How to Remove Trash From Dock

A few taps and flicks of your fingers can remove trash from your Mac's Dock.

It is impossible within the bounds of the Mac OS X software to remove the "Trash" icon from the Mac's Dock, however you can remove trash in the form of icons you don't want from the Dock. The icons located in your "Download" and "Documents" cue can be considered trash and can therefore be cleaned from the Dock. Essentially anything you consider trash that is not the "Trash" icon or the "Finder" icon can be removed from the Dock.

Things You'll Need

• Macintosh computer

Instructions

1. Navigate through your Dock at the bottom of your Mac's default screen. Choose which icons you wish to treat as trash and discard. Click on the icon with one finger on the Trackpad of the Mac. hold the click motion until a menu appears. Move your finger along the Trackpad until the option "Remove from Dock" is highlighted. Click "Remove from Dock" with one finger. An animation and sound effect will usher your icon from the Dock.

2. Move your mouse arrow to the right side of the Dock where the "Downloads" and "Documents" icons are. Click the "Downloads" icon with one finger. The icon will expand to show its contents. If there are too many files in the folder, you will be given the option to view your remaining files in your "Downloads" folder. Choose which files you wish to treat as trash. Click and hold down on a file you want to trash and drag it onto the "Trash" icon, release the click when the file is on top of the "Trash" icon. A sound byte will confirm the placement of the trash. Repeat until all your trash is taken care of.

3. Click the "Documents" icon with one finger. The icon will expand to show its contents. If there are too many files in the folder, you will be given the option to view your remaining files in your "Documents" folder. Choose which files you wish to treat as trash. Click and hold down on a file you want to trash and drag it onto the "Trash" icon, release the click when the file is on top of the "Trash" icon. A sound byte will confirm the placement of the trash. Repeat until all your trash is taken care of.

References

• The Dock, Dock Exposé, and Stacks