Is Your iPad Dock Set Up Right? Let’s find out!

Introduction

The Dock is one of the most powerful navigation tools on the iPad, yet many people never fully take advantage of it. It gives you constant access to important apps, supports multitasking, and stays available no matter what you’re doing. In this walkthrough, I’ll show not just what the Dock does, but how to customize it step by step so it works the way youuse your iPad.

What Is the Dock

The Dock is the bar that appears along the bottom edge of the screen. It holds apps you want quick access to and remains consistent across Home Screens. Unlike app icons on your Home Screen, the Dock is designed to be available almost everywhere, including while you’re inside other apps. This makes it ideal for apps you open frequently throughout the day.

Add an App to the Dock

To add an app to the Dock, start from the Home Screen. Touch and hold the app icon until it lifts slightly, then drag it down toward the Dock. As the Dock makes space, release the app to place it there.

Once added, that app stays in the Dock regardless of which Home Screen page you’re on. This is perfect for apps like Safari, Mail, Messages, or Files that you rely on often.

Remove an App from the Dock

Removing an app from the Dock is just as simple. Touch and hold the app in the Dock, then drag it upward onto the Home Screen and release it. The app is not deleted—it simply returns to your Home Screen or App Library.

This makes it easy to update your Dock over time as your habits change, without worrying about losing apps or data.

Add Folders to the Dock

You can also place folders in the Dock to group related apps together. To do this, first create a folder on the Home Screen by dragging one app onto another. Then, touch and hold the folder and drag it into the Dock, just like you would with a single app.

Folders in the Dock help reduce clutter while still giving you quick access to multiple apps from one location.

App Library in the Dock

At the far right of the Dock, you’ll always see the App Library. This icon cannot be removed and provides instant access to every app installed on your iPad. Tapping it opens a categorized view of your apps, along with a search option.

Because the App Library is always available from the Dock, you can keep fewer apps on your Home Screen and still reach everything easily.

Add Recent Apps to the Dock

The Dock can optionally show recently used apps on the right side, separated from your pinned apps. This feature is controlled in Settings under Home Screen & Multitasking.

When enabled, apps you’ve opened recently appear automatically, making it easy to jump back to something you were just using. If you prefer a cleaner Dock, you can turn this option off at any time.

Access the Dock from an App

One of the Dock’s most useful features is that it can be accessed while you’re inside another app. To do this, swipe up slightly from the bottom edge of the screen and pause. The Dock slides into view without closing your current app.

From here, you can open another app, switch tasks, or begin multitasking—all without returning to the Home Screen.

Wrap Up

The Dock is a simple feature that adds speed and consistency to how you use your iPad. By adding apps and folders, managing recent apps, and learning how to access it from anywhere, you can move around your iPad with far less effort. Once customized, the Dock becomes one of the most valuable tools on your device.