How to Preview Windows from the Dock on Mac

If you've ever wished you could hover over an app in the macOS Dock and see what's actually inside its windows — without clicking — you already understand the problem. macOS shows you app icons in the Dock, but it never shows you the content behind them. When you have six Safari windows, four Finder windows, and a handful of VS Code editors open, the Dock becomes a guessing game.

DockMaster solves this with a feature called Hover & Peek: hover over any Dock icon and a floating panel appears with live, real-time thumbnails of every window belonging to that app. Click any thumbnail to bring it to the front. No switching, no guessing.

Why macOS Doesn't Offer Dock Previews

Apple designed the Dock as a launcher, not a window manager. The Dock shows running indicators (small dots) and lets you right-click for a window list, but you can't see the actual window content. Windows on other Spaces are even harder to reach — you have to switch Spaces first, then find the window manually.

For power users with dozens of windows open, this creates friction. You lose time Command-Tabbing through apps, scanning Mission Control, or clicking through menus just to find the right window.

How Hover & Peek Works

DockMaster uses Apple's ScreenCaptureKit framework (introduced in macOS 12.3, refined in macOS 14) to capture lightweight, real-time thumbnails of every visible window. When your cursor enters a Dock icon's region, DockMaster instantly renders a preview panel above the Dock.

Live thumbnails — each preview updates in real time, so you see exactly what's on every window, not a stale snapshot.
Multi-window support — apps with multiple windows display them side by side in a scrollable row.
Click to focus — click any thumbnail to bring that specific window to the front, even if it's on another Space.
Close from preview — hover over a thumbnail to reveal a close button, letting you tidy up without switching context.

Configuration Options

DockMaster lets you fine-tune the hover experience to match your workflow:

Hover delay — configurable from 0.1 seconds to 1.0 seconds. A shorter delay gives instant previews; a longer delay prevents accidental triggers when you're just moving your cursor across the Dock.
Preview size — choose between compact and expanded thumbnail sizes depending on your screen real estate.
Excluded apps — hide previews for specific apps if you don't need them (menu bar utilities, for example).

Privacy and Security

DockMaster requires the macOS Screen Recording permission to capture window thumbnails. This is the same permission used by screen sharing apps and screenshot tools. However, DockMaster operates entirely locally:

Thumbnails are rendered in memory and never saved to disk.
No screen data is uploaded, transmitted, or shared.
No analytics or telemetry is collected from your screen content.

Your workflow stays on your Mac. DockMaster is a native Swift app with no server component — it works fully offline.

System Requirements

Dock preview requires macOS 14 Sonoma or later and works on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. ScreenCaptureKit is optimized for Apple Silicon, so M1/M2/M3/M4 Macs will see the best performance with minimal CPU usage.

Get Started

Download DockMaster and grant Screen Recording access when prompted. Hover over any Dock icon to see your first live preview. The free version includes basic dock preview — upgrade to Pro (£14.99) to unlock unlimited windows, clipboard history, file shelf, and more.