--- title: "How to Set Up Moor on Your Mac: The Complete First-Run Guide" url: https://moorapp.com/blog/how-to-set-up-moor-dock publisher: Moor by Bayou Applications LLC (https://moorapp.com/) published: 2026-10-16 updated: 2026-10-16 --- # How to Set Up Moor on Your Mac: The Complete First-Run Guide To set up Moor, download it from moorapp.com/download, drag it into Applications and open it. A three-step setup guide saves your current Dock first. Then you pick Moor's dock or Apple's Dock (Both is in Settings → Profiles) and allow one permission, Accessibility, for badges and minimized windows. To undo it all, choose Restore Original Dock in the menu bar or just quit Moor. Replacing the Dock can feel risky, since you use it all day. This guide explains what Moor changes on your Mac, what it saves before changing anything, and how to put things back. Read it once and you'll know what each screen does before you click. ## Step 1: Check what you need, then install Moor needs **macOS 26 (Tahoe) or later**, on Apple silicon or Intel. You get 14 days free with every feature, no card needed. After that it's $29 once for all your own Macs. Here's what the first run changes: - **Your current Dock is saved first.** That covers its apps, folders and every setting, even items Moor doesn't use itself. - **Apple's Dock settings stay where Apple keeps them.** Size, magnification, position and auto-hide are in [System Settings → Desktop & Dock](https://support.apple.com/en-in/guide/mac-help/mchlp1119/mac). If a profile uses Apple's Dock mode, Moor changes the real Dock's apps and settings for you when you switch profiles. - **Your apps aren't modified.** Moor draws its own docks. When a profile shows only Moor's docks, Apple's Dock is hidden. To install: 1. Go to [moorapp.com/download](https://moorapp.com/download). You'll get a disk image named `Moor-.dmg`. 2. Open it and drag **Moor** onto the **Applications** shortcut next to it. 3. Open Moor from Applications. Moor is notarized by Apple, so macOS only asks the usual "downloaded from the internet" question. If you opened it straight from the disk image or from Downloads, Moor offers to **move itself to Applications** and reopen from there. Say yes so it can keep itself up to date. Moor lives in the menu bar as a little boat icon. On a MacBook with a camera notch, a crowded menu bar can hide it. Hold Command and drag the icon toward the clock, or open Moor again from Spotlight, which opens its Settings. ## Step 2: The three-step setup guide The setup guide opens on its own the first time you launch Moor. Your Dock is saved **before** anything changes. 1. **Welcome.** Shows what Moor does and how many trial days you have left. Click through. 2. **Which Dock do you want?** Pick a card: **Moor's dock** or **Apple's Dock**. The change happens right away, so you can try both and compare. 3. **You're all set.** If you chose Moor's dock, this is where Moor asks for Accessibility (see the next section). Then it shows where things live. To open the guide again later, go to the menu bar → **Help → Setup Guide…**, or use the link `moor://setup`. ### Moor's dock, Apple's Dock, or both Every Moor [profile](/docs/profiles/) has one of three Dock modes, named **Moor only**, **Apple's Dock** and **Both** in **Settings → Profiles**. The guide's card sets the mode for your first profile: | Mode in Settings → Profiles | Card in the setup guide | What you see | Good for | |---|---|---|---| | **Moor only** | **Moor's dock** (recommended) | A glass dock with widgets, stacks and window previews. It starts with the apps already in your Dock, and Apple's Dock hides. | Anyone who wants widgets, docks on other edges or displays, or matching icon styles | | **Apple's Dock** | **Apple's Dock** | The normal macOS Dock. Moor saves setups of it that you can switch between. | People who like Apple's Dock but want different layouts for work and home | | **Both** | Not in the guide | Apple's Dock stays and Moor's docks appear as well. If both sit on the same edge, Moor offers to move Apple's Dock aside. | Easing into Moor, or adding a slim Moor dock on the side | For **Both**, pick it later in **Settings → Profiles**. Not sure? Start with Moor's dock. If you keep Apple's Dock, you manage its apps the usual way. For example, Control-click a running app and choose [Options → Keep in Dock](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/dock-mh35859/mac). ## Step 3: The one permission Moor asks for If you chose Moor's dock, the guide asks for **Accessibility**. The reason it gives: so the dock can show app badges (like unread counts) and your minimized windows. 1. Click **Allow…** in the setup guide. 2. macOS opens **System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility**. 3. Switch **Moor** on. That's the standard place for Accessibility permissions, and Apple's guide shows how to [turn any app's access on or off there](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/allow-accessibility-apps-to-access-your-mac-mh43185/mac). If you skip it, the dock still works, just without badges or minimized windows. You can turn it on later in Moor's **Settings → Permissions → Accessibility → Turn On**. The same permission also matters for a feature you might add later. The setup guide doesn't mention coding agents, but if you add the Agents widget, Moor's [guide to monitoring AI coding agents](https://moorapp.com/blog/monitor-ai-coding-agents-mac-dock) explains that Accessibility lets Moor badge the app an agent runs in and pick the right window when you jump to a session. The same post says the Agents widget [needs no key or login, and nothing is sent anywhere](https://moorapp.com/blog/monitor-ai-coding-agents-mac-dock). The [Agents](/docs/agents/) page has the details. All other permissions are optional. Moor's **Settings → Permissions** page lists each one and what it's