How to Turn Off Recent Apps in the Mac Dock
Hide suggested and recently used apps from the Dock without removing apps you pinned yourself.
To remove the suggested and recently used apps area from the Mac Dock, turn off Show suggested and recent apps in Dock. This hides that temporary section; it does not remove apps you deliberately keep in the Dock.
Turn off recent and suggested apps
- Open Apple menu > System Settings > Desktop & Dock.
- Scroll to the Dock section.
- Turn off Show suggested and recent apps in Dock.
The Dock should stop adding apps to its recent/suggested area. Apps pinned in your regular Dock section remain there. Apple notes that the Dock can show up to three recently used apps that are not already included.
Keep a specific app in the Dock
If you want one app to stay visible after you quit it, open it, Control-click its Dock icon, then choose Options > Keep in Dock. This is independent of the recent-apps switch. For a fuller explanation of the difference between removing an icon and uninstalling the app, seethis guide.
When should you leave it on?
The recent area is useful if you switch among temporary apps and do not want to pin each one. Turn it off if you prefer a stable Dock or if recently opened apps make its contents feel unpredictable. You can restore it at any time by turning the same setting back on.
See Apple’s current Dock settings guide and Use the Dock on Mac. To adjust size, position, or auto-hide as well, see the broader Dock settings guide.