---
title: "Add Weather, Now Playing and System Stats to Your Mac's Dock"
url: https://moorapp.com/blog/weather-now-playing-system-stats-mac-dock
publisher: Moor by Bayou Applications LLC (https://moorapp.com/)
published: 2026-10-23
updated: 2026-10-23
---

# Add Weather, Now Playing and System Stats to Your Mac's Dock

Apple's Dock can't hold widgets, but a Moor dock can. Press Control-Option-E, choose Add in the toolbar, and pick Weather, Now Playing, Battery, CPU & Memory, Network or Disk. Drag each one into place and press Done. Weather asks for a city or your location. Now Playing asks once for permission to control Music or Spotify. Moor's documentation doesn't list a key or setup for the system widgets. Click any widget for its details.

## Why put this in the Dock at all

Weather, the song that's playing and how your Mac is doing are things many of us check over and over during the day. On a stock Mac they're spread out: a desktop widget, a Control Center module, a separate menu bar monitor. A dock you already look at is a tidier home for all of them.

macOS doesn't offer this itself. Apple's widgets go on the desktop, in Notification Center and on the Lock Screen, and there's [no widget API for the Dock](https://getdockspace.app/blog/best-mac-dock-widgets-2026). To add a native widget you Control-click the wallpaper and choose [Edit Widgets](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/add-and-customize-widgets-mchl52be5da5/mac). On Tahoe, whether they show up depends on the **Show Widgets** toggles (On Desktop and In Stage Manager) in [System Settings → Desktop & Dock](https://derflounder.wordpress.com/2025/09/15/managing-the-desktop-widget-setting-on-macos-tahoe/).

For music, macOS has a Now Playing module you can set to [Always Show in Menu Bar](https://www.theodorehq.com/echo/blog/posts/show-now-playing-in-menu-bar-mac) under System Settings → Control Center. Activity Monitor can also turn its own Dock icon into a live CPU, network or disk graph, but only [while Activity Monitor is running](https://macmost.com/10-secrets-of-the-mac-dock.html). Neither puts everything in one row you can always see.

Several third-party apps fill that gap in different ways:

- [DockDoor Pro](https://pro.dockdoor.net/), a paid Dock replacement ($20 once for 3 Macs, macOS Sonoma 14.6 or later), has Dock-side Weather, Now Playing with synced lyrics, calendar and System widgets.
- [docktor](https://docktorapp.com/) puts widgets right next to the Dock, including Weather, System Stats and a Device Batteries widget that, according to its site, also covers Logitech mice and keyboards. Its [release notes](https://petercsauer.github.io/docktor-releases/) list macOS 26 (Tahoe) or later and no account needed.
- [Docky](https://www.it-connect.tech/docky-reinvents-the-macos-dock-free-open-source-and-packed-with-features/), free and open source as of version 0.7.0, hosts Calendar, Reminders, Batteries, System, Weather and Now Playing widgets between its app tiles.

This guide covers Moor, whose widgets sit inside its docks next to your apps, as a single icon or a wider tile. They update on their own and pause when the dock is hidden or your screens sleep.

## What each widget shows and needs

This table follows Moor's [Widgets documentation](/docs/widgets/).

| Widget | Shows | Needs |
|---|---|---|
| Weather | Current conditions and forecast, severe weather alerts (US, National Weather Service) and air quality | A city, or your location |
| Now Playing | Apple Music or Spotify, with controls and cover art (plus shuffle and repeat) | Permission to control the player, asked once |
| Battery | Charge, and whether it's charging | None listed in the docs |
| CPU & Memory | Live CPU and memory use | None listed in the docs |
| Network | Download and upload speed | None listed in the docs |
| Disk | Free space | None listed in the docs |

Moor's [Permissions](/docs/permissions/) page lists Now Playing controls (Music, Spotify) under **Automation (per app)**, asked the first time Moor talks to that app.

