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Open the DMG, drag Docky into Applications, then launch it. Use the menu-bar icon to open preferences and enable optional features.
Updating Docky
Using 1.0 or 1.0.1? Download and install 1.0.2 or later once to enable future in-app updates.
- Open Docky from its menu-bar icon.
- Select Updates → Check for Updates, or use Check for Updates in the menu-bar menu.
- Read the release notes and follow the native installation and relaunch prompt.
- Enable Automatically check for updates if desired. It is initially off.
The Updates tab shows the installed version/build and last-check time. Sparkle verifies update archives before installation. Updating restarts Docky and clears the temporary file shelf and current focus session.
No Updates tab?+
Install Docky 1.0.2 or later manually once. Earlier versions do not include the updater.
Feed or network error?+
Check your internet connection and retry. Keep macOS security protections enabled. If the error continues, send the visible error to support@nplays.tech.
No compatible update?+
The update feed may not contain a newer release compatible with your Mac. Check your installed version/build in Updates and review the changelog.
Update available but installation fails?+
Use the verified website download as a manual fallback and report the visible error to support@nplays.tech. Installation and relaunch have not been tested across every supported Mac configuration.
Running Docky from the DMG?+
Drag Docky into Applications, quit the DMG copy, eject the image, and launch Docky from Applications before checking for updates.
Mac notch companion: common questions
Is Docky a Dynamic Island for Mac?+
Docky offers Dynamic Island-style convenience through an expandable island at the top of a selected Mac display. It is a native macOS notch and menu-bar companion, independently developed and not affiliated with Apple. The camera area stays separate from expanded content.
Does it need a notch?+
No. Docky works on built-in and external displays. Choose the screen where you want it to live.
Which macOS versions are supported?+
Docky targets macOS 14 or later on Apple silicon and Intel. Native Liquid Glass is used on macOS 26 and later, with a system-material fallback on earlier releases. The installer contains both architectures; testing across all supported macOS and hardware combinations is still pending.
Where is Docky after I hide the window?+
Use the Docky menu-bar icon to reopen preferences. Docky runs without a Dock or Command-Tab icon. The yellow window button hides preferences; reopen them from the menu-bar icon.
Can Docky launch at login?+
Enable the optional launch-at-login preference in Docky. It launches after user sign-in, not before authentication.
Why do sounds only work inside Docky?+
Global keyboard feedback needs macOS permission. Open Docky’s keyboard permission controls. Without global access, feedback can remain available within Docky.
Which apps support activity volume?+
Spotify and Apple Music, after Automation approval. This adjusts source-app volume, not system volume or arbitrary browser-tab volume. Playback metadata and controls depend on what the source app exposes.
What permissions does Docky need?+
Accessibility enables global keyboard features, cleaning mode, and optional notification mirroring. Automation enables Spotify and Apple Music volume. Notification authorization enables optional Docky banners. Enable only the features you want.
Does Docky record what I type?+
Keyboard feedback uses physical key positions. The current implementation does not send typed content to a Docky service. This website does not collect typing-test content.
Why are notifications or lock-screen controls unavailable?+
Mirroring requires Accessibility and visible banners; hidden previews cannot be recovered. Lock-screen presentation remains unverified and may be unavailable on your macOS release.
How do I uninstall Docky?+
Quit Docky from its menu-bar menu, disable launch at login if enabled, and move Docky from Applications to Trash. Optional macOS permissions can be removed in System Settings.
Clipboard, quick actions & meeting mode
What does Docky save from my clipboard?+
In 1.0.6, Docky automatically captures supported clipboard changes while it runs: text, web links, images, hex colours, and Finder file/folder references. Capture is on by default; pause it in Clipboard settings. Content is stored locally and never uploaded. Original files remain in place.
How does clicking or re-copying a clipboard item work?+
Click an item to copy it and move it to the top of history. Copying the same content again from another app also promotes its existing entry instead of adding a duplicate. Individual removal and clear-all are available.
