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CalDigit Thunderbolt Station 4 review: The ultimate Thunderbolt hub for your Mac

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All the ports you could want coupled with high-wattage charging justify the price of this full-featured dock.

By Glenn Fleishman

Senior Contributor, Macworld APR 4, 2022 4:00 am PDT

Image: CalDigit

At a glance

Expert’s Rating

Pros

  • Provides a desktop’s worth of ports for a laptop user
  • Acts as charging station for laptop, phone, tablet, more
  • Useful front-facing ports, including both SD Card formats
  • Includes Mac dock-management tool to eject all drives at once

Cons

  • Only adds a net of one Thunderbolt port
  • Requires Big Sur 11.4 or later

Our Verdict

With a profusion of useful ports and high-wattage charging, the CalDigit Thunderbolt Station 4 turns a laptop into a desktop powerhouse.

Apple had a habit of being stingy with ports on its Macs for many years. The low-water mark was the 12-inch MacBook, the first of its computers with USB-C—and it sported just a single USB-C port for power and peripherals. Later iterations of the MacBook Air at least upped the count to two USB-C ports. Apple is changing, though—the company became downright baroque with the 2021 M1 Pro and M1 Max 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, providing something closer to a pre-2016 range of built-in connectivity options.

But many laptop owners and some with desktop Macs still long for more ports—sometimes a lot more. If you ever felt, “What I really need is a dock with 18 jacks in it that draws over 200 watts of peak power,” the CalDigit Thunderbolt Station 4 (TS4) may answer your cry.

The TS4 has an almost absurd profusion of ports splayed across its front and back sides. Yet the choices about which ports and how many are thoughtful. It’s also not so much a dock as a combination of port extender and charging station, given its power-output design for recharging mobile devices and laptops.

This is a modern Thunderbolt 4 dock, offering Thunderbolt hub support, an option for Thunderbolt 3 and required for Thunderbolt 4. To use the dock to its fullest extent, you need either a Mac with macOS Big Sur 11.4 or later installed. That can be an Intel Mac with Thunderbolt 3 or any M1-series Mac. (Big Sur’s 11.1 release enabled the optional feature on Macs with Thunderbolt 3; CalDigit seems to require a later update of Big Sur.)

A profusion of ports

Let’s start with the rundown because this dock has—as I’ve said—a lot of ports:

  • Six USB-C jacks (three Thunderbolt 4/USB4 and three USB 3.2 Gen 2)
  • Five USB Type-A jacks (also 3.2 Gen 2)
  • One 2.5Gbps ethernet port
  • Two memory card slots: SD UHS-II and microSD UHS-II
  • Three audio jacks for input, output, and the in/out combo
  • One DisplayPort 1.4 port

As with all USB-C-based ports, you have to devote one of your computer’s Thunderbolt connections to the dock; likewise, the dock has a connection specifically designed for the computer. If you’re connecting the dock to a laptop, as is likely, you can take advantage of the up 98W charge that passes over the dedicated computer port.

When you run the math on this dock, you don’t wind up with much additional Thunderbolt connectivity: the two unused Thunderbolt jacks on the dock replace the one occupied on your computer and net you just one additional.

There’s no stick big enough to shake at all the ports found on the CalDigit TS4. What’s more, the collection for data, video, and charging make sense for a user looking for a high-end desktop dock.

CalDigit’s USB-C and Type-A jacks that use USB 3 standards are all 3.2 Gen 2’s 10Gbps flavor, allowing throughput up to that data rate over both USB-C and Type-A. (A compatible 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A device is required on the other end, of course, otherwise it drops to 5Gbps.) The USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports are indistinguishable from Thunderbolt 3 in function and are backward and cross-compatible with USB standards.

The inclusion of 2. 5Gbps ethernet is a nice bump up from 1Gbps, and reflects the growing availability of faster-than-gigabit wired networking available in the home and small office, and the inclusion of 2.5Gbps LAN ports on some higher-end home Wi-Fi gateways. You’ll appreciate it if you’re moving large files around your network or have a faster-than-gigabit internet connection.

The SD card slots have the extra of being spring-loaded. The extra push required makes it clear when you’ve fully inserted a card and gives you a little help when ejecting to remove it.

