Fix Missing Preview Thumbnails in HyperDock on macOS

HyperDock is a macOS utility that adds window‑management features and lets users preview application windows directly from the Dock, similar to Windows task‑bar previews. After version 1.8.0 (released in 2018) the app stopped receiving updates, and on newer macOS versions (including Apple Silicon) the preview thumbnails no longer appear.

The root cause is that HyperDock does not request the required Screen Recording permission when it first activates. Without this permission the system blocks the thumbnail rendering.

To restore the previews, manually grant the permission:

Open System Settings and select Privacy & Security on the left.

In the right pane locate Screen & System Audio Recording and open its settings page.

Click the + button beneath the first list.

Press Command + Shift + G to open the “Go to Folder” dialog.

Enter the path

/Library/PreferencePanes/HyperDock.prefpane/Contents/Resources/

and press Return. If HyperDock was installed for the current user only, prepend ~ to the path. If pasting the path fails, type it manually.

Select HyperDock Helper.app and click Open .

Ensure the toggle next to HyperDock Helper is turned on.

Return to HyperDock’s settings, switch to the Advanced tab, check Disable HyperDock , then uncheck it to reset the service.

After completing these steps the Dock preview windows display thumbnails correctly. However, enabling Calendar access (required for previewing calendar events without opening the Calendar app) can cause HyperDock to crash.

Because HyperDock is no longer maintained, the article suggests two alternatives:

DockDoor – a free, open‑source tool (website: https://dockdoor.net/, GitHub: https://github.com/ejbills/DockDoor).

DockView – a paid solution (¥376 for a lifetime license on three devices, or ¥150 for a single‑device license with limited upgrades; website: https://noteifyapp.com/dockview/).