What macOS versions does DockPops support?
DockPops requires macOS Sonoma (14) or later. The app supports macOS 14, 15, and 26, with features like Quick Look, Liquid Glass UI elements, and Apple Intelligence integration matched to the system version. SmartyPops on-device AI requires macOS 26 or later.