DockPresetSwitcher

Save your Dock layout. Switch it back in a keystroke.

A macOS menu bar app that saves your current Dock (apps, folders, order) as a named preset and switches between presets with a click or a global hotkey.

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Contents

• Features
• Install as a Standalone App
• Build & Run
• Usage
• How It Works
• Known Limitations
• License

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Features

• Unlimited presets – save, apply, and delete as many Dock layouts as you want.
• Global hotkeys – assign a shortcut per preset, works even while the app is in the background.
• Menu bar only – no Dock icon, no Cmd+Tab entry, stays out of your way.
• No network, no dependencies – pure Foundation/AppKit/Carbon, nothing phones home.

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Install as a Standalone App

./Scripts/build-app.sh
cp -R dist/DockPresetSwitcher.app /Applications/

Builds an ad-hoc signed .app bundle, no terminal needed to run it afterwards.

To also start it automatically at login:

./Scripts/install-login-item.sh

This installs a LaunchAgent at ~/Library/LaunchAgents/de.maxsauerwein.dockpresetswitcher.plist. To remove it:

launchctl unload ~/Library/LaunchAgents/de.maxsauerwein.dockpresetswitcher.plist
rm ~/Library/LaunchAgents/de.maxsauerwein.dockpresetswitcher.plist

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Build & Run

Requires the Xcode Command Line Tools (xcode-select -p should print a path).

swift run

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Usage

1. Set up your Dock the way you want to save it.
2. Menu bar icon → "Save Current Dock as Preset…" → give it a name.
3. Click a preset in the menu to apply it anytime.
4. Preset submenu → "Assign Shortcut…" → press a key combo (needs at least one modifier: ⌘/⌥/⌃/⇧). The shortcut then switches the Dock globally, even while another app is in the foreground.

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How It Works

Aspect	Detail
Storage	~/Library/Application Support/DockPresetSwitcher/
Presets	Presets/<name>.plist, a full export of the com.apple.dock preferences domain
Hotkeys	hotkeys.json, maps preset name → shortcut
Applying a preset	defaults import com.apple.dock <preset>.plist, then killall Dock
Global shortcuts	Carbon RegisterEventHotKey/InstallEventHandler, needs no Accessibility or Input Monitoring permission

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Known Limitations

• Only ad-hoc signed (codesign --sign -), no Developer ID certificate. Distributing to other machines would need a real certificate and notarization, or Gatekeeper will warn.
• Presets only capture what defaults export com.apple.dock returns (Dock items, size, position, etc.), not window or Space state.
• Switching presets restarts Dock.app, which causes a brief flicker. This is a macOS limitation, not something the app can avoid.

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License

Released under the MIT License.