MacAddict4Life

August 04, 2010 at 7:29pm

To reliance the Finder, option-control-click (or option-right-click) it in the dock, and choose Relaunch. Or use command-option-escape to bring up the "Force Quit Applications" window, and choose to relaunch the Finder there. These both work for killing any standard application (that is, application that shows up in the dock and fore quit window). This could be done through the terminal or through Activity Monitor, but there's no real reason to do them that way.

The reason the Dock was covered here is because it does not appear in the force quit window. However to kill the dock I would use Activity Monitor, rather than the terminal. Launch Activity Monitor, type "Dock" into the "Filter" search area on the top left, click the "Dock" process in the list, and click the "Quit Process" button in the top left corner of the window. This process is a bit more initiative (read: easy to remember or figure out as your go), as you just have to remember the Activity Monitor application, and then should be able to figure out the rest. You do not have to deal with the terminal, and remember a command. In my experience, people are more comfortable with Activity Monitor than with a terminal.

I have to say, I'm not sure why you'd try relaunching the Finder first (or at all) for a frozen dock. They are separate applications, and should not affect one another in a way that can cause a dock freeze. But if relaunching the Finder has ever fixed the dock for you, I'm keen to hear about it.