macOS Taskbar · Start Menu · TaZk Switcher

The Dock was missing something.

My Applications Container

zMac adds a taskbar of window tabs, a Start Menu-style applications container and a Control-Tab window switcher to macOS — with groups, workspaces, Quickly Launch, Favorites, glass, icon packs and presets — while leaving macOS itself in charge.

macOS 27 macOS 26 macOS 15, 14, 13 SHA256 Checksums

Download zMac Backgrounds Download Uninstaller

Window tabsStart MenuTaZk Control-TabSwell & ZoomGlassIcon packsNo tracking

Join the zMac discussion on the MacRumors forums for updates, feedback, questions and feature discussion: MacRumors zMac discussion thread

A different way to work on a Mac. The same way you already know.

zMac is for people who like visible control over their open windows and the apps they use most, with a taskbar and Start Menu that work alongside the Dock. It could replace the Dock, but it was designed to sit beside it.

Taskbar & Windows

Window tabs

Every open window gets its own tab along the screen edge — top, bottom or the sides — so you can see and reach any window at a glance.

Groups, the All Windows tab and workspaces

Group an app's windows into one tab (as needed, always, or for the apps you choose), open a list of every window from the slim All Windows tab, and see full-screen spaces as WS tabs.

Tab layout

Classic, Center or Reversed tab placement, Auto Shift and Center Arrows, overflow rows when the bar is full, drag-and-drop reordering and resizing.

Colors and strips

Default colors per app and temporary colors per window, plus blue and purple strips for the current and previous window of each app, with a Grow effect on reveal.

Switching & Shortcuts

TaZk switcher

Control-Tab and Shift-Control-Tab switch windows with tiles or a list, and can stay open while you pick.

Hotkeys and corners

Control-Escape opens the zMac menu, Shift-Control-Escape opens the system monitor, and mouse corners and Show Desktop are a move away.

Right-click actions

Maximize or un-maximize without full screen, send to full screen, move, group, color, rename or close from any tab.

Start Menu

Applications container

Running apps, Favorites with folders, a searchable app list and the Mac locations you use most, in one menu.

App lists your way

The up arrow and the folder icon each open an app list, Finder folders or the macOS launcher, from the folders you pick.

Custom commands

Your own commands and submenus behind the ⌘ button, alongside the built-in macOS Tweaks and Homebrew managers.

Quickly Launch & Favorites

Pinned items

Pin apps, files, folders, websites and shortcuts beside the zMac button; folders open in a popup like a group's list.

One list or two

Edit Quickly Launch and Favorites separately or together in QLF Combined, with custom icons and Save / Load for both.

New-window methods

Safari, Finder and TextEdit entries always open something new, the way you choose.

Look & Feel

Glass and transparency

Glass or transparency for the taskbar, menus and group popups, with tints, color overlays and taskbar and menu images.

Icon packs and presets

Install, build and share .zmip icon packs with the .ZMIP Packager, pick a whole look from Taskbar Presets or Quick Pick, and save your own.

Swell, Zoom and DocKock

Magnify icons and tabs as the pointer passes, rock them gently at full size, and tilt icons for a playful look.

Settings window colors

Set the Settings window's background, tabs, containers, header and text, with optional glass behind it.

Notifications & Media

Badges and attention

See which apps need attention with dot, triangle, stripe or custom badges and a numbered attention list.

Indication blinks

Badged tabs blink when the taskbar is revealed — Burst, Lightning or Bounce — and can blink the moment a badge arrives.

Media area

Volume and brightness with the scroll wheel, battery colors, a 24-hour clock option and a keep-awake screen hold.

Built for Speed

Machine speed

A tortoise-to-hare slider that eases zMac's work on slower Macs without changing your settings.

Heavy loads

Optimize Taskbar For Heavy Loads keeps the taskbar quick to reveal even when apps like Xcode are busy.

Light by design

zMac stays idle when nothing changes and skips apps that are too busy to answer.

Tools & Help

macOS Tweaks

Common Finder, Dock and system tweaks with Apply and Undo, showing the exact commands before anything runs.

Homebrew manager

Install, update and remove Homebrew packages and apps from a simple window.

Searchable settings and help

Search every setting by name, and open built-in help for any section with its ? button.

Privacy & Access

No data collected

zMac does not collect, store, upload or transmit personal information, analytics, advertising identifiers or tracking data. Permissions are used only to show and control windows, read notification badges, open folders you choose and, if you use TaZk tiles, show window previews. zMac contacts its server only when you choose Updates, Download, Help, Website, Donate or eMail.

Free (donation)

zMac is free for personal use and beta testing with its installed defaults; changing other settings needs a supporter number. There are no warranties of any kind, and donations are never required.