## Adding the widgets, step by step

If you haven't set Moor up yet, start with the [first-run guide](/blog/how-to-set-up-moor-dock). Then:

1. Press Control-Option-E, or choose **Edit Docks** in Moor's menu bar. The icons start to wiggle and a toolbar appears above the dock.
2. Choose **Add** in the toolbar. The panel has search and categories, so type "weather" or browse.
3. Pick **Weather** and drag it where you want it.
4. Weather shows **Set Up** until it has a location. Click it and enter a city, or choose your location.
5. Add **Now Playing** the same way. Start a song in Music or Spotify, and allow Moor to control the player when macOS asks.
6. Add **Battery**, **CPU & Memory**, **Network** and **Disk**. Moor's documentation lists no key or setup for these.
7. Click any widget while you're still editing to change its size or its settings. Most widgets come in several sizes (icon, wide, extra wide).
8. Press **Done**, or Control-Option-E again.

Prefer working in Settings? Open **Settings → Docks**, pick the dock, then **Items → Add Widget**.

### What clicking a widget does

Outside edit mode, click a widget to open its details. Click it again or press Escape to close them. Clicking a different icon while details are open both closes them and does what you clicked. Now Playing's controls let you run the player from the dock.

## Tips and tricks

**Use a divider.** From the **Add** menu, put a divider between your apps and your widgets. With the **Islands** theme, the dock splits into separate pods at each divider, so your stats get their own island.

**Mix sizes on purpose.** Most widgets come in several sizes. Click Weather and Now Playing while editing to see which sizes they offer, and give the ones you read most a wider tile. Keep Battery, Disk and Network small.

**Make text bigger.** Widgets grow with your icon size automatically. For more, open **Settings → Themes**, pick a built-in theme, choose **Duplicate to Edit** and set **Widget text size** anywhere from 75 to 150%.

**Track your accessories too.** If your Mac's own battery is already in the menu bar, consider the separate **Device Batteries** widget, which lists AirPods (left, right and case), Magic Mouse, Keyboard and Trackpad. Moor's documentation lists only those Apple accessories, not Logitech mice or keyboards, so if your peripherals are Logitech, don't expect them to appear there.

**Give stats their own dock.** Docks can sit on any edge of any display, and you can have several: a main dock at the bottom for apps and a slim one on the right edge for Weather, CPU & Memory, Network and Disk. Each dock has its own theme, so the side dock can be quieter. With several displays, set the side dock's display to **Display with the pointer** so it follows you. See [putting a dock on every monitor](/blog/mac-dock-on-every-monitor).

**Add the rest of your day.** Next to Weather, the **Next Event** widget shows your next meeting with a **Join** button for video calls. Here's [how to set it up](/blog/join-meeting-from-mac-dock).

**Developers: watch the machine while agents run.** Put CPU & Memory and Network beside the **Agents** widget, so you see the load and which agent is busy in one glance.

**Designers: keep an eye on Disk.** Big asset libraries fill drives quietly, and a Disk icon shows free space shrinking before it becomes a problem.

**Switch layouts with profiles.** Save one profile with a full widget dock and another without, then switch with Control-Option-1 to 9. Monitor setups in **Settings → Automation** can switch for you when you plug into a desk display.

**Keep it light.** Moor uses about 0.1% CPU when idle, and widgets pause while the dock is hidden. **Automatically hide and show** and **Hide when an app is fullscreen** both work with widget docks.

## Troubleshooting

| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| A widget says **Set Up** | Click it (or press Control-Option-E and click it) to finish its settings. For Weather, choose a city or your location. |
| Now Playing has no controls | Check **Settings → Permissions** in Moor, and make sure Moor is allowed under **System Settings → Privacy & Security**. |
| Weather alerts never appear | Moor's documentation lists severe weather alerts as US, from the National Weather Service, so expect them only for US locations. |
| Widgets look frozen | They pause while the dock is hidden or the screens sleep. Reveal the dock and they update again. |
| Text is hard to read | Raise the icon size or **Widget text size** in a duplicated theme in **Settings → Themes**. |

Keyboard music control still works alongside the widget. Media keys are [F7, F8 and F9](https://www.theodorehq.com/echo/blog/posts/control-music-from-keyboard-mac). If your function keys are set to act as standard F1, F2 and so on, hold Fn to use them for music.

