Roundup
Best Dock and window-preview apps for Mac (2026)
The Mac Dock still can’t show you an app’s windows when you point at it, and Command-Tab still switches apps rather than windows. These six apps fix one or both. They take different approaches: some add previews to Apple’s Dock, some replace the app switcher, and one replaces the Dock outright.
Disclosure: docktor is made by the author of this page. It’s listed first because it’s ours, not because it wins every category; each entry says who it suits and who should skip it. Prices, versions, and requirements were checked on each developer’s site in September 2026.
At a glance
| App | Price | Requires | Dock previews | Window switcher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| docktor | Free | macOS 26 Tahoe | Yesincluding minimized windows and windows on other desktops | Yesreplaces Cmd+Tab; shows the highlighted app's windows as thumbnails |
| DockDoor | Free, open-source | macOS 13 Ventura | Yes | YesOption-Tab switcher, plus Cmd+Tab enhancements |
| AltTab | Free, open-source; Pro from $9.99 | macOS 12 Monterey | No | Yesthumbnails, extensively configurable |
| Witch | $14, free trial | macOS 10.13 High Sierra | No | Yesapps, windows, and tabs, with search |
| uBar | $30 personal, $50 commercial; 14-day trial | macOS 10.13 (Tahoe supported) | Yesin its own bar, which replaces the Dock | No |
| HyperDock | $9.95 | Lists Sierra to Mojave | Yesincluding minimized windows and other Spaces | Noseparate HyperSwitch beta |
The apps
docktor
docktor (made by the author of this page) · Free · requires macOS 26 Tahoe · latest checked: 0.14.1
Window previews when you hover the Dock, a Command-Tab replacement that shows the highlighted app's windows as thumbnails, and glass widgets beside the Dock: music with synced lyrics for Apple Music and Spotify, a countdown to your next calendar event, weather, system stats, and device batteries. Closed source; during the beta it sends anonymous telemetry (a heartbeat, crash summaries, and a settings snapshot), on by default, which you can turn off.
“The app fills the unused side space on either end of the Dock with customizable widgets (music, calendar, weather, system stats) and adds hover previews of a running app’s open windows without clicking.”
Pick it if you're on macOS 26 and want previews, a window switcher, and at-a-glance widgets in one free app that looks like part of the system.
Skip it if your Mac runs an older macOS, or you want deep configuration, browser-tab switching, or open-source code.
DockDoor
ejbills and contributors (open-source on GitHub) · Free, open-source · requires macOS 13 Ventura · latest checked: 1.40.1 (September 3, 2026)
A popular open-source take on Dock previews. Hover a Dock icon for live window previews, or press Option-Tab for a switcher with keyboard shortcuts to close, quit, or minimize. It also has media controls with synced lyrics for Spotify and Apple Music, a Calendar hover view, folder previews, and trackpad gestures. Its site says it collects no analytics. A separate paid app, DockDoor Pro, replaces the Dock entirely.
Pick it if you want free, open-source Dock previews with lots of options, or you're on macOS 13 through 15.
Skip it if you'd rather have fewer settings, or want weather, system stats, and battery widgets next to the Dock.
AltTab
lwouis and contributors · Free, open-source; Pro from $9.99 · requires macOS 12 Monterey · latest checked: 11.8.0 (September 26, 2026)
Brings the Windows alt-tab experience to the Mac with window thumbnails, window controls, and a very long list of settings. The free, GPL-licensed app covers switching; AltTab Pro ($9.99, or $24.99 for lifetime updates) adds type-to-search, icon and title-only styles, auto-sizing, and up to nine shortcuts.
Pick it if the window switcher is the only thing you want, and you want to tune every part of it.
Skip it if you also want previews when you point at the Dock.
Witch
Many Tricks · $14, free trial · requires macOS 10.13 High Sierra · latest checked: 4.7 (December 2, 2025)
A mature, paid switcher that handles apps, windows, and tabs. You can set up several switchers on different shortcuts, lay them out horizontally, vertically, or in the menu bar, and filter by typing. Version 4.7 updated its look for macOS 26, and it runs natively on Apple silicon.
Pick it if you live in browser tabs, like switching by typing, or want different switchers for different jobs.
Skip it if you want big window thumbnails or Dock previews.
uBar
Brawer Software · $30 personal, $50 commercial; 14-day trial · requires macOS 10.13 (Tahoe supported) · latest checked: 4.2.5 (September 15, 2026)
Not a Dock add-on but a Dock replacement: a dock or a Windows-style taskbar that lists every window, with hover previews, grouped or ungrouped windows, a bar per display, and placement on any screen edge in up to five rows. It also shows notification flashes, progress bars, and per-app CPU and RAM.
Pick it if you want to replace the Dock with a taskbar, especially across several displays.
Skip it if you want to keep Apple's Dock and just add previews to it.
HyperDock
Christian Baumgart (bahoom) · $9.95 · requires Lists Sierra to Mojave · latest checked: 1.8 (Intel-only build)
The app that popularized Dock window previews on the Mac. It also offers scroll-to-control music on the iTunes icon, upcoming events on the Calendar icon, window snapping, modifier-key move and resize, and shortcuts for Dock items. Its download page lists version 1.8 for macOS Mojave, High Sierra, and Sierra, and the download is built for Intel Macs only.
Pick it if you're keeping an older Intel Mac running Mojave or earlier.
Skip it if you're on a current Mac and macOS; check with the developer about compatibility first.
How to choose
Start with what bothers you. If it’s the Dock, you want hover previews: docktor or DockDoor keep Apple’s Dock and add them, and uBar replaces the Dock with its own bar. If it’s Command-Tab, you want a switcher: AltTab and Witch are specialists, while docktor and DockDoor include one alongside Dock previews. Then check your macOS version, because docktor needs macOS 26 and HyperDock’s site lists nothing newer than Mojave.
Before installing anything, it’s worth knowing the built-in shortcuts. The guides to window previews in the Mac Dock, showing all windows in Cmd+Tab, and switching windows of the same app cover what macOS can already do.
Frequently asked questions
- Can the Mac Dock show window previews without an app?
- No. macOS has no hover previews in the Dock. The built-in options are Show All Windows from an app's Dock menu, App Exposé with Control-Down Arrow, and Mission Control. To see window thumbnails when you point at a Dock icon, you need an app such as docktor, DockDoor, or uBar.
- What's the best free Dock preview app for Mac?
- DockDoor and docktor are both free. DockDoor is open-source, runs on macOS 13 and later, and has more settings. docktor needs macOS 26, looks native to it, and adds weather, system stats, and battery widgets beside the Dock. Try both and keep the one you prefer.
- Which app replaces Command-Tab with window thumbnails?
- docktor replaces Command-Tab by default with a switcher that shows the highlighted app's windows as thumbnails. AltTab and DockDoor offer thumbnail switchers too, and Witch can be set to Command-Tab with a list that includes tabs.
- Is HyperDock still updated?
- The HyperDock download page offers version 1.8 and lists macOS Mojave, High Sierra, and Sierra as supported, with no newer macOS mentioned. The build is Intel-only. Ask the developer about current macOS support before buying.
- How were these apps chosen and checked?
- They're the Mac apps people most often compare for Dock previews and window switching. Prices, latest versions, and macOS requirements were checked against each developer's own website or GitHub releases in September 2026. docktor is made by the author of this page.