Mac OS X Mountain Lion The Dock, Launchpad, and Mission Control
Author: mety Labels:: Launchpad, Mac OS X Mountain Lion The Dock, Mission Control
Mac OS X Mountain Lion
The Dock, Launchpad, and Mission Control
The Dock and Launchpad
Watch the video (3:24). Need help?
Two of the most useful features in Mountain Lion are the Dock andLaunchpad. You'll use these features to open your apps and files, and customize your desktop so your favorite items are easy to access. The Dock is available in all versions of OS X, but Launchpad was introduced in Lion.
Watch the video to learn how to use and customize the Dock and Launchpad.
The Dock
The Dock houses shortcuts to your favorite apps, files, and folders, as well as the Trash. You can customize the Dock by reorganizing it, adding or deleting items, and changing settings.
The Dock contains a divider that looks like a solid line. Everything to the left of the divider is an app, and everything to the right is a file or folder. You'll need to keep this in mind when you reorganize the Dock.
The DockTo Reorganize the Dock:
- Add any apps, files, or folders by simply dragging them onto the Dock. For apps, it may be easiest to openLaunchpad, since it contains all of your apps.
Adding an app to the Dock
- Remove any unwanted items from the Dock by dragging them onto the desktop. You cannot remove Finder or the Trash from the Dock.
Removing an app from the Dock
- Finally, rearrange the items on the Dock by dragging them to the desired location.
Rearranging the Dock
Everything on the Dock is a shortcut, so you won't delete anything by removing it from the Dock.
To Customize the Dock Settings:
- Click the divider and drag up or down to change the size of the Dock.
Resizing the Dock
- Right-click the divider to see a menu where you can change options like Hiding, Magnification, Position on Screen and more.
Right-clicking the divider to change options
About Stacks
When you view a folder on the Dock, you may notice that it looks a little bit different from a "normal" folder. That's because the Dock uses a feature called Stacks, which displays the folder contents as a Fan, Grid, or List. Since Stacks are accessible directly from the Dock, they make it easier to open your important files.
Fan
Grid
ListTo Change How Stacks are Displayed:
- Right-click the icon for the Stack that you want to change and select the desired view.
Changing how the Stack is displayed
Launchpad
Launchpad displays all of the apps installed on your Mac. They are arranged into one or more "pages", and you can switch to a different page either by using the arrow keys, by clicking and dragging to the left or right, or by using a swiping gesture (if you have a Magic Mouse or trackpad).To get the most out of Launchpad, you'll probably want to reorganize it. For example, you may want to move all of your favorite apps to the first page so that you can open them more quickly. You can also create folders in Launchpad to house similar apps.To Reorganize Launchpad:
- Click the Launchpad icon on the Dock to open it. Alternatively, you can use a thumb and three-finger pinch(if you have a trackpad).
Opening Launchpad
- You will see icons for each app that is installed on your computer. Click and drag an icon to change the ordering.
Rearranging Launchpad
You can move an icon from one page to another by dragging it to the right or left edge of the screen. The page will turn, and you can drop the icon on the new page.To Create a Folder in Launchpad:
- In Launchpad, click and drag an icon directly onto another icon. The two icons will be placed into a new folder. Once the folder has been created, you can drag more apps into it if you want.
Creating a folder in Launchpad
To Remove a Folder in Launchpad:
- In Launchpad, click on the folder to open it.
An open folder
- Click the Launchpad icon on the Dock to open it. Alternatively, you can use a thumb and three-finger pinch(if you have a trackpad).
Dragging an app out of the folder area