With this many ports, a little help managing mounted connected devices can help. CalDigit offers a Mac utility that shows all connected drives and allows a single click eject of those drives to avoid disconnecting the dock with mounted volumes. That software also allows the TS4 to support the Apple USB SuperDrive. SuperDrive support is uneven via docks and adapters due to peculiar power requirements.

Front-facing jacks provide spring-loaded SD Card slots, three USB 3 ports (one offering 20W charging over USB-C), and audio output for headphones.

CalDigit isn’t cheating with its port claim, by the way: the security slot and power jack (for up to 19.5 volts at 11.80 amps, or 230 watts) aren’t included in that total of 18. This gives CalDigit what I believe is the current bragging rights for most ports on a Thunderbolt dock.

Power to the Macs—and iPads

That’s the data side, but CalDigit considered recharging as a fundamental part of this AC-powered mega-dock. It requires a separate rundown to understand how it powers devices and at what wattages.

CalDigit pushes out three other wattages via specific ports:

  • Two of the three USB-C ports that handle just USB 3.2 Gen 2 (one on the front, one on the back) provide up to 7.5W (at up to 1.5A).
  • All of the USB Type-A ports, also USB 3.2 Gen 2, offer the same (one of those is on the front; four on the back).
  • The front-facing USB-C jack delivers up to 20W (at 1.5A).
  • The two rear-facing Thunderbolt 4 ports can pass up to 15W.

Because the dock can suck in so much power, you can actively charge a laptop, an iPad, and multiple other mobile devices, including an iPhone, at full speed or nearly full speed.

Calculating the number of video adapters

The video part of the equation is quite complicated. Mac video support for external displays resembles the myth of snowflakes: no two is alike. It’s not entirely true, as a handful of Mac models can allow up to the same number and mix of external monitors. (My complete rundown on display support is here.)

Of Intel and M1 Macs of the last decade or so, some models include an HDMI port to allow a display of up to 4K resolution in addition to any other external displays allowed over other ports. For all Macs introduced since 2015, any other display is added via a USB-C connector on a Thunderbolt 3 or 4 port. (A handful of monitors have native USB-C-based DisplayPort connectors.)

Adding a dock doesn’t increase the number of displays you can attach to a Mac (or to a PC), but it does make it easier to do so and keep more ports free for other purposes. The TS4 includes a standard DisplayPort jack, reducing the need to use a Thunderbolt port with an adapter for most monitors. If your Mac can handle one 4K display via HDMI and one higher-resolution one over USB-C, the TS4 DisplayPort connection means you need no adapters at all.

If you want to add more displays or at higher resolution than a potential native built-in HDMI jack on your Mac and the TS4’s DisplayPort jack, you can only use a Thunderbolt port on the TS4 or one built into the Mac. That could come into play with newer Macs, like the Mac Studio and 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros. The USB-only USB-C ports don’t carry DisplayPort video. (The dock splits USB 3.x traffic off separately from DisplayPort data.)

CalDigit has an extensive table about the quantity of displays support across which ports and at which resolutions for both Mac and PC models on the TS4 product page.

The TS4 conserves your Thunderbolt 3/4 jacks with a built-in DisplayPort connection.

The CalDigit TS4 is the perfect hub if you want to set up a workstation with multiple monitors, external drives and peripherals, and wired input devices. You can just add your Mac laptop, and you’re ready to go. Some Mac mini and iMac owners might also find it useful for the sheer number of additional ports and the wattage that can be fed out of many of them for bus-powered devices and charging mobile hardware.

The only flaw in this jack-festooned dock is that it adds a net of one Thunderbolt 4 port. A net of two would have been better. But that may not be a drawback for the audience it appeals to—and where would you have put yet another USB-C jack on this device?

You no longer need to imagine the ultimate Thunderbolt 4 dock. It’s here, and it’s the CalDigit TS4.

Author: Glenn Fleishman, Senior Contributor

Glenn Fleishman’s most recent books include Take Control of iOS and iPadOS Privacy and Security, Take Control of Calendar and Reminders, and Take Control of Securing Your Mac. In his spare time, he writes about printing and type history. He’s a senior contributor to Macworld, where he writes Mac 911.

