Put a folder or file in your Mac's Dock

Why it happens

The Dock has two parts. Apps sit on the left, and folders, files and the Trash sit on the right, past a thin divider line. A folder dropped among the apps won't stick, which is why dragging sometimes seems not to work.

How to fix it

1. Open a Finder window and find the folder or file you want, for example your Documents folder or a project folder.

2. Find the thin vertical line near the right end of the Dock, close to the Trash. If your Dock is on the side of the screen, the line runs across it instead.

3. Drag the folder onto the Dock, to the right of that line (below it if the Dock is on the side). Other icons slide apart to make room. Let go.

   Dock›right of the divider

4. Click the new icon to see what's inside. Click a folder in that list to open it in Finder.

5. To take it off the Dock, drag the icon up and away from the Dock until Remove shows, then let go. The folder itself stays exactly where it was on your Mac.

Still not fixed?

1. If the folder looks like a fan, grid or a pile of icons and you'd like it different, Control-click it in the Dock. Choose Folder or Stack under Display as, and pick a style under View content as.

2. If the icon won't stay, check you dropped it past the divider. Items dropped among the apps bounce back.

3. Want an app in the Dock instead? Open the app, Control-click its Dock icon and choose Options, then Keep in Dock.

4. If the Dock stops responding to drags, log out and back in, or restart your Mac from the Apple menu.

5. If the Dock still freezes or forgets its items after a restart and a macOS update, contact Apple Support for help checking your user account.