deskbird Dock is a lightweight desktop app for macOS and Windows that automatically checks you in to your desk and parking bookings and updates your status to In Office — no manual action needed. As soon as your laptop connects to a recognized office network, you're checked in. If your admin has mapped office monitors to desks, plugging into a recognized monitor while on that network can also check you in at your exact desk, and even create a booking if you don't have one.
- What deskbird Dock does
- Before you start
- Install on macOS
- Install on Windows
- How it works day-to-day
- Troubleshooting
- FAQs
1. What deskbird Dock does
Once installed and signed in, deskbird Dock runs silently in the background. When your device connects to a recognized office network, Dock automatically:
- Checks you in to any existing desk and parking bookings for that day.
- Updates your status to
In Officein the Schedule tab.
If your admin has mapped office monitors to desks, Dock can do more when you plug into a recognized monitor while connected to the office network. It automatically:
- Checks you in to your existing desk booking for that day.
- Creates a new desk booking at that desk if you don't have one yet.
- Updates your status to
In Officein the Schedule tab.
⚠️ Note: Monitor detection only works while you're connected to a recognized office network. If you're plugged into a monitor but not on the network, no check-in or booking is created.
The app requires manual action only during the initial sign-in, if your company uses one. After that it works entirely in the background.
2. Before you start
Before installing deskbird Dock, make sure the following are in place:
- Account: a deskbird account using your company email. You sign in with the login method your company has enabled: Google, Microsoft, or email and password. Some companies run Dock without any sign-in; see the FAQs.
- Check-in enabled: your admin must have enabled check-in under Admin > Desks, parking & others: Booking settings.
- Office detection configured: contact your admin if you are unsure whether this has been set up.
- Supported OS: macOS or Windows.
- Installer file: download deskbird Dock for your operating system from https://dock.deskbird.com/.
3. Install on macOS
- Download and install: download the macOS installer from https://dock.deskbird.com/, open it, and follow the installation steps.
- Grant location permission: when prompted, allow location access. If no popup appears, go to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services and enable deskbird Dock.
- Sign in: the app opens automatically after installation. Sign in via your browser with the login method your company uses (Google, Microsoft, or email and password).
- Access the dashboard: click the deskbird Dock icon in the top-right menu bar and select Open Dashboard to see your detected office and connected devices.
💡 If you cannot see the tray icon, free up space in your menu bar via System Settings > Control Center.
4. Install on Windows
- Download and install: download the Windows installer from https://dock.deskbird.com/ and run it. If a Windows protected your PC dialog appears, click More info, then Run anyway.
- Sign in: the app opens automatically after installation. Sign in via your browser with the login method your company uses (Google, Microsoft, or email and password).
- Access the dashboard: click the deskbird Dock icon in the bottom-right system tray (click the ^ arrow if the icon is hidden) and select Open Dashboard.
5. How it works day-to-day
Once set up, deskbird Dock requires no interaction. Here is what happens when you connect to your office network:
- You open your laptop and connect to the office network.
- Dock detects the network and identifies your office automatically.
- Your existing desk and parking bookings for that day are checked in.
- Your status is updated to
In Officein the Schedule tab.
And here is what happens when you plug into an office monitor that your admin has mapped to a desk, while connected to the office network:
- Dock detects the monitor and identifies your office and desk automatically.
- Your existing desk booking for that day is checked in — or a new desk booking is created for you if you don't have one yet.
- Your status is updated to
In Officein the Schedule tab.
The Dock dashboard shows your current network status and connected monitors at any time.
The Dock icon in the menu bar (macOS) or system tray (Windows) also shows your check-in status for the day:
- Checked in: Dock has checked in your booking.
- Desk detected: Dock has found your booking but hasn't checked it in yet.
The tray and the dashboard always show the same status and dates, and the latest detection time updates every minute. When you open your laptop after it was asleep, Dock detects your office again within a few minutes.
💡 On the office network, Dock checks you in to existing bookings only — create those in the deskbird web or mobile app beforehand. When you plug into a mapped office monitor, Dock can also create a desk booking for you if you don't already have one.