Best laptop stands for Apple MacBook Pro and MacBook Air

Best Picks

Your MacBook doesn’t have to sit flat on your desk. Try to keep the screen at eye level, to reduce neck strain, or hold the laptop in a special stand that keeps your desk tidy and MacBook plugged in nearby.

By Simon Jary

Contributing writer, Macworld APR 8, 2023 10:30 am PDT

Apple’s MacBooks are great, but—as with all laptops—using one isn’t that great for your back or neck.

Continual bowing of the head to see a screen can lead to a stiff neck and what doctors call spinal stenosis, which can compress blood vessels and displace nerves—cutting off blood supply to the brain. That’s not a good thing.

Your screen should be at a comfortable height that doesn’t make you bend your neck down to see it. Try to make sure your eyes are in line with the screen while sitting with a straight back. This also helps when making video calls, so the other people aren’t staring up your nostrils.

Using a laptop stand also makes using a separate keyboard and mouse much easier. See our roundups of the best Mac keyboards and best Mac mouse. And, after use, you can hide away your keyboard under the raised stand on certain models.

Some stands raise the laptop to eye level, and others—known as “vertical” or “closed” stands—just keep the MacBook closed for minimal desk disruption if you have connected external displays to increase your screen size—learn how to set up a second screen for a Mac.

The eye-level laptop stands or using an external display are more ergonomic, raising the MacBook screen so that you are not straining your neck muscles, shoulders and back. It should also reduce screen glare, which means less eye strain and fewer headaches.

Buy a vertical laptop stand to keep your desk tidy and free up space for other stuff—be that a charger for your iPhone, backup hard disk, or a cup of coffee.

Both types of stand should also raise the laptop, raising it off the desk and keeping it cooler. If a laptop gets too hot, its performance is likely to suffer.

A laptop stand also works nicely with a MacBook docking station, which can multiply the number of ports and slots available to you and allow for multiple larger displays. Some stands even have their own integrated USB-C hub, which is a very clever addition.

We’ve rounded up the best laptop stands for MacBook that we can find, each with its own special features. Most mimic the clean metal lines of the MacBook range, while others think differently.

Twelve South Curve Flex – Most stylish flexible MacBook stand

Pros

  • Stylish
  • Multiple height and tilt settings
  • Portable

Cons

  • Expensive

Many laptop stands are rigid and offers little flexibility. The Cuve Flex, from premium accessory maker Twelve South, remedies this limitation with both height and tilt adjustability.

It can elevate your MacBook screen and camera up to 22 inches (56cm) so it can be close to eye level and aligned with an external screen if you have one. This flexibility is better for your neck, back and eyes. You can angle the MacBook’s keyboard from 0 to 45 degrees.

The Curve Flex is not just flexible; it’s portable, too. It weighs 28oz (795g), folds flat and comes with a padded neoprene travel sleeve.

While it costs more than the Curve, and indeed many of the MacBook stands tested here, the flexibility and portability justify the extra expense.

The Curve Flex is available in matte black or white.

Twelve South also has a companion stand for the external display you might connect to your MacBook. The Curve Riser will put your second screen at a similar height to the laptop, and includes a handy shelf for a docking station or other device.

Satechi Aluminum Laptop Stand – Best portable MacBook stand

Pros

  • Portable
  • Foldable
  • Color options

Cons

  • Only one height setting

Satechi’s Aluminum Laptop Stand is more portable than most, being collapsible and lightweight (17.1oz, 485g).

You can simply fold it up, and pack it in your bag or suitcase for travel.

It doesn’t raise the laptop as high as the Twelve South Curve or Beststand Cooling Stand, but it does bring the screen closer to eye level than sitting flat on the desk.

It suits MacBooks in looks, as it is available in Silver, Gold, Rose Gold, Space Grey and Black, but will work with any laptop 12in-17in.

The base is rubberised to keep it secure on your desk.

UGreen Swivel Laptop Stand – Rotating laptop stand

Pros

  • Rotates 360 degrees
  • Multiple height settings
  • Foldable and portable

Ideal for shared laptops in meeting or other group environments, the UGreen Swivel Laptop Stand offers a 360° rotatable axis on the base, so you can flexibly swing the laptop round to show the screen or share the camera.

