What does Dockhandy do?
Dockhandy is a macOS menubar app that prepares selected external drives before sleep or lid close, leads with the safety state, and stays quiet unless a drive still needs your attention.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to common questions about Dockhandy, the macOS menubar app for external drive safety.
Does Dockhandy force eject busy drives?
No. Dockhandy prepares managed drives before sleep, but if a drive is still busy it shows an attention state instead of silently forcing an unsafe eject.
Does Dockhandy read or upload my files?
No. Dockhandy is not a file browser or sync tool. It does not browse your files or upload drive contents.
Can I choose which drives Dockhandy manages?
Yes. Dockhandy is built around selected drives, and the menu makes the managed scope explicit so you can see which drives are covered.
What happens if a drive cannot be ejected before sleep?
Dockhandy shows that the drive needs attention. It should be treated as not ready to close until the file operation, backup, app, or system task using that drive is finished.
Does it work with Time Machine drives?
Time Machine drives can be managed when macOS exposes them as external volumes, but backups may keep a drive busy. Dockhandy should alert rather than promise a clean eject while Time Machine is actively using the disk.
Does it remount drives after wake?
Dockhandy focuses first on the close-safe path before sleep. Remount behavior depends on the drive, dock, and macOS wake behavior, so you should not rely on it as a guarantee.
Does it require Full Disk Access?
Dockhandy does not need to read your files for its normal safety state. If macOS requires extra permission for a specific workflow, Dockhandy should ask for only what that workflow needs.
Is Dockhandy notarized?
Yes. Public Dockhandy builds are signed and notarized for macOS distribution.
Does it work when I close my MacBook lid?
Yes. Dockhandy runs a preparation routine before your Mac goes to sleep. It handles the drives it manages and alerts you if something still needs attention before lid-close.
How long is the trial?
The trial lasts 30 days and includes all product features. It is meant to let you test Dockhandy in your real external-drive setup.
What happens after the trial ends?
Dockhandy switches to Monitor Only. It can still show whether external drives are connected and keeps the purchase and license actions available. Automatic eject, drive readiness, and safety verdicts are part of the trial and licensed app.
Is Dockhandy a subscription?
No. Dockhandy uses a buy-once license. The current license terms allow up to 2 Macs per license.
Is the app available in Japanese?
Dockhandy and this website are currently available in English only. Japanese localization is planned, but it is not part of the public site yet.
How many Macs can I use it on?
A Dockhandy license covers up to 2 Macs.
What macOS versions does it support?
Dockhandy supports macOS 13.0 or later on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.
Does Dockhandy work with all external drives?
Dockhandy works with USB-connected external SSDs and HDDs mounted on macOS. Drives managed by Dockhandy are shown explicitly in the menu so you always know which ones are covered.
Start 30-day trial
See for yourself whether Dockhandy fits the way you work with external drives.