When you download an app on Android or Windows, you get an option, or it automatically creates a shortcut on the home screen or the desktop. On Mac too creating a folder or app shortcut is extremely easy. It hardly requires four clicks. We first make an alias and then move it to the desired location.
You can drag any item from the Finder into your Mac's Dock to access it quickly. But this will quickly clutter your Dock with a lot of stuff that you may still access infrequently. Instead, check out this quick tip for the command line that lets you access recently opened documents, apps, servers, and other items. Choose and app and then drag it to the Dock and let go while it hovers over the Dock. If you want to permanently add the app you’re running at the time control-click or right-click on the app icon in the Dock. Select Options from the drop-down menu and click on Keep in Dock. A Mac’s Dock is designed to be a shortcut to apps you use on a regular basis. For Mac power users, and even just anyone with quite a few apps, games, and downloads, the Dock is a. Adding applications: You can add any application to your Dock by simply dragging its icon into the area to the left side of the Dock (that’s to the left side of the vertical dotted line that’s visible in the Dock). You’ll know when you’re in the proper territory because the existing Dock icons obligingly move aside to make a space for it.
You can add shortcuts for folders and apps to the desktop or Dock of your Mac. The first method below is the one I prefer. The second method is also quick, but it at times copies the folder instead of making the shortcut. Anyways, here are two easy ways to create desktop shortcuts on Mac running macOS Catalina.
How to Create Desktop Shortcuts on Mac
Step #1. Decide which folder’s or app’s desktop shortcut you want to create. Find where the folder is located. If you cannot find it, see the end for instructions.
Step #2.Right-click on the folder or app name and click on Make Alias.
Step #3. You will see that a shortcut is immediately created for that folder or app. Press enter key. It has the word alias at the end of the name.
Step #4. Drag this shortcut to your desktop or Dock. You may also copy the shortcut and paste it on the desktop.
This is it!
You have successfully created the desktop shortcut for a folder or app. Now you may quickly use this to open that folder, or launch the app. You may repeat this with as many folders and apps you like.
How To Remove App From Mac Dock
If you wish, you may select the shortcut, press the enter key, and rename it to remove the word ‘alias.’
Finally, if you wish to see the original folder, right-click on the shortcut icon and click on Show Original.
Note 1: Even if you move the original folder to some other location, the shortcut you created still works. Beautiful! Isn’t it.
Note 2: You may use this method to create shortcuts even for files like image, document, zip, music, movie, etc.
Not able to Find the Folder Location?
Finding applications is clear. You click on Finder → Applications, and there you have all your applications. Knowing the location of the Folders you create is also straightforward.
But for some folders, especially system folders like Downloads, Documents, etc. it may be a bit tough to know the path. Here are some ways to know it.
#1. From Sidebar: Launch Finder, place your pointer on the folder name in left Sidebar, and then right-click. Finally, click Show in Enclosing Folder. Now follow the above steps.
#2. Using Path Bar: Be inside Finder and click on View from the menu bar. Now click Show Path Bar. A tab will be added to the bottom of the Finder. It has the location/path for the folder you click or select.
#3. Citra app data mac. Use Spotlight Search: Launch Spotlight Search by clicking the search icon in menu bar or press Command (⌘) + Space Bar. Now type the folder name and then scroll to the bottom of the search result and click on Show all in Finder… Click on the folder and follow the above steps to make its shortcut.
#4. Use Siri: I do not like Siri on Mac, notably older Macs. Anyways, you may ask Siri on Mac to ‘Show Download Folder’ (or any folder) and then go to the bottom of the result and click on Show all results in Finder… Now you may follow the above steps. Please note that this does not always work.
Create Desktop Shortcuts on Mac Using Drag and Drop
The above method is swift and simple. It is the one I prefer. However, there is an additional way to create folder and app shortcuts on Mac.
Uninstall app on mac mini. Step #1. Be at the location of the folder or app you want to create the shortcut of.
Step #2. Press and hold Option (⌥) + Command (⌘) key together. Do not leave the hold. Now click on the folder or app and drag it to the desktop.
Note: When you use this method, there are chances that you may unwillingly and unknowingly copy or move the folder instead of making its shortcut. Don’t worry. Press Command (⌘) + Z to undo and try again, or use the first method.