## Next steps

Add Weather and Now Playing first, live with them for a day, then add the system widgets you actually glance at. If the bottom dock starts to feel crowded, move the stats to a side dock. More widget options are in the [Widgets documentation](/docs/widgets/).

Moor has a free 14-day trial at [moorapp.com](https://moorapp.com/).

## Common questions

### Can I add widgets to Apple's own Dock?

No. Apple has no widget API for the Dock. Native macOS widgets go on the desktop, in Notification Center and on the Lock Screen, added by Control-clicking the wallpaper and choosing Edit Widgets. For dock widgets you need a third-party app. Moor and Docky put widgets inside their own docks among app icons, DockDoor Pro is a Dock replacement with Dock-side widgets, and docktor adds widgets right next to the Dock.

### Does Moor's Now Playing widget work with Spotify?

Yes. Now Playing works with Apple Music and Spotify, showing cover art and playback controls, including shuffle and repeat. The first time Moor talks to the player, macOS asks once whether Moor may control it. Allow it and the controls work from the dock. If you turned it down by accident, check Settings → Permissions in Moor and System Settings → Privacy & Security.

### Will system stat widgets slow down my Mac?

Moor is built to be light: about 0.1% CPU when idle and about a millisecond per frame while you hover over the dock. Widgets also pause while the dock is hidden or your screens are asleep, so turning on auto-hide means less time spent updating them. If you're still concerned, add only the stats you actually glance at.

### Can Moor's dock show my AirPods and Magic Mouse battery?

Yes, with Moor's Device Batteries widget, which is separate from the Battery widget for your Mac's own charge. Device Batteries lists AirPods (left, right and case), Magic Mouse, Keyboard and Trackpad, lowest first. Moor's documentation lists only these Apple accessories, not Logitech mice or keyboards. Add it from the Add menu in edit mode (Control-Option-E).

### Does the Weather widget show severe weather alerts everywhere?

No. Moor's Weather widget shows current conditions, a forecast, severe weather alerts and air quality for the city you pick or your location. Moor's documentation lists the severe weather alerts as US, from the National Weather Service, so expect them only for US locations. Elsewhere you still get conditions, the forecast and air quality in the widget.

## Sources

1. [Best Mac Dock Widgets in 2026, Dockspace Blog](https://getdockspace.app/blog/best-mac-dock-widgets-2026)
2. [Add and customize widgets on Mac, Apple Support](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/add-and-customize-widgets-mchl52be5da5/mac)
3. [Managing the desktop widget setting on macOS Tahoe, Der Flounder](https://derflounder.wordpress.com/2025/09/15/managing-the-desktop-widget-setting-on-macos-tahoe/)
4. [How to Show Now Playing in Your Mac Menu Bar](https://www.theodorehq.com/echo/blog/posts/show-now-playing-in-menu-bar-mac)
5. [10 Secrets Of the Mac Dock, MacMost](https://macmost.com/10-secrets-of-the-mac-dock.html)
6. [DockDoor Pro, Native Dock Experience for macOS](https://pro.dockdoor.net/)
7. [docktor, Dock previews and glass widgets for macOS](https://docktorapp.com/)
8. [docktor release notes](https://petercsauer.github.io/docktor-releases/)
9. [Docky reinvents the macOS Dock: Free, Open Source, and Packed With Features](https://www.it-connect.tech/docky-reinvents-the-macos-dock-free-open-source-and-packed-with-features/)
10. [How to Control Music From Your Keyboard on Mac](https://www.theodorehq.com/echo/blog/posts/control-music-from-keyboard-mac)