Build a Clean Dock Profile for Presenting and Screen Sharing on Mac

Why presenting needs its own Dock

You start a screen share and everyone sees your whole Dock: a dozen apps you won't touch, a few unread badges, maybe a sales widget. You don't need any of it for the demo, and some of it is private.

There are two separate fixes, and people mix them up. Quieting keeps your layout and mutes the noise (badges, banners, numbers). Swapping puts a different, smaller Dock on screen, and you swap back when you're done. This guide is about swapping. Further down there's a table to help you pick between the two.

What macOS gives you, and where it stops

Apple keeps every Dock option in System Settings → Desktop & Dock (Apple Support). On macOS 26 Tahoe, size, magnification, position, auto-hide and recent apps all stay there (Dockgroups). Those settings are global. You can't save a second set of them.

The quickest built-in trick is Command-Option-D. It switches Automatically hide and show the Dock on or off, and it changes the real setting, so the change is still there after a restart (Mainspring). That means you have to remember to press it again afterward. If the shortcut clashes with another app, change it in System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts → Launchpad & Dock under "Turn Dock Hiding On/Off" (Mainspring).

Focus is the other half of macOS's answer, and it only handles notifications. You can set a Focus to turn on when an app like Zoom opens (EverydayUX). Tahoe also added triggers for displays, power, Wi-Fi and battery (Let's Suite). None of these touch your Dock's icons.

A word of caution about Terminal

Terminal can empty the Dock, but it's a poor fit for presenting, and we don't recommend it as a routine. defaults write com.apple.dock persistent-apps -array followed by killall Dock clears every pinned app (Mac Install Guide). Undoing it is where people get hurt: defaults delete com.apple.dock persistent-apps brings back Apple's default apps, not yours (Stilldock).

Don't reach for the "full reset" one-liner, defaults delete com.apple.dock, as a quick fix before a demo. It deletes the whole Dock preferences domain, and that also wipes your hot corners and several Mission Control settings, because they live in the same place (ShortcutDock). If you experiment with Terminal at all, first save a backup with defaults export com.apple.dock ~/Desktop/dock-backup.plist (ShortcutDock).

Some small apps exist just for saving Dock layouts. DockProfiles, for example, is pay what you want, switches between saved layouts with one click using dockutil and standard macOS APIs, and needs macOS 13 or later. It's distributed outside the App Store, so on first launch you right-click it and choose Open to get past the security prompt (Gumroad).

Build the presenting profile in Moor

In Moor, a profile is a whole Dock setup: Apple's Dock, Moor's docks, or both. Moor saves your original Dock before it changes anything, and quitting Moor always brings Apple's Dock back. You can't lose your normal setup by trying this.

1. Save your everyday setup first. Open Moor's menu bar menu (the little boat), go to Manage Profiles and save what you have now as a profile, so you have something to switch back to.
2. Add a profile called "Presenting" in Settings → Profiles, and set it to use Moor's docks only. That hides Apple's Dock while the profile is on.
3. Give it its own dock. In Settings → Docks, look at Used by for each dock. If your main dock is shared with this profile, editing it here would change your everyday setup too, so make a new dock for Presenting. If Edit on Screen is grey, the line under it explains why. Choose Use in Active Profile if it offers that.
4. Trim it. Press Control-Option-E. Drag off every widget and app you won't show, or click its ✕. Use the Add to your docks panel to add only the apps you'll demo, plus the Trash.
5. Pick a calm look. In the toolbar, open Theme and pick something quiet, like Paper or Glass. In Theme → App Icons, Monochrome stops icons from pulling attention.
6. Place it. In Placement, pick the edge and turn on auto-hide if you like. In Settings → Docks, the Behavior options include Hide when an app is fullscreen.
7. Press Done.

Removed something by mistake? Press Command-Z, or click Put back. The Docks documentation covers every editing option.

Switch to it and back

Switching back works the same way: press your everyday profile's number, or open its moor:// link. Details are in Profiles and Automation.

Context Profiles is off until you turn it on. By default it only switches to profiles that use Moor's docks only, which is one more reason to set Presenting up that way. A rule that follows the app in front can switch to Presenting when your demo app comes forward. A calendar-event rule suits a recurring demo slot.

Presenting profile or Meeting mode?

Meeting mode is for everyday calls: you keep your tools, and the private bits go quiet. A presenting profile is for when the Dock itself is part of what people see. The two work together. For more on keeping numbers off screen, see how to hide revenue while screen sharing.

Tips and troubleshooting

• Several displays? In Settings → Docks, set Where it shows to This display and pick a screen you aren't sharing. The dock stays where you can use it but out of the shared picture.
• Keep one number for it. Use the same number for Presenting on every Mac so you never have to think about it. Moor's license covers all your own Macs.
• Stack it with a Focus. Moor changes the dock and Focus mutes notifications. A Focus that turns on with Zoom (EverydayUX) together with a Presenting profile covers both.
• Search still works. Control-Option-F finds any app even when it isn't in the small dock, so a trimmed dock doesn't slow you down mid-demo.
• Apple's Dock came back? Moor was probably quit. Open it again and switch to Presenting.
• Command-Option-D does nothing to Moor's dock. That shortcut changes Apple's auto-hide setting (Mainspring). Moor's docks have their own auto-hide under Placement.

More shortcuts are in Mac Dock keyboard shortcuts. The same profile idea works for separate work and home setups.

Next steps

Build the Presenting profile now, while you have no demo coming up. Then switch to it once and switch back, so the keystroke is already familiar on the day. Add a Context Profiles rule only after the manual switch feels natural.

Moor has a free 14-day trial at moorapp.com.