Five ways to set up
your Mac with DockRun.
Real days, step by step: what hurts, which DockRun features fix it, and which parts need Pro.
Start the day with the project already open
How to set it up
Collect the project
Make a workspace with your editor opening the project folder, the terminal, and Chrome with the profile and pages you use.
Place the windows
Give each app a position: editor on the left half, browser on the right. Presets are free.
Start it in one step
Pin the workspace to the dock or open it from the command palette. A global shortcut per workspace is Pro.
Let it start itself
A workflow that launches the workspace can run on a schedule, for example at 9:00 on weekdays.
Every morning: open the editor, the terminal, the browser with the right profile and pages, then drag each window into place. Ten minutes before the first line of code.
Free
- Workspaces (up to 3), window presets, launch and close
- Command palette and pins
ProNeeds Pro
- Schedules for workflows
- A global shortcut per workspace
- More than 3 workspaces
Windows back where they belong on every display
How to set it up
Arrange by hand once
Put design app, reference folder and browser where you want them, across both displays.
Capture the layout
In the workspace editor choose Capture Layout. Each position is saved as fractions of its display and remembers which display it was on.
Trigger it on connect
Make a workflow that launches the workspace and give it the trigger "a display is connected".
Keep a clock or notes in view
Put a few widgets on the desktop of the second display.
Laptop alone at a café, laptop plus a monitor at the desk. Each time you plug in, windows land in the wrong place and you rearrange them again.
Free
- Window presets and the desktop widgets
ProNeeds Pro
- Capture Layout and Capture Windows
- Event triggers such as display connected
The routine runs itself, the risky bit asks first
How to set it up
Build the checklist as a workflow
Start from a template or a blank workflow. Steps can open apps and links, run scripts or shortcuts, and send requests.
Dry run it
Check what each step would do before it does anything.
Schedule it
Pick a time of day and the weekdays. Or use a trigger: an app opens or quits, a display is connected or disconnected, the Mac wakes.
Approve what is risky, review afterwards
Risky actions ask for confirmation, and the activity log records what ran.
The same checklist every shift: open the ticket queue, the status page and the log viewer, run a script, post a note. Easy to forget a step, tedious to repeat.
Features used
Free
- Up to 2 workflows, templates, dry run, safety prompts, activity log
ProNeeds Pro
- Schedules and event triggers
- More than 2 workflows
One dock for study or work, another for the rest
How to set it up
Make a dock per context
Add a dock for study or work with only its apps, folders and links. Drag pins between docks to move them.
Save a profile for each
A dock profile remembers which docks are showing. Switching shows its docks and hides the others.
Switch by hand or by event
Use the Switch button, or give a profile an event, for example an app opening or an external display being connected.
Reuse what you copied
Turn on clipboard history and open it with a shortcut.
One Mac for classes, a job and free time. The dock shows everything at once, so the chat app is always one click from the lecture.
Features used
Free
- 1 dock, pins, command palette, clipboard history (up to 50 items)
ProNeeds Pro
- More than one dock
- Dock profiles and automatic switching
Give a new teammate your setup as one file
How to set it up
Build the team workspace
Add the tools, project folders and links everyone needs, plus any workflow that prepares the environment.
Export it
Save a .dockrun file. It is plain JSON, and paths in your home folder are written relative to it so they still fit another Mac.
Teammate imports it
Importing always adds copies and never overwrites what they already have. Free users can import, up to the free limits.
Check before running
Open the workflow editor and dry run it. Risky actions still ask for approval.
Onboarding means a wiki page of apps to open, folders to find and scripts to run, and every person ends up with a slightly different setup.
Free
- Importing a bundle, up to the free limits
ProNeeds Pro
- Exporting workspaces and workflows
Good to know
Free includes 1 dock, 3 workspaces and 2 workflows. Pro is a one-time payment with no limits on those, and a 14-day money-back guarantee.