Mac Dock Stacks and Window Previews: Find Files and Windows Fast

Why a crowded Dock loses your files and windows

A busy day leaves you with two problems. Files pile up in Downloads, so finding "that PDF from ten minutes ago" means opening Finder and sorting. And with a dozen apps open, an icon tells you an app is running but not which of its five windows is the one you want.

Stacks fix the first problem: a folder in the Dock that opens in place, so you never need a Finder window. Window previews fix the second: rest on an app that's already running and see its open windows before you click. In my view, macOS handles stacks well. Apple's Dock doesn't show previews on hover, but third-party apps can add them, and Moor's docks include them.

Stacks in Apple's Dock

According to dockgroups.com's Tahoe guide, Dock folder stacks work the same way under the macOS 26 (Tahoe) Liquid Glass redesign as they did before. Any folder you drag to the right of the Dock's divider becomes a stack, whether it holds files or app aliases.

1. Drag a folder from Finder to the right side of the Dock, near the Trash.
2. Control-click it. Apple's menu lets you display it as a folder or stack, sort by name, date added, date created or another order, and view its contents as a fan, grid or list.
3. For Downloads, AppleInsider suggests choosing View Content As → Fan and Sort By → Date Added.

An older, undated Macworld article says Automatic shows Fan for up to 9 items and Grid for 10 or more, arrow keys move through a fan, and in Grid you can type letters to jump to an item and press Return to open it. Neither Apple's current support page nor the Tahoe guide confirms these details for macOS 26, so check them on your own Mac.

Mainspring's guide to stack views says Grid is the only view that lets you click into subfolders, with a back button, so try it if a Dock folder is your filing system. Mainspring also reports that Fan is available only when the Dock is at the bottom of the screen. Apple's support page doesn't mention this.

Display As changes the icon, not how the folder opens. Stack may show a preview of the folder's contents and change as new files arrive, so anyone who can see your screen may see the newest thumbnail. If you share your screen a lot, pick Folder.

Stacks in a Moor dock

Moor's docks need macOS 26 (Tahoe) or later. Full details are on the Docks documentation page.

1. Press Control-Option-E (or choose Edit Docks from Moor's menu bar icon). Icons start to wiggle and a toolbar appears above the dock.
2. Drag a folder in from Finder and drop it where you want it. You can also use the Add menu in the toolbar to add a folder.
3. Press Done, or Control-Option-E again.

The folder you added becomes a stack you open with a click.

Downloads shows each file's age and dims old ones. That makes it easy to spot what you've just grabbed, and it's a gentle nudge to clean up whatever has been sitting there for weeks.

To close a stack, click it again or press Escape. Clicking another icon while a stack is open closes the stack and does what you clicked. An open stack also closes when you move to another display.

Folders double as drop targets: drop files onto a folder to move them there, onto an app to open them with it, or onto the Trash to move them to the Trash. Drop files between icons to add them to the dock itself.

If you use Moor's MCP server with an AI agent, you can ask for a stack: "Add my Downloads folder to the Coding dock as a grid, newest first" is one of the examples in the Agents & API docs.

Window previews: see a running app's windows before you click

Appish reports that hovering over an icon in Apple's Dock shows only the app's name, not live previews of its windows. It names Mission Control (swipe up with three fingers, or press F3) as the closest built-in feature, which shows every open window across the screen instead of one app's windows.

If you want to keep Apple's Dock, third-party apps add previews to it:

• DockDoor is free and open source, runs on macOS 13 Ventura and later, and adds hover window previews and Alt+Tab window switching to the built-in Dock.
• docktor is a free Dock utility for macOS 26 or later that adds live window previews on hover.
• OmniDock requires macOS 12.3 or later and asks for Screen Recording (to make thumbnails) and Accessibility (to bring windows forward).

In a Moor dock, previews are built in. Moor needs macOS 26 (Tahoe) or later:

1. Open Settings → Docks → Window previews and choose Turn On.
2. Allow Moor in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen & System Audio Recording.
3. Rest the pointer on any running app in a Moor dock. Live previews of its windows appear.
4. Click a preview to bring that window forward.

Previews only appear for apps that are already running. Screen Recording is only used to draw those small previews. Moor never records, saves or sends your screen.

Two related "peeks" work the same way: rest on Mail to see your unread messages, or on Calendar to see your next events. And with Accessibility on (the setup guide asks for it if you pick Moor's dock), the dock shows your minimized windows and badges like unread counts.

Tips and tricks

• Search instead of scrolling. Press Control-Option-F and type a few letters. Search finds files inside the folders in your docks and lists them newest first. Return opens the file and Command-Return shows it in Finder. More in the Search documentation.
• Give stacks their own dock. A slim dock on the right edge holding Downloads, Screenshots and a project folder keeps your main dock for apps. Each dock can have its own theme, and docks can go on any edge of any display (see the Docks documentation, or putting a dock on every monitor if you use several displays).
• Developers: put the repo folder you're working in next to Terminal and your editor.
• Designers: a stack of your exports folder keeps the latest render one click away, and Search lists its files newest first.
• Moor dock hard to read over your wallpaper? Pick the Paper or Midnight theme, both solid rather than glass, from the Theme menu while editing.

Troubleshooting

Next steps

Pick the one folder you open most, usually Downloads, and turn it into a sorted stack today. If you work with lots of windows, add previews, either to Apple's Dock with a third-party app or with Moor's docks on macOS 26 or later. The Docks documentation covers placement and behavior options.

Moor has a free 14-day trial at moorapp.com.