In addition to this neat feature, you can raise, angle and tilt the MacBook to your preferred viewing comfort on this aluminum alloy stand.

The foldable stand can hold up to a 16-inch MacBook Pro, and supports up to 11 lbs of weight. It feels sturdier than the Lululook 360 Rotating Laptop Stand, although is maybe a little less stylish.

Lululook 360 Rotating Foldable Laptop Stand – Rotating laptop stand

Pros

  • Rotates 360 degrees
  • Multiple height settings
  • Foldable and portable

Cons

  • Will topple if tilted too much

This laptop stand boasts a handy 360° rotating circular base and a mechanical arm that can raise the screen by 10 inches.

The spin is smooth and has a reassuring clicking noise as you spin it. It’s great for meetings where you can quickly turn the screen to your colleagues or even hand over control in presentations.

It will take up to a 17-inch laptop, but don’t tilt it too much or it will topple backwards. The UGreen Swivel Laptop Stand feels more sturdy but we prefer the looks of the Lululook rotating stand.

Made of lightweight aluminum alloy, the well-built stand is foldable so can be carried around in a laptop bag when you are between offices.

It features a cut-out base to help dissipate heat to cool the MacBook.

Urmust Laptop Notebook Stand Holder – Best laptop stand for small desks

Pros

  • Multiple height settings
  • Foldable
  • Color options

Cons

  • Plain

Working from home and remote learning is forcing a lot of to work in small, tight spaces. And, in safer times, that coffee shop is convenient, but not designed for healthy laptop use.

The adjustable, aluminum-alloy Urmust Laptop Notebook Stand Holder raises the laptop to a more ergonomic height–up to 10 inches for the screen—leaves the little desk space you have for you to spread out papers and books, and maybe room for that cup of coffee. . It also tilts between 0-90°.

There’s anti-slip rubber on the feet, so shouldn’t scratch your surface, while remaining stable while in use. It can hold 4kg and up to 15.6in laptops.

Super narrow, it works well in small spaces. Plus, it’s lightweight and foldable, so can be stored away out of sight when not required–or carried around with you.

It’s even available in seven colours, from Silver, Black, Rose Gold and Grey, to Red, Blue and Blueish Grey.

Twelve South HiRise Pro for MacBook – Best MacBook stand for wireless iPhone charging

Pros

  • Height adjustable
  • Housing for Apple MagSafe Charger
  • Stylish

Cons

  • No tilt

Twelve South makes a range of quality laptop stands for MacBooks. It’s one of the few third-party manufacturers that feature on Apple’s own Accessories store, and there are several of its MacBook stands in this roundup.

The HiRise Pro is height-adjustable—raising the screen 2.5 to 6 inches—and also features a hidden cut-out chamber that can invisibly host Apple’s MagSafe Charger (not included) at the stand’s base so you can wirelessly charge (at up to 15W) an iPhone (12, 13 or 14) or your AirPods (5W) if in a wireless charging case. This will keep your desk space at a maximum while always having your iPhone within reach.

The stand is height adjustable, although it doesn’t reach the heights of some of the MacBook stand tested here. There’s a screw at the back that you adjust to the best height for your setup.

It is compatible with all sizes of Apple’s MacBooks, up to 16 inches.

Twelve South Curve – Best fixed MacBook stand

Pros

  • Stylish
  • Decent height

Cons

  • Only one height setting

Elevating your screen to an ergonomic height is important for relieving neck strain on your muscles and vertebrae. A quality laptop stand will do just that for you.

One of our favorites is the Curve, available in Apple-friendly matte black and white.

It is not as flexible as its adjustable sibling, the Curve Flex, although it does raise your MacBook 6.5 inches off your desk so you can sit up straight and look directly at your screen—and feel less tension in your neck and shoulders.

It also keeps your laptop cool with air flowing underneath it.

It’s a one-piece metal design with non-slip silicone grips on the bottom and arms. It looks fantastic, just like your MacBook.

Hyperdrive 7-in-1 USB-C Hub Laptop Stand – Best portable laptop stand with built-in USB-C hub

Pros

  • Built-in USB-C hub
  • integrated cable
  • Portable
  • Foldable

Cons

  • USB-C not Thunderbolt

This clever USB-C hub is a laptop stand that also includes a range of ports to expand those on the connected MacBook.

