MAC
How to remove recent apps from the Dock on a Mac
Real screenshot · MacBook Neo, macOS 27.0.1In short
Open System Settings, click Desktop & Dock and switch off Show suggested and recent apps in Dock, the last switch in the Dock group. Apple says apps you put in the Dock yourself stay.
Well, it is a little odd when the Dock keeps rearranging itself as if it cannot decide which apps it likes best this week. The Dock can show suggested and recently opened apps that are not already in it, toward one end of the Dock. The good news is that one switch in System Settings removes it.
3 of 3 steps show a real screenshot from our MacBook Neo.
Steps
- 1
Open System Settings
Click the Apple menu in the top left corner of the screen and choose System Settings.
- 2
Click Desktop & Dock in the sidebar
In the sidebar, click Desktop & Dock. On our MacBook Neo it sits between Appearance and Displays.
- 3
Switch off Show suggested and recent apps in Dock
It is the last switch in the Dock group, just below Show indicators for open applications. On our MacBook Neo it was on.
Click it so it turns grey. The suggested and recent apps then leave the Dock.
If you do not see this option
- Desktop & Dock is not in the sidebar Scroll down the sidebar. On our MacBook Neo the row is below Appearance.
- You only find Show recent apps in Stage Manager That switch is further down, in the Desktop & Stage Manager group, and controls Stage Manager, not the Dock. Scroll up to the Dock group.
If this does not work
- Some apps are still in the Dock Apple says the switch only covers suggested and recently opened apps that aren't already included in the Dock.
- The dots under apps disappeared instead You switched off Show indicators for open applications, the switch just above. It is an easy slip, because the two sit right next to each other. Turn it back on and switch off Show suggested and recent apps in Dock.
- Want to keep one of the recent apps? Apple says to Control-click the app's icon in the Dock, then choose Options, Keep in Dock. It then stays in the main part of the Dock even with the switch off.
- An app still appears while it is open? Every open app shows in the Dock while it runs, whether you added it or not. It leaves again when you quit it.
- Want to remove an app you added yourself? Apple says to drag the item out of the Dock until Remove is shown. Only the alias is removed; the app itself stays on your Mac.
Good to know
On our MacBook Neo the Dock group also holds Dock position on screen (Bottom), Minimized window animation (Genie Effect) and Automatically hide and show the Dock (off).
To make the Dock itself vanish when not needed: how to hide the Dock automatically on a Mac.
With the section gone, the Dock no longer shows suggested and recently opened apps that aren't already included in it. To bring the section back, switch Show suggested and recent apps in Dock on again.
If the aim is to get rid of an app completely rather than just its Dock icon, see how to uninstall apps on a Mac.
macOS 27 compared with macOS 26: We rewrote steps 2 and 3 to match the macOS 27 screens. The macOS 26 page keeps the steps and screenshots as they were.
Version history: the macOS 26 version of this guide, with its own screenshots.
About this guide
- Device
- Mac
- Shown on
- macOS 27.0.1 (MacBook Neo)
- App
- System Settings
- Real screenshots
- 3 of 3 steps
- Checked
- October 2026
- Sources
- 1 official, linked below
Sources
Links checked October 2026. Menus and features can change with updates.Did this guide work for you?
Sorry about that. What happened?