Duplicate Bundled App Icons in Dock->Applications

I have been experiencing an similar issue since updating to macOS 26.2.

I keep several folders in my primary Applications directory containing aliases for quick access, and I have these folders pinned to the Dock. Since the update, these aliases appear duplicated specifically in the Dock’s folder view (stacks), even though they appear correctly as single files in the Finder.

Interestingly, if I delete an alias from the folder in Finder, one instance disappears from the Dock view, but a "ghost" duplicate remains, even though the source file is gone.

Here is an example of the behavior in the attached screenshots:

1. Folder of aliases in the Dock showing the duplicates.
2. Removing the "Obsidian" alias from the folder in Finder.
3. Clicking the Dock folder again; one icon is gone, but the duplicate remains.

Temporary solution: I managed to resolve this by clearing the icon services cache via the Terminal. If you'd like to try it, @AndyShowit, here is the command, I am wondering if this would fix your problem too.

sudo rm -rfv /Library/Caches/com.apple.iconservices.store; killall Dock; killall Finder

This fixed the display for me immediately. However, this feels like a bug in how the Dock (and Apps launcher) indexes icons in macOS 26.2, and hopefully, Apple provides a native fix in the next update so users don't have to resort to Terminal commands.

Edit: Regarding @steve626 question, in the case of my Dock icons issue, this was not only native apps.

All the "duplicate" apps appear to be ones that come as part of the MacOS. Do you have more than one MacOS installation on your Mac?

Can you open Disk Utility and send a screenshot of what you see after selecting View=>Show All Devices?

Do you have some non-standard setup, perhaps booting from an external drive, using a clone that has a copy of the MacOS?

AndyShowit wrote:

I'm seeing duplicate Apple bundled app icons in the Dock's Application fly-out (see first image) in macOS Tahoe 26.2. This just started happening. There are NOT actually duplicate apps in the /Applications directory on the drive (see second image), however.

Not sure what's going on there. I've never seen this before. Anyone else seeing this?

Specs: macOS Tahoe 26.2 (25C56), Nov. 2024 MacBook Pro 16-inch, M4 Max, 64 GB memory, 2 TB SSD (1.65 TB available)

If Shutting down and restarting does not solve you issue...

>Shut Down

A SafeBoot Start up your Mac in safe mode - Apple Support will sort many anomalies

Login and test. Reboot as normal and test. Caches get rebuilt automatically.

Easy solution: remove the App-stack from the dock and then drag it back in, for instance dragging from the sidebar of the Finder. All the duplicates are gone.

What is an "Application fly-out"?

But regardless, the explanation is that you have multiple versions of these apps installed. Apps don't just live in your Applications folder. If there is an app in any folder on any visible volume, it will be included in these lists.

Jacques Bloch wrote:

Easy solution: remove the App-stack from the dock and then drag it back in, for instance dragging from the sidebar of the Finder. All the duplicates are gone.

Is this what you are calling the App-stack....?

Finder Sidebar?

is this what you are dragging back...(?)

Thanks Lorenzo!