It features a 5Gbps USB-C port, two 5Gbps USB-A ports, both SD and microSD card slots and an HDMI port for attaching an external display, which will also help you achieve a better ergonomic position.

You can add memory sticks or other external storage devices, or a wired mouse or keyboard if you fancy. The connection is USB-C rather than Thunderbolt so doesn’t offer the full bandwidth but it is still compatible with modern MacBooks.

Some rival hub/stand combos don’t include the built-in cable so you need to use another of your laptop’s Thunderbolt ports to keep it charged, but the Hyperdrive stand connects to your MacBook (13-16in) using its own integrated USB-C cable, leaving the separate USB-C port on the hub free for other devices or more likely a USB-C PD wall charger. It can support up to 100W MacBook charging power.

It’s lightweight (308g or 11oz) and collapsible and can be used in five ergonomic positions.

The base features a silicon layer of cushioning to keep your MacBook securely in position.

  • Two USB-A 3.0 ports (5Gbps)
  • HDMI – 4K at 30Hz
  • UHS-I SD and microSD card slots for adding affordable, portable storage

Ugreen X-Kit – Lightest laptop stand with built-in USB-C hub

Pros

  • Built-in USB-C hub
  • Portable
  • Foldable

Cons

  • USB-C not Thunderbolt
  • No spare USB-C port

UGreen’s X-Kit hub-stand fulfils the role of both stand and USB hub. 

It’s a small, foldable laptop stand for 11-16in laptops, with an integrated 5-in-1 USB-C hub and docking station.  

In a great X-shaped design in cool Obsidian black, it’s the hub that really makes this stand, er, stand out. It’s lightweight (283g or 10oz) and small enough when folded for you to slip into a small travel bag.

The hub enables you to tidily connect storage drives, memory sticks, a wired mouse and keyboard, and an external display via the included USB-C cable–without a dangling dongle in sight.

It works with both USB-C and Thunderbolt laptops, although the 40Gbps Thunderbolt 3 and 4 laptops will throttle back to 5Gbps when interacting with any devices connected to the X-Kit.

It has four adjustable heights that should offer ergonomic benefits to reduce neck and wrist strain.

Slip-proof silicone bands and protective hooks keep your portable workstation stable.

Its airy construction should help dissipate heat, too.

Compatible with both Mac and Windows laptops, iPad Pro/Air/Mini, and Android tablets, the aluminium Hub-Stand features the following ports:

  • Two USB-A 3.0 ports (5Gbps)
  • HDMI – 4K at 30Hz
  • UHS-I SD and TF card slots for adding affordable, portable storage

PWR+ Ergonomic Laptop Stand – Most adjustable laptop stand

Pros

  • Multiple height settings
  • Stable
  • USB fans

Cons

  • Bulky

The PWR+ Ergonomic Laptop Stand is like a small Transformer, which can morph into just about any shape you need from a laptop stand.

It has varying heights (much higher than most of the laptop stands reviewed here), and can be angled as you please as a traditional stand or have its surface flat to be used as a table.

It even has two USB-powered fans in its tabletop, which will keep your laptop cooler and more efficient.

It’s versatile enough to be used as a standing tray in bed if you fancy – handy when you fancy stretching out in your “home office”.

It’s not heavy, but it is bulkier than some other collapsable stands. It can easily be folded up to store, however.

Satechi Dual Laptop Stand – Best closed dual laptop/tablet stand

Pros

  • Holds both laptop and tablet

Cons

  • Laptop must be closed

This 2-in-1 stand is great to keep your desk tidy when you sport both MacBook and iPad.

The Satechi Dual Vertical Stand can cradle up two laptops, two tablets, or two smartphones vertically at the same time. It’s a closed design so works well with a dock allowing for an external display for the laptop.

While sleek, the stand is sturdy with a weight-balancing base and frame built from stress-resistant aluminum. 

An internal silicon mat has protective grip beds to protect electronics from unwanted scratches, and non-slip pads keep your devices upright and protected.

