Sep 06, 2020 • Filed to: Solve Mac Problems • Proven solutions
A common problem for new Mac users is to find an application missing from the Dock. Or, to find that it only appears when the applic.
- Click the Apple icon in the top-left corner of the screen and then select System Preferences from the dropdown menu. In the window that appears, you'll find an option for the Dock on the top line.
- Open a Finder window and go to your user folder In the user folder you should see the downloads folder Drag the downloads folder to the place you want it in the sidebar Drag the Downloads folder to the right side of the vertical bar in the Dock.
“Everything on my desktop disappeared on Mac out of the blue. Can someone tell me how to restore my Mac desktop and get back Mac icons?”
It might sound surprising, but a lot of Mac users undergo issues like this related to their Mac folder icons, dock, and desktop. For instance, chances are that some folders can get disappeared from the desktop on Mac unexpectedly or your Mac toolbar can get hidden as well. Don’t worry – we are here to help you with every essential solution regarding Mac desktop and other related problems.
In this guide, we will discuss stepwise solutions related to numerous Mac desktop issues and even teach you how to get back lost Mac folders as well.
Why Does Everything on Desktop Disappear on Mac?
Before we discuss various Mac desktop issues, it is important to learn what could have caused them in the first place. When everything on my desktop disappeared on Mac, I tried to diagnose the problem and discovered the following reasons behind it:
- You could have accidentally deleted a file or icon from the desktop.
- The chances are that you might have disabled dock or taskbar.
- A third-party application could have changed your desktop settings.
- Mac settings would have been altered during an update or OS repair.
- There might be some change in the overall display or system settings on Mac.
- A clash between some other kernel and local OS process could have caused the issue.
- A broken firmware process or tamper with macOS can also cause the same.
- Sometimes, a virus or malware attack can also make your desktop icons or dock disappear.
Problem 1: Folders Disappeared From Desktop Mac
When it comes to everything disappearing from the desktop, the first problem must be the missing folders or hidden Mac folder icons. There would be a problem with system settings or you might have accidentally deleted something as well. Don’t worry – we have an easy solution for both of these issues.
1. Disable the iCloud Drive Sync
A lot of users have noticed that when the iCloud sync option is enabled on their Mac, it leads to the temporary unavailability of certain folders on the desktop. This is because while iCloud syncs the data, the relevant Mac folder icons become missing or hidden. If you want, you can just wait for the sync to finish or disable it altogether.
- Firstly, go to your Mac’s System Preferences and open the iCloud application.
- From here, just disable the iCloud Drive option by unchecking it.
- If you want, you can also go to its “Options” to further customize things.
In the end, close the iCloud application on your Mac and go to the desktop to see if the icons are still missing or not on Mac.
2. Use a Missing Folder Recovery Tool
If you have accidentally deleted a folder from your Mac’s desktop, then this would be an ideal solution for you. With the help of Recoverit Mac Folder Recovery software, you can get back all kinds of deleted and lost content.
Move Icons On Mac Dock
This includes the deleted folders on Mac as well. The tool is developed by Wondershare and is extremely easy to use. It can help you recover data lost due to a virus attack, formatted disk, accidental deletion, corrupt storage, and every other common scenario. The application features different scanning modes and is known for its high data recovery rate.
You can get the Mac desktop folder or any other content back using Recoverit by following these steps.
Step 1: Select the desktop disk
Go to the official website of Wondershare Recoverit and install the recovery tool on your Mac. When you launch it, you can select a location to scan. In this case, we will be performing data recovery on Mac’s internal hard drive (Macintosh HD) instead of any other connected source.
Step 2: Scan the desktop disk
As soon as you would click on the “Start” button, Recoverit will take the needed steps for data extraction. If you want positive results, then try not to close the application in between.
Step 3: Preview and recover desktop folders
When the data recovery process is completed, the application will display the results on the interface. You can go to any category of your choice from here and preview the retrieved content. Make the needed selection and click on the “Recover” button to save your files to a secure location.
In this way, you can easily get your documents that were disappeared back on Mac. In case if the quick scan was not able to fulfill your requirements, then you can do a deep scan as well. To do this, click on the “All-around Recovery” and wait as Recoverit would extract data from your Mac’s storage. While the deep scan would take more time than the quick scan, the results would also be far better.
How to Recover Desktop Files on Mac
Problem 2: Downloaded Folder on Mac’s Dock Disappeared
Dock On Mac
If you are a regular Mac user, then you must be familiar with the Downloads folder on Mac’s dock. By default, the Downloads folder is available on the dock for us to access with a single click. Nevertheless, there are times when the Downloads folder gets disappeared from Mac’s dock. You would have done it by mistake or an overwriting of settings could have also caused the same issue. To fix this and get the Download folder back on the dock, follow these steps:
1. Drag the Downloads Folder from the Home Directory
This is the easiest and the fastest solution to get the Downloads folder back on Mac’s dock. Firstly, we will go to the Home directory to access the folder, and later we will just reposition it on the dock.
