Remove an app icon from your Mac's Dock

Why it happens

Apps you keep in the Dock are set to Keep in Dock. Removing one only takes away the shortcut: the app stays on your Mac and you can still open it from Applications or Spotlight. A running app always shows in the Dock while it's open, so its icon stays until you quit it.

How to fix it

1. If the app is open, quit it first. Click its icon, then press Command-Q.

2. Right-click (or Control-click) the app's icon in the Dock. Choose Options, then Remove from Dock.

   Dock›right-click app icon›Options›Remove from Dock

3. Or drag the icon up and away from the Dock. When the word Remove appears above it, let go, and the icon disappears.

4. Removed one by mistake? Open the app from your Applications folder, right-click its Dock icon and choose Options > Keep in Dock.

Still not fixed?

1. If the icon keeps coming back, check whether it's in the recent apps part of the Dock, past the divider line. Turn off Show suggested and recent apps in Dock to stop those.

   Desktop & Dock›Dock›Show suggested and recent apps in Dock

2. If you see Keep in Dock with a tick but no Remove from Dock, the app is still open. Untick Keep in Dock, then quit the app, and its icon goes.

3. Finder and the Trash are part of the Dock and can't be removed. Every other app can.

4. If dragging and the menu do nothing at all, your Dock may be locked by a school or company that manages the Mac, so ask them. If the Mac isn't managed and icons still won't go after a restart, contact Apple Support.