Bestand Aluminum Cooling Stand – Best stand for cooling laptop

Pros

  • Decent height setting
  • Cooling holes

Cons

  • Only one height setting

If you need a stand that keeps the MacBook open with screen showing, the Bestand Aluminum Cooling Stand looks the part in either Silver or Gray to match your Apple laptop.

It lifts your MacBook to eye level, which should be better for your posture, back and neck.

There are three strip-shaped holes to the pad that the MacBook sits on, which should offer some degree of cooling compared to stands without such basic ventilation.

Another hole at the back allows for cable management and can be used as a handle, too.

There are optional extras that allow you to add your iPhone to the stand.

Rain Design mTower – Best minimal closed stand

Pros

  • Minimal
  • Closed design

Cons

  • Laptop must be closed

The mTower from Rain Design is a simple, minimal vertical (closed) stand that saves you desk space and elevates the MacBook’s vent to keep your laptop cool.

Its anodised aluminum body–that allows the MacBook to “float” above it–neatly matches the design and color of the Space Gray and Silver MacBooks.

It raises the laptop 88mm (3.5in) off the desk, and fits the 12in MacBook, 13in/14in/15in/16in MacBook Pro and 11in and 13in MacBook Air. It includes a number of inserts to make sure your MacBook fits snuggly.

It’s for use in setups where you have a second or third screen as the screen remains closed.

Twelve South BookArc – Most elegant closed laptop stand

Pros

  • Stylish

Cons

  • Laptop must be closed

The BookArc, from Twelve South, is a simple, elegant stand that lifts your closed Apple laptop off your desk, and supports the MacBook in closed-display mode for a less cluttered desk when paired with one or two external displays.

It has been designed to match the design aesthetic of Apple’s laptops, and works with the MacBook, MacBook Air (2018-2022) and MacBook Pro (2016-2022) including 13in, 14in, 15in and 16in models.

An insert is included with the BookArc so that each laptop fits perfectly. 

Satechi Universal Vertical Aluminum Laptop Stand – Simple closed stand

Pros

  • Stable
  • Color options

Cons

  • Laptop must be closed

Satechi makes some fine accessories that are “universal” but clearly styled to fit with the design aesthetics of Apple’s products.

This elegant but sturdy Universal Vertical Aluminum Laptop Stand might not have a fancy name but it does tick both the “Universal” and MacBook boxes. It’s adjustable, with a knob that tightens or loosens the stand width from half an inch to 1.25in so will fit all but the fattest laptops. It will even take a laptop in a shell case.

As a “vertical” stand it will save you valuable desk space, although of course it requires an external display as the laptop will remain closed. Twin it with a Docking station that includes HDMI or DisplayPort for the ultimate MacBook setup.

There’s a chamber at the bottom of the weighty anodised aluminium body (7.05-x-3.9-x-2.75in) to allow air to flow and keep the laptop cool.

It’s available in Silver, Space Gray and Black.

OMoton Vertical Laptop Stand – Simple closed stand

Pros

  • Adjustable widths

Cons

  • Laptop must be closed
  • Plain

The OMoton Vertical Laptop Stand is a simple, small-footprint design, but with a clever underside.

Flip the aluminum stand over and you’ll find four adjustable screws (it comes with a tool to turn them) so you can determine its width to fit your laptop–from 14mm to 40mm.

Really skinny laptops will still feel some wobble, but you wouldn’t want it gripped too tight anyway. It’s reassuringly heavy at 600g.

The inner (and bottom) features anti-slip silicone, which should also stop any scratching of the laptop shell.

The OMoton stand is available in Black, Gray, and silver.

It measures 150mm x 97mm x 47mm.

There’s also a double version, if you want to keep your tablet nearby.

Lention Aluminum Laptop Stand – Best adjustable closed stand

Pros

  • Adjustable widths

Cons

  • Laptop must be closed

There are a lot of very similar laptop stands out there, and Lention makes one that looks and works just like the Omoton.

It’s a closed design that can be adjusted from 0.36 to 1.2 inches in width to fit most laptops.

It has a non-slip protective rubber mat.

Available in Space Gray or brushed Silver.

You might also consider one of our best monitor stands for PC or Mac, which can also raise your laptop. Satechi even has a special iMac stand that really looks the part.

