How To Add Or Remove A Dock Item
If you want to add an application to the
Dock, click the Launchpad icon in the Dock and drag the application icon
to the Dock; the icons in the Dock will move aside to make room for the
new one. If you want to add a file or folder to the Dock, just drag its
icon from any Finder window (or the desktop) and drop it on the Dock.
The resulting icon that appears in the Dock is actually an alias of the
original item (it's kind of a pointer to your original item). If you
drag an application or file onto the Dock, you'll be able to open it
anytime by simply clicking its docked icon. If you drag a folder onto
the Dock, a Finder window of the folder's contents will display when you
click the folder icon in the Dock.
To remove an item from the Dock, drag its
icon an inch or more off the Dock and wait a couple seconds, then
release; the icon will disappear in a poof of smoke. There are some
icons that you can't remove from the Dock, such as the Trash and the
Finder.
Don't worry, you aren't permanently
removing the item from your computer; you simply got rid of its Dock
icon. If you want that item back in the Dock, locate the application,
file, or folder in the Finder (or with Spotlight), and drag it back into
the Dock.
Tip: You can change where the Dock displays and customize its animation style in Dock preferences. See Customize the Dock.