- To start with, just click on the “Go” option on the menu and open the Home directory from here.
- Once the Home directory is opened, you can access multiple folders from here. Simply find the “Downloads” folder where all the downloaded data is stored.
- Now, drag the Downloads folder and simply drop it to a relevant position on the dock. This will make the Downloads folder reappear on the dock.
If you accidentally removed downloads on your Mac computer, you need to know the best way of recovering deleted downloaded files and folders.
2. Reset the Mac Dock
If the dock on your Mac is not working in an ideal manner, then you should consider resetting it as well. This will restore the dock to its default settings, which would automatically have the Downloads icon present. Here’s how you can quickly reset the dock and even resolve issues as Mac dock disappeared.
- Click on the “Go” option from the menu and visit the “Utilities” folder.
- Here, you can view all the utility tools on your Mac. Simply launch the Terminal app from here.
- Now, enter the following commands on Terminal and press Enter: defaults delete com.apple.dock; killall Dock
- Close Terminal and try to access the Downloads folder on the dock once again.
Problem 3: Mac Desktop Icons Disappeared
A lot of times, users complain that their Mac’s desktop icons have been disappeared. Why did Mac desktop icons disappear? What can make the icons gone? Sometimes missing icons are due to disk permissions or a macOS fault. In most cases, the reason is simple. An application could have overwritten the desktop icon settings, making them hidden or go missing. Therefore, if you wish to get your Mac icons back, then simply follow these steps.
- Click on the Finder on your desktop and go to its Preferences.
- Once the Finder Preferences tab is opened, go to its General section.
- Here, you can see an option to show various icons on Mac. Just make sure that the relevant options (like hard disk, connected drives, etc.) are enabled here.
Problem 4: Toolbar on Mac Disappeared
The toolbar is one of the most important features on Mac’s desktop, which is often termed as the “menu bar” by many. Apart from having the icons of the important apps, it also gives us access to numerous settings and tools. Also, it displays time, notifications, and helps us manage our system. Though, there could be a change in your system’s settings that might have made the Mac toolbar hidden. You can easily fix the Mac toolbar missing issue by following these solutions.
1. Use System Preferences to Show the Toolbar
Just like the dock, you can also get back the Mac toolbar hidden on your desktop via System Preferences.
- Firstly, go to the Apple menu on the top left and visit System Preferences.
- From here, visit the General preference panel settings to explore the available options.
- Under the Appearance section, you can view an option for 'Automatically hide and show the menu bar'. Just disable this feature by unchecking the box to make the toolbar stay on Mac’s desktop.
2. Exit the Full-Screen Mode
Mac comes with a feature of the full screen that lets us have an uninterrupted and wider view of the screen. While the full-screen mode is good for watching videos, it makes Mac toolbar hidden, which can make it harder for you to access its settings. Therefore, you can just exit the full-screen mode to get the toolbar back.
To exit the full-screen mode, go to the menu bar location, and hover the cursor over it. Once you see it, go to the “View” menu and click on “Exit Full Screen”.
Additionally, you can also use the keyboard shortcuts to do the same as well. Just press the Command + Control + F keys at the same time to exit the full-screen mode and get back the toolbar on your Mac.
Problem 5: Mac Dock Disappeared
As you know, the dock is the inbuilt feature of Mac that allows us to access all the vital apps and settings quickly. Ideally, you can customize your Mac’s dock as per your needs. Sometimes, while customizing, users end up hiding the dock by mistake. Also, a sudden change in your OS can cause this problem. When my dock disappeared on my Mac, I followed these steps and it quickly solved the problem.
1. Use System Preferences to Hide or Show the Dock
The easiest way to fix Mac dock disappeared is by visiting the System Preferences on your Mac and changing the dock settings.
- Firstly, go to the Apple logo on the top and click on the “System Preferences” button.
- From the System Preferences window, you can open the “Dock” settings.
- Here, you can see an option for 'Automatically hide and show the Dock'. Make sure that the feature is disabled (unchecked) so that the dock will stay visible all the time.
2. Use the Keyboard to Show or Hide the Dock
As you know, Mac has a setting to automatically hide the dock and it will only be visible when we hover the mouse over it. If you still can’t access the dock, then follow this quick drill to fix the Mac dock disappeared issue.
- Move the mouse arrow over the dock to view it or simply press the Option + D keys at the same time.
- Once the dock is visible, right-click it to get its context menu.
- From here, click on the “Turn Hiding Off” option, which will make the dock static and visible permanently.