One app, three macOS families

Each build is made for its macOS version. Settings, presets and icon packs move between them; glass and transparency are converted to suit each one.

macOS 27

zMac27 — the newest build, with glass throughout.

macOS 26

zMac26 — the same features and settings as macOS 27, built for macOS 26.

macOS 15, 14, 13

zMac15 — the classic build, with transparency in place of glass, Improve Icons and TaZk tile previews.

Why I made zMac

I like macOS, but I felt the Dock was missing a fundamental set of desktop features — particularly a persistent taskbar-style view of open windows and a more complete place to organize and launch applications. After looking for alternatives, I could not find one that worked quite the way I wanted, so I made my own.

zMac was not created to emulate, clone or copy another developer's work. It grew from my own preferences and the way I wanted to use my Mac. Similar concepts naturally exist in other desktop environments and utilities, but zMac is an independent personal project.

This is a personal application currently in beta, not commercial software. I am sharing it because it may be useful to other people who want the same kind of workflow.

I have used donateware over the years and have always appreciated the idea: make something useful available without putting it behind a paywall that you cannot even try before you buy, and simply let people contribute if they find value in it. Publishing zMac the same way felt right. Donations are appreciated, but never required to download or use zMac.

Quick Start

Watch the Quick Start directly here, or download the original video to keep locally.

Quick Start · zmac.movDownload Video

Installation · zminst.movDownload Video

Simple permissions. No tracking.

zMac uses only the macOS permissions needed for the features you choose to use.

Permissions & Privacy

Accessibility: used to show, switch and control windows for the taskbar tabs and TaZk.
Screen Recording (optional): used only for full window names in some apps and for TaZk tile previews.
Finder folder access: if you use a shortcut to a protected Finder location, macOS may ask you to allow access to that folder.
No personal information is collected, stored, uploaded or transmitted by zMac.
No analytics, ads, advertising identifiers or tracking.
No user data is sold or provided to advertisers.
zMac does not contact the internet during normal use.
The distributed app is intended to be a clean build with no hidden components, back doors, adware or intentionally malicious code.

Normal macOS, Swift, Xcode-built application behavior and Apple operating-system services are outside zMac's own data practices.

Downloads

Direct download links:

zMac27.zip — zMac for macOS 27

zMac26.zip — zMac for macOS 26

zMac15.zip — zMac for macOS 15, 14, 13

zmac-backgrounds.zip — zMac Backgrounds

zmac.mov — Quick Start Video

zminst.mov — Installation Video

Looking for a macOS taskbar, Start Menu equivalent or Dock alternative?

You may be looking for a macOS 27, 26, 15, 14 or 13 Start Menu, taskbar, Dock replacement, Dock alternative, tab switcher or task switcher, window switcher, window manager, taskbar utility, app launcher, classic menu, "old school", power user, taskbar keyboard shortcuts, applications container, Start Menu for macOS, or an alternative to uBar and other discontinued, overly minimal, or overly complicated Start Menu-style taskbars. zMac provides auto-hide, customizable application launching, taskbar window tabs and a simple but powerful desktop program manager designed for low overhead on modern Macs.

zMac is designed for modern Apple macOS systems and compiled for Apple Silicon M1, M2, M3, M4 and M5 series chips and for Intel chips in the macOS 15–13 build, across MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and Mac mini. Compatibility is not guaranteed.

zMac is a new, free personal-use application currently offered for personal use and beta testing. *** The settings will be limited to default as installed settings without a supporter number. It may be exactly what you have been looking for if you want a more intuitive desktop, easier application launching and a familiar way to identify specific application windows. Users coming from Linux, Microsoft Windows or other taskbar-oriented desktop environments may find the workflow familiar, but zMac is not an emulation, clone or copy of Windows, Linux, uBar or any other operating system or application. It is not meant to compete with or copy anything; it is simply filling a gap that I needed to fill.

If you arrived here searching for something like a Windows 7-style Start Menu for macOS or a MacBook, a taskbar for Mac, a macOS Dock replacement, or a traditional desktop application launcher, zMac may provide many of the workflow features you had in mind while remaining its own independent macOS application: Control-Escape for the menu, Shift-Control-Escape for the system monitor and Control-Tab to switch windows.

Questions, feature requests, commercial license requests and simple thank-yous are welcome at contact@zmacsoftware.com. If zMac is useful to you, you can also buy me a cup of coffee by making an optional donation. zMac is donateware / freeware for personal use and beta testing only using the defaults only. Commercial use requires permission or a commercial license. Changing settings beyond the installed defaults requires supporter access. During install you choose a top or bottom taskbar; changing settings afterwards requires a supporter number.

Beta software / disclaimer: zMac is provided “as is” without warranties, guarantees or promises of fitness for a particular purpose. Use is at your own risk. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the author assumes no responsibility or liability for loss, damage, interruption, incompatibility or other consequences arising from installation or use. Apple, macOS, Mac and Finder are trademarks of Apple Inc. zMac is an independent project and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Apple Inc. References to other products are descriptive only and do not imply affiliation or endorsement.