DockDoor
Alt+Tab and Dock preview for macOS – privacy-friendly and open source
AI Summary
DockDoor is a free, open-source window manager for macOS that brings Windows-like Alt+Tab functionality and live previews when hovering over Dock icons. The app works completely locally without data collection and offers extensive customization options for layouts, gestures, keyboard shortcuts, as well as practical power features like media controls and calendar integration.
✓ Pros
- + 100% free, Open Source and completely local without any data collection
- + Extensive customization options for layouts, keyboard shortcuts, and gestures
- + Numerous power features like media controls, calendar integration, and trackpad gestures
✗ Cons
- − Only available for macOS, no Windows or Linux support
- − Many features may require a learning curve for optimal use
Use Cases
- → Quickly switch between multiple Safari windows with live preview instead of guesswork
- → Work more efficiently with many open application windows through Windows-style Alt+Tab
- → Close, minimize, or maximize windows directly from the Dock preview without switching focus
- → Organize workspace through drag & drop of windows between apps and Aero Shake gestures
Who is it for?
Ideal for Mac users with many simultaneously open windows who are looking for more efficient window management and value privacy.
Tags
What is DockDoor?
DockDoor is a free, open-source window manager for macOS. The app brings two core concepts from the Windows world to the Mac: an Alt+Tab switcher with live previews and window thumbnails when hovering over Dock icons. Anyone who works with many open windows daily knows the problem: the Dock shows icons, but not which Safari window contains which page. DockDoor solves this with real-time previews directly above the Dock. The app runs entirely locally, collects no data and sends nothing home.
Core features
- Alt+Tab with live preview: Switch windows via keyboard shortcut, with a visual preview instead of plain app names.
- Dock hover previews: Moving the cursor over a Dock icon shows thumbnails of all open windows for that app.
- Window management from the preview: Close, minimize or maximize windows without switching focus first.
- Aero Shake and drag & drop: Tidy up windows by gesture or move them between apps.
- Media controls and calendar integration: Control active playback and view calendar entries directly from the interface.
- Customizable layouts, keyboard shortcuts and trackpad gestures: Behavior can be configured for different workflows.
Who is DockDoor for?
The primary audience is Mac users who regularly have many windows open at once. DockDoor is especially useful when managing multiple windows of the same app, such as several browser windows or parallel terminal instances. The privacy aspect is not a marketing add-on: anyone who cannot accept telemetry in productivity tools, for professional or personal reasons, gets a verifiable alternative here, since the source code is publicly available.
The learning curve should not be underestimated. The feature set is broad, and anyone who wants to use everything will need to configure keyboard shortcuts, gestures and layout settings first. For users who only need the Dock preview, that is not an issue. The full functionality reveals itself gradually.
Context & alternatives
DockDoor belongs to the category of macOS window managers, but unlike tools such as Magnet or Rectangle it focuses on switching and previewing rather than tiling. Anyone who primarily wants to arrange app windows into a fixed grid layout will need a complementary tool. Anyone who mainly wants to navigate between windows faster and see at a glance what is open where will find that DockDoor covers that need entirely. Being free and open source sets it apart from most commercial alternatives in this segment.