After reading this post, you would be able to resolve queries related to the toolbar on Mac disappeared or Mac dock disappeared. From getting back the missing dock to desktop icons, we have listed solutions for every common issue. If the Mac folder icons are missing on the desktop, then consider using Recoverit Data Recovery to get them back. If you have accidentally deleted some files, you would be able to retrieve them using this reliable data recovery tool. You can also download it for free on your Mac and use it at the time of need to recover missing files and folders without any trouble.
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Take a minute to look at the row of icons at the bottom of your display. That row is the Dock, and those individual pictures are known as icons.
Dock icons are a quick way to bring a hidden window or application to the front so that you can work with it again. Dock icons are odd ducks — they’re activated with a single-click. Most icons are selected (highlighted) when you single click and opened when you double-click. So Dock icons are kind of like links on a Web page — you need only a single click to open them.
You can customize your Dock with favorite applications, a document you update daily, or maybe a folder containing your favorite recipes — use the Dock for anything you need quick access to. Here’s how you can add an icon to the Dock or remove a Dock icon you no longer desire.
Adding an icon to the Dock
Adding an application, file, or folder to the Dock is as easy as 1-2-3. First, open a Finder window that contains an application, file, folder, URL, or disk icon that you use frequently. Then follow these steps to add it to the Dock:
1. Click the item you want to add to the Dock.
2. Drag the icon out of the Finder window and onto the Dock, as shown in Figure 1.
3. An icon for this item now appears on the Dock.
Folder, disk, and URL icons must be on the right of the divider line in the Dock; Application icons must be on the left of it.
Figure 1: Drag an icon onto the Dock to add it.
You can add several items at the same time to the Dock by selecting them all and dragging the group to the Dock. However, you can delete only one icon at a time from the Dock.
Removing an icon from the Dock
To remove an item from the Dock, just drag its icon onto the Desktop. It disappears with a cool poof animation, as shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2: To remove an icon, drag it off the Dock and POOF — it’s gone.
By moving an icon out of the Dock, you aren’t moving, deleting, or copying the item itself — you’re just removing its icon from the Dock. The item is unchanged. Think of it like a library catalog card: Just because you remove the card from the card catalog doesn’t mean that the book is gone from the library.
After you figure out which programs you use and don’t use, it’s a good idea to relieve overcrowding by removing the ones you never (or rarely) use.
Knowing what to put in your Dock
Put things on the Dock that you need quick access to and that you use often, or add items that aren’t quickly available from menus or the sidebar. If you like using the Dock better than the Finder window sidebar, for example, add your Documents, Movies, Pictures, Music, or even your hard disk to the Dock.
Consider adding these items to your Dock:
- A word-processing application: Most people use word-processing software more than any other application.
- A project folder: You know, the folder that contains all the documents for your thesis, or the biggest project you have at work, or your massive recipe collection . . . whatever. Add that folder to the Dock, and then you can access it much quicker than if you have to open several folders to find it.
Change Mac Dock Icons
- Don’t forget — if you
press
- (click but don’t let go) on a folder icon, a handy hierarchical menu of its contents appears.
- A special utility or application: You may want to add your favorite graphics application such as Photoshop, or the game you play every afternoon when you think the boss isn’t watching.
- Your favorite URLs: Save links to sites that you visit every day — ones that you use in your job, your favorite Mac news sites, or your personalized page from an Internet service provider (ISP). Sure, you can make one of these pages your browser’s start page or bookmark it, but the Dock lets you add one or more additional URLs.
- Here’s how to quickly add a URL to the Dock. Open Safari and go to the page with a URL that you want to save on the Dock. Click and drag the small icon that you find at the left of the URL in the Address bar to the right side of the dividing line in the Dock (at the arrow’s head in Figure 3) and then release the mouse button. The icons in the Dock will slide over and make room for your URL. From now on, when you click the URL icon that you moved to your Dock, Safari opens to that page.
Icons For Mac
Figure 3: To save a URL to your Dock, drag its little icon from the Address bar to the right side of the Dock.
Restore Dock Icons On Mac
- You can add several URL icons to the Dock, but bear in mind that the Dock and its icons shrink to accommodate added icons, thus making them harder to see. Perhaps the best idea — if you want easy access to several URLs — is to create a folder full of URLs and put that folder on the Dock. Then you can just press and hold your mouse pointer on the folder (or Control-click the folder) to pop up a menu with all your URLs.
Even though you can make the Dock smaller, you’re still limited to one row of icons. The smaller you make the Dock, the larger the crowd of icons you can amass. You have to determine for yourself what’s best for you: having lots of icons available on the Dock (even though they may be difficult to see because they’re so tiny) or having less clutter but fewer icons on your Dock.