The Dashboard is one of those features that Mac users either seem to love and use all the time, or never use at all β especially since a lot of the information previously supplied by Dashboard widgets is now more readily available via macOSβ Notification Centre.
If youβre not a fan of the Dashboard, then it can be seriously annoying when you hit the wrong keys and trigger the Dashboard by accident, plus having unused Dashboard widgets hanging around in the background will have a negative impact on your Macβs performance.
If you donβt really βgetβ the point of the Dashboard, then in this article Iβm going to show you how to disable it. If youβre running a newer version of macOS, then your βSystem preferencesβ contains a handy option that lets you toggle the Dashboard on and off with a single mouse click, but if you have an older version of macOS then this option is frustratingly absent, so Iβll also be showing you how to disable the Dashboard using Terminal commands.
And, just in case you want to give the Dashboard a second chance, Iβll be showing you how to change the Dashboard, so instead of a separate space in Mission Control it appears as a transparent overlay with widgets that βfloatβ above your Desktop.
Disabling Dashboard from the System Preferences
If you have an up-to-date version of macOS, then you should be able to remove the Dashboard from your Macβs System Preferences:
- Click the βAppleβ logo in your Macβs toolbar.
- Select βSystem Preferences > Mission Control.β
- Open the βDashboardβ dropdown, and set it to βOff.β
Now, the next time you accidentally hit the keyboard shortcut that would usually launch the Dashboard (βfn + F12β by default), nothing will happen.
If you change your mind and want to re-enable the Dashboard at any point, then simply navigate back to βSystem Preferences > Mission Controlβ and set the βDashboardβ dropdown to βAs Space.β
Disabling Dashboard from the Command Line
If your βSystem preferences > Mission Controlβ menu doesnβt contain a βDashboardβ dropdown, then you can still disable the Dashboard using your Macβs built-in Terminal:
- Open a Finder window and navigate to βApplications > Utilities.β
- Double-click to launch the Terminal application.
- Copy/paste the following command into the Terminal:
defaults write com.apple.dashboard mcx-disabled -boolean YES; killall Dock
- Press the βEnterβ key on your keyboard.
Try pressing the shortcut that usually activates the Dashboard, and nothing should happen. Even if you navigate back to your Macβs βApplicationsβ folder and double-click the Dashboard app, the Dashboard will refuse to open.
If you have a change of heart and want to start using the Dashboard again, then you can re-enable it by issuing another Terminal command:
- Open the Terminal window.
- Copy/paste the following command into the Terminal:
defaults write com.apple.dashboard mcx-disabled -boolean NO; killall Dock
- Press the βEnterβ key.
Switch to a transparent overlay
Itβs possible that you may be a fan of the Dashboardβs functionality, but arenβt a fan of its presentation β being transported away from your Desktop and into a completely different area of the system can be jarring. If this is the case, then you may want to experiment with using the Dashboard as a transparent overlay.
When the Dashboard is presented as a transparent layer, the contents of your Desktop remain visible, which is ideal if you need to refer to something on your Desktop while interacting with your widgets. For example, if you have a document containing a list of numbers that you need to input into the Dashboardβs calculator widget, then this transparent layer saves you from having to keep flicking between the Dashboard and the Desktop.
To try out the Dashboard as a transparent layer:
- Navigate to βSystem Preferences > Mission Control.β
- Open the βDashboardβ dropdown, and select βAs Overlay.β
You can continue to launch the Dashboard using exactly the same shortcut, but exiting the Dashboard is slightly different: youβll need to click a transparent area of the Dashboard, and macOS will return you to the regular Desktop.
Before you go
After spending over 20 years working with Macs, both old and new, theres a tool I think would be useful to every Mac owner who is experiencing performance issues.
CleanMyMac is highest rated all-round cleaning app for the Mac, it can quickly diagnose and solve a whole plethora of common (but sometimes tedious to fix) issues at the click of a button. It also just happens to resolve many of the issues covered in the speed up section of this site, so Download CleanMyMac to get your Mac back up to speed today.

Add Comment