Remove the 'recent apps' section from the Dock — via Apple Support

Hidden settinglow riskmacOS 14 Sonoma and later

macOS adds a few recently used apps to the right side of the Dock, so it keeps changing size and icons move around. Turning this off keeps the Dock to just the apps you pinned plus the ones that are open.

Relaunch the app it changes (Finder, Dock…) to see it

The easy way

The easy way: System Settings > Desktop & Dock and turn off Show suggested and recent apps in Dock.
Or in Terminal run the command.

Command

Run in Terminal (Applications › Utilities).

defaults write com.apple.dock show-recents -bool false; killall Dock

Undo

defaults delete com.apple.dock show-recents; killall Dock

Sources

Change Desktop & Dock settings on Mac — by Apple Support
Show recents — by Yann Bertrand, macos-defaults.com

Source reviewed: 2026-11-02
Link checked: 2026-11-02
Tested hands-on: Not by Oddbyte.Me

Oddbyte.Me hasn't tried this on every macOS version, so keep the undo handy.

dockrecent appssuggested appsclean dock

Stop windows flying away when you click the wallpaper — via Apple Support

Hidden settinglow risk

Since macOS Sonoma, clicking the desktop wallpaper can sweep every window aside to reveal the desktop. If that keeps happening by accident, you can limit it to Stage Manager only.

Make a hidden Dock pop up instantly — via Yann Bertrand, macos-defaults.com

Commandlow risk

If you auto-hide the Dock to save screen space, macOS waits a moment before showing it and then slides it in slowly. Two hidden Dock settings remove the wait and speed up the animation, so the Dock appears the instant your pointer hits the edge.

Show seconds (and more) in the menu bar clock — via Apple Support