Add Folder Shortcuts to Dock on Mac
I recently wrote a post where I explained how to add website shortcuts to Dock on Mac. It is an interesting article. Similarly, you may add shortcuts to your Dock too.
Follow any of the above methods and make the shortcut of the folder or app (you may directly add an app to Dock, but anyway). Now drag that shortcut from Desktop to the rightmost part of Dock (Second left to the Trash icon).
Wrapping up…
These were two easy ways to create shortcut icons on Mac. There is a third method that I know of, which requires Terminal and some command lines. However, it is tricky and beyond the simplicity of the average user. Also, if you change the folder location, the shortcut stops working. So I did not mention this method.
Secondly, on Macs running OS versions before Catalina, you may also click on a Folder or App and then press together Command (⌘) + L. It will instantly make the alias. It works on my old MacBook Pro running macOS Sierra, but on a different MacBook Pro running the latest version of macOS Catalina, this quick method does not seem to work.
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What are your thoughts regarding shortcuts on Mac? Have you used it on Windows? How was the experience there? Share your opinion in the comment section below.
Suraj is a digital marketing expert on the iGB's team. He contributes to the social media section along with tips and tricks for iPhone, Apple Watch. Apart from blogging, he likes to work out as much as he can in his gym and love to listening to retro music.
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Already you must be knowing how to add your favorite app to Dock in the Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite. But how about adding group of apps as an folder in Dock?, like how the ‘Downloads’ folder shows up in the dock. This simple guide shows you how to group your favorite and frequently required apps together and add them to dock in latest Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite.
Adding a single App icon to dock is very simple, you just need to drag and drop in the free space of the dock. Removing an app from dock also easy, you need to drag the app icon from dock and drop into the Trash (Recycle bin).
Always, grouping and categorizing apps in Mac OS X is good and useful, because you can access your most frequent apps quickly from dock itself. Obviously you can’t add every apps to dock separately, the space in the dock is not enough for this purpose.
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How to Group Apps on the Dock – Mac Yosemite
In summary this is what we are going to do; create a folder and move your favorite apps’ aliases (like shortcut in Windows Operating System), then move the folder with these app aliases to the dock- very simple.
![Where is dock on mac Where is dock on mac](/uploads/1/3/4/2/134208882/789006667.jpg)
1) Create a folder; make sure you do not delete it later. We will be moving the required apps shortcuts in to this folder.
2) Now open the ‘Application’ folder (Go –> Applications) and select the apps you need to move to the newly created folder then to the dock as group.
You have to press and hold ‘Command’ key while selecting the apps (it is like holding Ctrl key in Windows OS while selecting the icons).
How To Add Apps To Dock In Mac
3) Now we need to move this selection of icons to the new folder (which we created earlier). DO NOT just drag and drop, if you do like that, the entire apps (including all files of the app) will be moved to the folder. But our purpose is to just copy the aliases ( a small file which refer to original app icon).
![How to add apps to dock in mac computers How to add apps to dock in mac computers](/uploads/1/3/4/2/134208882/832104492.jpg)
Therefore, press and hold ‘Options’ and ‘Command’ key while dragging these apps from Application folder to new folder.
Since the aliases are very small, the copying will be over within few seconds. If it takes longer, then I’m sure something wrong with your move and mostly all files of the apps will be copied now (that is not what we wanted here). Also, make sure the aliases (like shortcuts in Windows OS) mark is there in every icon you have moved.
4) We have done the major part now. Now you can drag and drop the folder to the dock. Make sure you drop near ‘Downloads’ or ‘Trash’ in the dock (extreme right).
https://wfryod.weebly.com/blog/app-mac-idealshare-videogo. You should see the stacked group of apps on your Yosemite Mac OS X dock now.
This is the simple method to group your favorite apps to the dock and manage it properly in Mac OS X 10.10. If these icons look empty, you may need to restart your Mac computer to make it work.
Adding To Dock On Mac
This method is applicable for all Apple computers including MacBook Pro and Mac Pro desktop which running on Yosemite OS X 10.10 or earlier versions such as Mavericks and Mountain Lion.