💡 Check-in has a deadline: if you aren't checked in by the end of your office's grace period (your booking start time plus the grace period), your desk booking is automatically released. See the FAQs for details.
6. Troubleshooting
Many issues are fixed in newer versions of deskbird Dock, so first make sure you have the latest version from dock.deskbird.com. If your company installed Dock for you, your IT team takes care of updates.
| Issue | What to do |
|---|---|
| Not being checked in automatically | Confirm you are on the office network or plugged into a mapped monitor. Ask your admin to verify that Office detection is configured for your office. |
| Plugged into a mapped monitor, but nothing happens | Make sure you are also connected to a recognized office network. Monitor detection only works while you are on the office network. |
| Not being checked in at your desk via monitor | Your office monitor may not be mapped to a desk yet. Ask your admin to set up Resource detection. Note that some older monitors cannot be mapped because they lack a unique identifier. |
| Your desk booking was released | You may have arrived after the check-in grace period. If you aren't checked in by the deadline, the desk is automatically released. You're still marked as In Office for the day, and any new booking you make after arriving is checked in automatically. |
| Tray icon missing (macOS) | Free up space in your menu bar via System Settings > Control Center. |
| Tray icon missing (Windows) | Click the ^ icon in the taskbar to reveal hidden icons. |
| Login error | Make sure you are using the exact email address registered with deskbird. |
| Sign-in fails with a message on the login screen (Windows) | The login screen shows why Dock couldn't be activated, for example that your company isn't registered yet, or that a security policy of your company is blocking the sign-in. Share the message with your IT team or admin so they can fix the cause. |
| Office not detected after opening your laptop | Dock detects your office within a few minutes after your laptop wakes from sleep. If it takes much longer, update Dock to the latest version from dock.deskbird.com. |
| Tray and dashboard show different information | Update Dock to the latest version. The tray and the dashboard then always show the same check-in status and dates. |
| Dock freezes when you open it (Windows) | This is fixed in the latest version. Update Dock from dock.deskbird.com. |
| Browser tab stuck on "loading" | The login tab may stay on "loading" after a successful sign-in. You can safely close it. |
💡 If Dock is already running and you are experiencing sync issues, sign out and back in, then refresh the web app.
7. FAQs
No. deskbird Dock only detects whether your device is connected to a network or monitor that your admin has linked to a specific office or desk. It does not track GPS or physical location.
Yes, when you plug into an office monitor that your admin has mapped to a desk, while connected to the office network. If you don't already have a desk booking for that day, Dock creates one at that desk and checks you in. When you only connect to the office network, Dock checks you in to your existing desk and parking bookings but does not create new ones — create those in the deskbird web or mobile app beforehand.
deskbird Dock checks you in the moment your presence is detected. If you aren't checked in by the end of your office's check-in grace period (your booking start time plus the grace period), the desk is automatically released. If you arrive after that, the original booking can't be recovered — but you're still marked as In Office for the day, and any new booking you make after arriving is checked in automatically, since your presence is detected.
As long as your admin has configured each office network and monitor, Dock will automatically detect the correct office and desk based on the network or monitor you are connected to.
Checked in means Dock has checked in your booking. Desk detected means Dock has found your booking but hasn't checked it in yet. The tray and the Dock dashboard always show the same status and dates, and the latest detection time updates every minute.
Yes, that can be right. Depending on how your company set up Dock, you may not need to sign in:
- Your IT team activated Dock for you during a central installation.
- Your company uses Dock only to measure how the office is used, without linking it to any person. deskbird then knows your company, but not who you are, and Dock doesn't check you in or create bookings for you.
If you expected automatic check-ins and they don't happen, ask your admin which setup your company uses.
Yes. deskbird Dock supports sign-in with Google, Microsoft, or your email and password, if your company has enabled these login methods. SAML 2.0 single sign-on is not available in deskbird Dock.
On macOS, move the deskbird Dock app from your Applications folder to the Trash. On Windows, uninstall it via Settings > Apps > Installed apps. Reach out to dock@deskbird.com if you run into any issues.