for, and Moor only asks when you turn on a feature that needs it: | Permission | Asked when | |---|---| | Calendar | You add or click the Next Event widget | | Reminders | You choose Reminders in the Reminders or Today's Tasks widget | | Screen Recording | You turn on window previews (Moor never records or saves your screen) | | Notifications | The first time Moor would notify you: an agent finished, a revenue milestone or the evening recap (see [Revenue](/docs/revenue/)), or a Focus Timer phase | | Automation (per app) | The first time Moor talks to that app, for example for Now Playing controls or the Mail peek | ## After setup: make the dock yours Press Control-Option-E, or choose **Edit Docks** in the menu bar. The icons start to wiggle and a toolbar appears above the dock: - **Drag apps in** from Finder, or drag a running app to the spot where you want it pinned. - **Drag icons out** to remove them, or click their **✕**. - Use **Add** for widgets, folders, spacers, dividers and the Trash. Widgets that need a key or a choice show **Set Up**. - Use **Theme** and **Placement** to change the look, the edge and the display. When you're done, press **Done** or Control-Option-E again. The [Docks](/docs/docks/) and [Widgets](/docs/widgets/) pages go into more detail. Some tips for your first week: - **Learn search early.** Control-Option-F finds apps, files in your stacks, agent sessions and profiles. - **Save a second profile.** Choose menu bar → **Manage Profiles → Save Current Dock as New Profile…**, then switch with Control-Option-1 to 9. There's more in [separate Dock setups for work and home](/blog/different-dock-for-work-and-home-mac). - **Using more than one display?** Set **Placement** to "Display with the pointer" or "All displays". See [how to put a dock on every monitor](/blog/mac-dock-on-every-monitor). ## How to undo everything Everything Moor changes can be undone: | You want to | Do this | |---|---| | Undo the last profile switch | Menu bar → **Manage Profiles → Undo Last Switch** | | See Apple's Dock again for now | Quit Moor. Apple's Dock comes back. | | Get your original Dock back for good | Menu bar → **Manage Profiles → Restore Original Dock…**, or **Settings → Advanced → Your Dock**. Your profiles and docks are kept. | | Stop Apple's Dock showing next to Moor's | Set the profile's mode to **Moor only** in **Settings → Profiles** | | Remove Moor completely | **Settings → Advanced → Uninstall…** restores your Dock, removes the login item, can delete Moor's data and keys, and moves the app to the Trash | | Revoke Accessibility | Switch Moor off in [System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/allow-accessibility-apps-to-access-your-mac-mh43185/mac) | If you revoke Accessibility, only the features that depend on it stop working. [Privacy & safety](/docs/privacy-and-safety/) also explains how to restore your Dock. ## Next steps - See the [Moor docs](/docs/) for screenshots of each setup step. - Add a widget you'll check every day, like Next Event for your next meeting. - Set up a second profile and switch between the two with Control-Option-1 and Control-Option-2. Moor has a free 14-day trial at [moorapp.com](https://moorapp.com/). ## Common questions ### Does Moor replace Apple's Dock or run alongside it? You choose. Each Moor profile has one of three Dock modes. In the mode called Moor only (the setup guide's "Moor's dock" card), Apple's Dock hides and Moor's docks appear. In Apple's Dock mode, the macOS Dock stays and Moor switches saved setups of it. Both shows the two together. The guide offers the first two; pick Both later in Settings → Profiles. Quitting Moor always brings Apple's Dock back. ### What permission does Moor need and why? If you choose Moor's dock, the setup guide asks for Accessibility so the dock can show app badges, such as unread counts, and your minimized windows. If you add the Agents widget later, the same permission lets Moor badge the app a coding agent runs in and raise the right window. You grant it in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility. Other permissions are only requested when a feature needs them. ### How do I get my original Dock back after trying Moor? In the menu bar, choose Manage Profiles → Restore Original Dock…, or open Settings → Advanced → Your Dock. Before changing anything, Moor saved your Dock exactly as it was, settings included. Your Moor profiles and docks are kept in case you come back. If you just quit Moor, Apple's Dock also comes back, and it's hidden again when you reopen Moor. ### What macOS version does Moor require, and is it free? Moor requires macOS 26 (Tahoe) or later and runs on both Apple silicon and Intel Macs. It's free for 14 days with every feature and no card needed. After the trial it costs $29 once, with no subscription. That covers all your own Macs and every Moor 1.x update. Refunds are available within 30 days. ### Can I reopen Moor's setup guide later? Yes. Click the Moor icon in the menu bar and choose Help → Setup Guide…, or open the link moor://setup from Terminal, a browser or a launcher like Alfred. This helps if you skipped the Accessibility step or want to try the other Dock choice. The guide also shows where Moor's menus and settings live. ## Sources 1. [Change Desktop & Dock settings on Mac - Apple Support](https://support.apple.com/en-in/guide/mac-help/mchlp1119/mac) 2. [Use the Dock on Mac - Apple Support](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/dock-mh35859/mac) 3. [Allow accessibility apps to access your Mac - Apple Support](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/allow-accessibility-apps-to-access-your-mac-mh43185/mac) 4. [Monitor AI coding agents on your Mac from the Dock with Moor](https://moorapp.com/blog/monitor-ai-coding-agents-mac-dock) 5. [Download Moor](https://moorapp.com/download) 6. [Moor](https://moorapp.com/)