When does automatic clipboard capture pause?+
Pause it in Clipboard settings. Docky also pauses capture while the screen is locked or macOS Secure Input is active, ignores its own writes, and skips content marked concealed, transient, or automatically generated. These exclusions depend on other apps providing those markers, so they do not identify every sensitive item.
How long are saved clipboard items kept?+
Choose one hour, 24 hours, seven days, or manual retention. Expired items are removed while Docky runs or on next launch. The shelf keeps up to 15 unique items and 30 MB; the oldest items are removed when full, including when restoring history. Saved clipboard items are separate from the temporary file shelf.
How do I open quick actions?+
Use the menu-bar action or Control–Option–Space. If that combination is unavailable, choose Control–Shift–Space in settings. Registration failures appear there. Quick actions can start/pause focus, add files, open clipboard history, toggle meeting mode, launch your chosen favourite app, or run a named macOS Shortcut.
What does meeting mode pause?+
Docky keyboard sounds including previews, automatic hover opening, drag popups, and Docky alerts. It leaves feature preferences unchanged and ends when disabled or Docky quits. It does not record, transcribe, or silence other apps.
Global shortcut conflicts, macOS Shortcuts execution, and the complete clipboard UI still require interactive checks on target Macs.
Shelf previews & island behavior
How do I preview shelf files in 1.0.4?+
Click the eye button, or select the file’s name and press Space for Quick Look. Supported files show native macOS thumbnails. The island stays open during file imports, outgoing drags, file selection, and Quick Look. Import results remain visible even with island alerts disabled.
Can I adjust hover timing or keep the island open?+
In Appearance, choose instant, short, relaxed, or deliberate hover opening. Click the island header to pin it open; click again or use its close control to collapse. Escape closes the island when it has keyboard focus.
Where do I check permission and feature status?+
In 1.0.4, open Permissions for Accessibility, keyboard listening, notification access, live feature status, and shortcuts to macOS settings. Checking status does not request access automatically. Settings navigation scrolls so each section remains accessible.
Finder dragging, Quick Look keyboard focus, permission changes in System Settings, and lock-screen behavior still need interactive validation on target Macs.
Keyboard feedback & audio
Soft, Creamy, Wooden, and Deep Thock are synthesized ASMR-style presets with gentler press/release feedback and subtle pitch variation. Spatial audio uses positional rendering, not head tracking or certified Apple Spatial Audio. Speakers, headphones, and Bluetooth latency affect the experience.
Understanding permissions
Start with the permission controls inside Docky. Labels may differ between macOS releases.
- Accessibility: global keyboard features, temporary cleaning mode, and optional notification mirroring.
- Input Monitoring: can support passive keyboard sound listening. Cleaning mode still requires Accessibility.
- Automation: Spotify and Apple Music app volume.
- Notifications: optional macOS banners from Docky.
Privacy +
Docky uses physical key positions for keyboard feedback and does not send typed content to a Docky service. Mirrored notification content stays in memory. The file shelf holds temporary references; originals stay in place. Starting with 1.0.6, the separate clipboard shelf automatically monitors supported clipboard changes while Docky runs and capture is enabled (on by default). History is stored locally, limited to 15 unique items and 30 MB, with configurable expiry and deletion controls. Capture can be paused in Clipboard settings and pauses while locked or Secure Input is active. Docky skips content marked concealed, transient, or automatically generated, but cannot guarantee other apps mark every sensitive item. Clipboard content is never uploaded.
This website uses no analytics, advertising trackers, or support form. The sound sampler needs neither microphone nor global keyboard access. Vercel hosts this website; GitHub hosts current installers and the update-feed source. These providers may process technical request information to serve and protect downloads. In-app update checks contact the feed and release host; automatic checks are optional. Privacy questions: support@nplays.tech.
Still need a hand?
Email support@nplays.tech for help.