Q: I have removed items from my dock, but when I turn on computer the next time they are back again.

You remove them by dragging them off the dock.

As soon as you run an app it appears in the dock with the little light underneath to show that it is running: when you Quit the app from the menu or by rightclicking the dock icon and Quit, they disappear again.

If you do not want them running when you start the computer, you go to SystemPreferences/Users&Groups  and then choose the LoginItems Tab you can remove them from the list with the little minus sign underneath.

It is not clear what you are saying: do you mean that they reappear without the light underneath? If so look in the Dock applet in SystemPreferences and make sure that the "show indicator lights for applications that are open" is checked.

Now, if they reappear without the indicator lights, it means that they are coming back (which they shouldn't).

Is that what you describe?

Try doing a Dock restart using the following Terminal command:

killall Dock

Log out/in and test. If that doesn’t work, you need to look in your user Library/Applications Support/Dock for the .db. Use the Finder “Go To Folder” command. Enter ~/ Library/Applications Support/Dock.  Move the .db to your desktop.

Then try a dock reset.

Applications/Utilities/Terminal enter the command

killall Dock

Log out/in test. If it works okay, delete the .db from the desktop.

If the Dock is the same, return the .db to where you got them from, overwriting the newer ones.

If you prefer to make your user library permanently visible, use the Terminal command found below.

Show User Library

You might want to bookmark the command. I had to use it again after I installed 10.8.4. I have also been informed that if you drag the user library to Finder it will remain visible.

No need to make library permanently visible: when you hold the alt key in the Go menu you will see the Library there.

In Apllications/Utilities there is an application called Terminal (it looks the same as the dos window in MS Windows). Start Terminal and write "Killall Dock" without the quotes, then hit the Enter Key. From the Terminal Menu bar Quit Terminal.

Log out and login again, everything OK?

When not: in Finder hold the Alt key while choosing the Go menu, clciking Library will switch you to the user Library, in there go into the Preferences Folder, in there delete the    com.apple.dock.plist    file.

Log out and then login again.

If what Lex typed doesn't work, then try the .db file.

Log out/in and test. If that doesn’t work, you need to look in your user Library/Applications Support/Dock for the .db. Use the Finder “Go To Folder” command. Enter ~/ Library/Applications Support/Dock.  Move the .db to your desktop.

Then try a dock reset.

Applications/Utilities/Terminal enter the command

killall Dock

Log out/in test. If it works okay, delete the .db from the desktop.

If the Dock is the same, return the .db to where you got them from, overwriting the newer ones.

Hi Lexiepax & Eric, I stumbled upon your answers while trying hard to find out why my dock suddenly didn't keep my usual apps in it after I've updated to OS Sierra. I tried both methods and removing the .db file alone w/o doing a dock reset (not sure if it was a sequential result from removing the plist first) finally worked.

Thank you for saving me tons of time!