Pilaster: Tile Dock
A retro tile dock for your Mac.
Pilaster keeps the apps, folders, files, scripts and Shortcuts you use most in a tidy column of square tiles along the edge of your screen. Everything stays where you put it, one click away.
$9.99 one-time purchase · macOS 13 Ventura or later · Apple silicon and Intel · No subscription
Why Pilaster
A dock that stays put.
The standard Dock mixes what you pinned with whatever happens to be running, hides folders behind extra clicks, and has no place for your scripts. Pilaster fixes that with a calm, fixed column of tiles. Nothing moves unless you move it.
Pinned vs. running
Running apps get their own section.
Your pinned tiles stay put. Apps you open appear below a divider, in the order you launched them, so the top of the column never shuffles.
Don’t want to see running apps at all? One click on the eye button hides them.
Desktop switcher
One click to any desktop.
The Desktops tile shows a button for every desktop, with the one you’re on highlighted. Click a number to go straight there. No swipes, no hunting for the right shortcut.
Switching uses the optional Keyboard Control setting, which is off until you turn it on.
Pin anything
Folders, files, scripts and Shortcuts.
A folder tile opens as a quick menu of its contents; your Downloads folder is sorted newest first. Documents open with one click, and you can drop files on an app tile to open them in that app.
Scripts and Shortcuts run with a click. The tile border lights up while they run and turns green or red when they finish, with a log you can review.
Clock
A retro clock and calendar, built in.
The time and date, always visible, laid out to fit any tile size. Click the tile to open Calendar.
Make it yours
Your column, your way.
Left or right edge
Put the column on either side of the screen. Tile sizes from 48 to 80 points, with optional shrink-to-fit.
Fixed top group
Keep your most important tiles locked at the top while the rest scroll smoothly.
Rename, reorder, lock
Rename any tile, drag to reorder, then lock the column when it’s just right.
Auto-hide
The column slides away and comes back when you point at the screen edge. Or hide it until you need it.
Easy setup
Import the apps and folders already in your Dock, or a layout from another Mac.
Backups built in
Your settings are backed up automatically and whenever you ask, with one-click restore.
Private by design
No accounts. No tracking. No network.
Pilaster makes no network connections at all. There are no ads, no analytics and no sign-in. Your settings never leave your Mac.
About Keyboard Control
Pilaster asks for no permissions when you install it. If you turn on Keyboard Control, macOS asks once for permission to press keyboard shortcuts. Pilaster uses it for two things only: pressing the system’s own “Switch to Desktop” shortcut when you click a desktop button, and quitting an app you choose from its tile menu. It never records your typing.
Accessible
Works the way you do.
- Every tile has a clear spoken label for VoiceOver.
- Full keyboard navigation of the column.
- Follows Increase Contrast, Reduce Transparency and Reduce Motion as you change them.
- Large tiles and fixed positions make targets easy to find and hit.
Questions
Frequently asked
Does it replace the macOS Dock?
It runs alongside it. If you want Pilaster to be your only dock, set the macOS Dock to hide automatically in System Settings → Desktop & Dock.
Is it a subscription?
No. Pilaster is a one-time $9.99 purchase on the Mac App Store, with updates delivered through the App Store.
Which Macs does it run on?
Any Mac running macOS 13 Ventura or later, Apple silicon or Intel.
Does it collect any data?
No. Pilaster collects nothing and makes no network connections. See the privacy policy for details.
Where do I get help?
Visit Pilaster Support or email [email protected].
Put your Mac in order.
Pilaster: Tile Dock · $9.99 one-time