Author: Simon Jary, Contributing writer

Simon was Editor of Macworld from the dark days of 1995 to the triumphant return of Steve Jobs and the launch of the iPhone. His desk is a test bench for tech accessories, from USB-C and Thunderbolt docks to chargers, batteries, Powerline adaptors and Fitbits.

Using the Dock on Mac – Apple Support (UK)

The Dock on your Mac desktop conveniently brings together the apps and features you might need every day (such as Launchpad and Recycle Bin).

The Dock can display up to three recently used applications that have not yet been added to the Dock, and folders containing items you have downloaded from the Internet. By default, the Dock is positioned along the bottom edge of the screen, but you can also position it along the left or right edge of the screen by configuring the appropriate setting.

Opening items in the Dock

You can do the following from the Dock on your Mac.

  • Application start. Click the application icon. For example, to open the Finder, click the Finder icon in the Dock.

  • Opening a file in an application. Drag the file to the application icon. For example, to open a document created in Pages, drag it to the Pages icon in the Dock.

  • Displays the item in the Finder. Click the object icon while holding down the Command key.

  • Switch to the previous application and hide the current application: Option-click the current application icon.

  • Switch to another application and hide all other applications: Hold down the Option and Command keys for the application you want to switch to.

Performing other actions on objects in Dock

You can do the following from the Dock on your Mac.

  • Display the action context menu. Control-click an item to display its context menu, then choose an action, such as Show Recent, or click a file name to open the file.

  • Force termination of the application. If an application stops responding, Control-click its icon, then select Force Quit (unsaved changes may be lost).

Add, remove, or rearrange items in the Dock

You can do the following on a Mac.

  • Adding objects to the Dock. Drag apps to the left of (or above) the line that separates recently used apps. Drag apps to the right of (or below) another line that separates recently used apps. An object alias is placed in the Dock.

    You can drag a folder to the Dock and view it in a stack. By default, the Dock has a Downloads folder. See Using folders in the Dock.

  • Delete items from the Dock. Drag the object outside the Dock until “Delete” is displayed. Only the alias is removed; the object itself remains on the Mac.

    If you accidentally delete an app icon from the Dock, you can easily get it back (the app stays on your Mac). Open the app so that its icon reappears in the Dock. Control-click the app icon, then choose Options > Keep in Dock.

  • Changing the arrangement of objects in the Dock. Drag the object to a new location.

If you are using Handoff, the Handoff icon for the app you have open on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Apple Watch is displayed at the right end of the Dock.

Customize the Dock

  1. On your Mac, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Desktop & Dock in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.)

    Open the “Desktop and Dock” settings

  2. On the right in the “Dock” section, change the settings you need.

    For example, you can change the appearance of objects in the Dock, adjust its size, position it along the left or right edge, and even hide the Dock.

    To learn about the available options, click the Help button at the bottom of the window.

To quickly adjust the size of the Dock, move the pointer over the separator line in the Dock until a double arrow appears, then click and drag the pointer down or up. You can click the separator while holding down the Control key to access other actions in the context menu.

Keyboard shortcuts can be used to navigate the Dock. Press Control-F3 (on a Mac, press Control-Fn-F3) to go to the Dock. Then use the left and right arrow keys to move from icon to icon. Press the Return key to open the application.

A red dot on an icon in the Dock means that you need to take one or more actions in an application or in System Preferences. For example, a red dot on the Mail icon in the Dock means you have new mail.

See also If a question mark appears in the Dock on MacApps on your MacUse Launchpad to view and open apps on MacUse Stacks on Mac DesktopApple Support article: Mac keyboard shortcuts

How to schedule startup, shutdown, and restart in macOS Ventura • Okie Doki

The macOS Ventura update brings a fresh design and many great features. Apple has made significant changes to System Preferences – and while it’s added new things, it’s also removed some useful features, such as power saving settings that let you schedule startups or shutdowns.

We don’t know exactly why Apple removed this useful feature from the macOS settings, but if you need this feature, we’ve found a workaround through the Terminal app on your Mac.

Before you start

Before you can correctly create a command in the Terminal for power planning, you must first understand how “pmset” works and what format it needs.

