macOS doesn't show live window previews when you hover over Dock icons — you get nothing until you click. To see previews before switching, you need a third-party tool: either DockDoor (free, previews only) or a full dock replacement like Dockish ($6.99), which bakes hover previews into a dock that also runs on every monitor.
Why doesn't the macOS Dock show window previews?
It never has. Apple's Dock is deliberately minimal — hover over an icon and you get the app name, nothing more. The closest native feature is Mission Control (swipe up with three fingers, or press F3), which spreads all your open windows across the screen. That's useful for a full overview, but it's not the same as a quick peek at a specific app before deciding whether to switch.
Windows users switching to Mac often notice this immediately. In Windows, hovering the taskbar shows thumbnail previews of every open window for that app. macOS has no equivalent built in, even in Sequoia.
What are your options for getting dock previews on Mac?
There are two realistic routes depending on how much you want to change:
Option 1: DockDoor (free)
DockDoor is a free, open-source app that adds window hover previews to the standard macOS Dock. You hover over a Dock icon and a floating thumbnail appears showing your open windows for that app. It does one thing and does it well. If you're happy with the standard Dock and just want the preview feature bolted on, DockDoor is a solid choice and costs nothing.
Install it from dockdoor.app, grant it the Accessibility permission it needs, and hover previews appear immediately. There's nothing else to configure unless you want to tweak preview size or delay.
Option 2: Dockish (full dock replacement, $6.99)
If you want more than just previews — multi-monitor docks, iPhone-style app folders, proper minimised-window behaviour, live 120Hz animations — Dockish replaces the macOS Dock entirely and includes hover previews as part of the package.
Hover over any icon in Dockish and a live preview thumbnail appears showing your open windows. From the 1.1 update, you can also close windows directly from the hover preview without switching to that app first. The preview delay is adjustable in settings if you find previews appearing too eagerly or too slowly.
Dockish works on macOS 14 (Sonoma) and later, costs $6.99 one-time with a 7-day free trial, and there's no subscription.
How to set up hover previews in Dockish
- Download Dockish from appish.app/dockish and run through the setup — it asks for Accessibility permission on first launch.
- Open Dockish preferences (click the menu bar icon → Preferences).
- Under Previews, confirm hover previews are enabled and set the delay to your liking. A 300–500ms delay feels natural for most people.
- Optionally enable Close from preview if you want the × button to appear on individual window thumbnails.
That's it. Hover over any icon in the Dockish dock and you'll see live thumbnails of every open window for that app.
Can you close windows from the preview?
In Dockish, yes — the 1.1 update added a close button directly on each window thumbnail in the hover preview. Click × on a preview tile and that window closes without you switching to the app. This is handy for tidying up background windows quickly.
DockDoor doesn't currently offer close-from-preview; it's preview-only.
Does hovering show windows from all Spaces?
This depends on your macOS Spaces setup. Dockish shows previews for windows on the current Space and visible windows on other displays. Windows on other Spaces are tracked but previewing across Spaces is controlled by macOS's window server — behaviour can vary depending on how many Spaces you're using and your Mission Control settings.
For most single-Space or two-Space setups, previews work exactly as expected.
Does this work with apps that open multiple windows — like Chrome or Finder?
Yes, and this is where previews are most useful. Chrome, Finder, Safari, and any app that supports multiple simultaneous windows will show a preview tile for each open window. You can glance at all your Chrome windows in a single hover and click directly into the one you want, rather than clicking the icon and then hunting through windows.
Scroll on the Dockish icon to cycle through an app's open windows without the preview UI, if you prefer that workflow.
DockDoor vs Dockish: which should you use?
| DockDoor | Dockish | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | $6.99 one-time |
| Hover previews | ✓ | ✓ |
| Close from preview | ✗ | ✓ |
| Multi-monitor docks | ✗ | ✓ |
| App folders | ✗ | ✓ |
| Replaces macOS Dock | ✗ | ✓ |
| macOS requirement | 14+ | 14+ |
If you only want previews and you're happy with everything else about the macOS Dock, DockDoor is the right answer — it's free, lightweight, and focused. I'd genuinely recommend it for that use case.
If you're already frustrated with other Dock limitations — no dock on your second monitor, no way to group apps into folders, minimised windows that don't restore properly when you click them — then Dockish solves all of those at the same time and the previews come included.
Common questions
Does macOS Sequoia add window previews to the Dock?
No. Sequoia didn't change the Dock in any meaningful way — no hover previews, no window thumbnails. The only Sequoia-related window feature was the addition of native window tiling, which is separate from the Dock entirely.
Is DockDoor safe to use?
DockDoor is open-source and well-regarded in the Mac community. It requires Accessibility permission to read window information, which is standard for any app that interacts with other windows. You can review the source code on GitHub if you want to verify what it does.
Can I use Dockish alongside the macOS Dock?
Yes, but most people hide the macOS Dock once Dockish is running — there's no reason to have both visible. Dockish includes a one-click "Hide macOS Dock" toggle in its preferences, and it's fully reversible if you ever want to go back.
Originally published at appish.app
Top comments (0)