01
A home above the noise.
Import your Dock in its existing order. Keep favorites close, scroll through the rest, and let duplicate entries step aside when a native menu-bar item is detected.
A SMALL UTILITY FOR macOS
Your apps, up here.
Your space, back.
Give your everyday apps a home in the menu bar. Switch in a click, peek at a whole window, and leave a little more room for what matters.
Development-signed · Not notarized; first launch may need confirmation
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09:41✳
A little space to think.
One thing at a time.PerchRunning
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A little space to think.
Complete window preview1 / 2 ‹ ›
Interface illustrationPerch for Mac ↗
Always within reachA familiar place for your everyday apps.
01 / PERCH IN YOUR DAY
Less searching.
More doing.
A few thoughtful details that make moving around your Mac feel a little lighter.
02
Peek before you switch.
Hover to see a complete window, fitted without cropping. Move between an app’s windows with a gentle transition, then click to bring it forward.
03
Make room below.
Keep the system Dock tucked away with a persistent hiding preference. Your original setting is saved, with a restore action whenever you want it back.
A SMALL, SMOOTH DETAIL
The real app, in motion
A short recording of the application strip moving between apps.
02 / MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME
A quiet setup. Then get on with it.
No account. No subscription. Just a small native app for your Mac.
- 01
Make it at home
Download and unzip Perch. Move Perch.app into Applications, then open it. This first release is development-signed and not notarized; macOS may require your confirmation in Privacy & Security.
- 02
Bring your apps along
Choose “Import current Dock” to copy your pinned apps and their order. The system Dock’s pinned list is kept intact.
- 03
Choose your permissions
Screen Recording enables window previews. Accessibility enables native menu-bar item detection. Both are optional; you choose them in Settings.
Your windows stay on your Mac.
Perch reads the selected app window only while its preview is visible. It does not save or upload those images. No account or analytics in the app.
03 / GOOD TO KNOW
A few things to know.
Which Macs are supported?
This download is for Apple Silicon. The app targets macOS 14 or later; this release was actually checked on Apple Silicon with macOS 27.2. Intel, older systems, multiple displays and full-screen Spaces still need broader testing.
Why does macOS ask me to confirm opening it?
Version 0.2.2 uses a development signature and has not been notarized with Developer ID. After checking the download and checksum, macOS may offer Open Anyway in System Settings → Privacy & Security. Please read the system prompt before you choose to open it.
Does hiding the Dock last forever?
Perch keeps a long auto-hide delay and checks the setting while it is running. It saves your original preference and keeps the hidden preference after quitting. This relies on an undocumented macOS setting; special system actions or updates may still reveal the Dock.
Can it preview every window?
Perch requests the complete window, including capturable windows on other desktops. Minimized, protected or otherwise unavailable windows may not be readable. A preview is for viewing and switching; interaction stays in the original window.
The permission switch is on, but the app says it is not effective?
Try the permission recheck in Perch Settings, then reopen Perch. An older signed version may need its Perch entry removed and the current app added again. The app reports permission for the actual running process.
What is included in this release?
Native settings, Dock import, app ordering, menu-bar scrolling, complete window previews, window-switching animation and persistent Dock hiding. No login, payments, cloud sync or automatic updates.
First release · 0.2.2
A little less in your way.
A little more room for your day.
Download for Macv0.2.2 · Apple Silicon · macOS 14+