Typically, you can use the pmset command to control settings such as sleep and wake timers, display of sleep and wake timers, system sleep and wake settings, and other related configurations. You can even use it to enable Power Nap on Mac if you like.

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However, if you use it to schedule your Mac to start up or shut down, you need to learn the date formats. Pmset uses the 24-hour clock format HH:MM:SS and the date format MM/DD/YY. So a date like February 14, 2023 at 20:00 would be encoded as 14/02/23 20:00:00.

On the other hand, if you want to select specific days of the week for the scheduled process, use the following letters as appropriate: Monday: M; Tuesday: T; Wednesday: Tue; Thursday: R; Friday: P; Saturday: C; Sunday: W.

How to schedule a startup on your Mac

Startup scheduling allows your computer to automatically boot up at a predetermined time. This can be useful if you have certain processes that need to run at scheduled times (such as backups and maintenance scripts).

Since there is no option in the macOS Ventura system settings to do this, you will have to use the terminal:

  1. Open the terminal with Spotlight search (Command + Space) and press Return.
  2. If, for example, you want your Mac to wake up every day of the week except weekends at 8am, type the following: sudo pmset repeat wakeorpoweron MTWRF 08:00:00
  3. Of course you can change the time to anything else, but if you want your Mac to wake up on a specific day, such as March 1st, 2023 at 7am, type: sudo pmset schedule wakeorpoweron “03/01/23 07:00:00”
  4. The command will ask for your password administrator account. Enter it and click “Return”.
  5. There will be no confirmation that your code was successful, but you have nothing to worry about as long as there are no error messages.

You can use the commands here on any modern version of macOS. But you may not need it on macOS Monterey and earlier, as they have a power saving option in System Preferences. If you’d like to learn how to use this, check out our guide on how to automatically boot up or shut down your Mac.

How to schedule a shutdown on your Mac

Scheduling a shutdown is just as important as scheduling a startup. It can help extend your MacBook’s battery life, improve security, save energy and power consumption, etc.

The way to automatically shut down your Mac is almost identical to starting it up, except you type the following command in the Terminal:

sudo pmset repeat outage MTWRF 16:00:00

The above is an example, but you can follow the format to schedule the outage on specific days at your preferred time.

However, if you want to schedule a shutdown on a specific date, say April 1, 2023, at midnight, use the following command line instead:

sudo pmset scheduled shutdown “4/1/23 00:00:00″ ​​​”

The above command lines ask for a password because of the sudo command. It stands for “superuser” forcing your Mac to run a command or script with full administrator rights. Due to its high authority, it can be dangerous to use this command for scenarios where you are unsure.

How to schedule a reboot on your Mac

In general, rebooting is a tried and tested troubleshooting technique, and not being able to schedule it on your Mac can detract from the quality of your experience. In addition, scheduling a reboot can also boost your Mac’s performance by helping you install updates automatically.

You can refer to the following example and change the input values ​​accordingly to schedule a reboot on your Mac using the terminal:

sudo pmset restart restart MTWRFSU 00:00:00

As you probably already figured out, the above command line will restart the Mac every day at midnight. But if you want to restart it on February 14, 2023 at 9:00 pm, you must enter:

sudo pmset restart schedule “2/14/23 9:00:00 pm”

Other relevant power management commands

Now you have learned how to start , shutdown and restart your Mac automatically, it’s time to learn some other commands you might need to manage these settings.

How to view the currently active schedule

If you want to view the current schedule, all you have to do is enter the following command:

pmset -g scheduled

This can be useful if you want to double check the schedule you have set .

How to clear the current active schedule

However, if you want to return your Mac to default without an active schedule, enter this command:

sudo pmset retry cancel

Like the others, you won’t see any confirmation. But it works as long as there are no error messages. You can also confirm this with the command to view the currently active schedule.

If Terminal is brand new to you and you’d like to learn more about it, we’ve got all the information you need in our Mac Terminal beginner’s guide.

Use the terminal until the energy saver 9 returns0007

Will Energy Saver return in the future? We don’t know, but we really hope so. We have no idea why Apple felt it was necessary to remove this feature from System Preferences, but we hope it was a minor oversight bug that will be fixed in future patches.