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10 Mac Apps Worth Trying in 2026

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Apr 12, 2001
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2026 is almost upon us, and a new year is a good time to try out some new apps. We've rounded up 10 excellent Mac apps that are worth checking out.


  1. Alt-Tab (Free) - Alt-Tab brings a Windows-style alt + tab thumbnail preview option to the Mac. You can see a full window preview of open apps and app windows.
  2. One Thing (Free) - One Thing is a super simple menu bar app that helps you remember the one main thing that you need to accomplish. Whatever you type in will show up in your menu bar so it's front and center. Text and colors are customizable, and you can use emoji.
  3. Launchy (Free, $6.99 Pro upgrade) - Launchy is a customizable app launcher and switcher with a radial menu interface that you can use to launch and switch between your seven favorite apps.
  4. Folder Preview ($2.99) - Folder Preview lets you see what's inside a folder or a zip file by pressing the spacebar in Finder.
  5. Command X ($4) - Command X brings the Windows cut and paste workflow to Mac. You can use Command X and Command V keyboard shortcuts to cut and paste folders in the Finder app.
  6. ImageOptim (Free) - ImageOptim uses quality preserving compression to reduce image file size, plus it removes private EXIF metadata, thumbnails, comments, color profiles, and other image cruft.
  7. Monocle ($9) - Monocle blurs your background apps and brings the main app you're using to the forefront, so you can better focus on what you're doing. Monocle says it's noise canceling for your screen.
  8. Dockdoor (Free) - Dockdoor adds live window previews to the dock, and enables option + tab window switching. Hovering over an icon on your Mac's dock will show a preview of the app and all windows from it.
  9. Substage ($3.99/month) - Substage adds an AI-based natural language text bar to the Finder app so you can control your Mac with simple written commands instead of tricky command lines. It supports converting, organizing, and managing files and images. It can also answer questions about files, do calculations, and manage settings on your Mac.
  10. Bauhaus Clock ($19) - Bauhaus Clock adds an elegant clock screensaver to your Mac. It's design-forward, with careful attention to detail and a sharp look that makes the Mac a focal point in the room when it's idle. The look is customizable with different colors and day and night settings.
Have a favorite Mac app we didn't mention? Let us know about it in the comments below.

Article Link: 10 Mac Apps Worth Trying in 2026
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2025/12/24/10-mac-apps-worth-trying-in-2026/
Thanks for the summary of utilities.

Apple should definitely incorporate Folder Preview.

No thanks on all the variants of app switcher. (I'd hop on another mac and crash and burn with slightly different commands.)

Substage sounds incredible. I'm not ready for that -- I don't trust AIs to do what I want instead of what they think I want. But this is a great direction for computers.

One of my favorite apps is Hazel. I have automated the renaming/moving of bills that I download, along with automatically adding entries into my finance program.

I also like SpamSieve for email filtering, since my email address got on a major spammer's list.

And Dan, did you lose some weight? Looking good in that video.
 
PasteBar - Limitless, Free Clipboard Manager for Mac. Open Source.
github.com

GitHub - PasteBar/PasteBarApp: PasteBar - Limitless, Free Clipboard Manager for Mac and Windows

PasteBar - Limitless, Free Clipboard Manager for Mac and Windows - PasteBar/PasteBarApp
github.com github.com

1766600597205.png
 
  • Like
Reactions: canadianreader
AltTab is great, but Tahoe broke the way it grabs thumbnails in Stage Manager and the maintainers have been having a heck of a time finding a workaround (still broken as of December).
 
maruyama said:
AltTab is great, but Tahoe broke the way it grabs thumbnails in Stage Manager and the maintainers have been having a heck of a time finding a workaround (still broken as of December).
Click to expand...
What's the point of this? What, you don't know which app is which from icons by now?
 
  • Disagree
Reactions: cateye
PopClip is the best utility. If Apple want to add something actually useful then this is the one, not cut/paste or cmd+tab window prieviews.
 
Is there any app that can alter Finder so that when I look through a gallery of photos, like in Windows or Linux, pressing the right arrow key continuously will go to the next row of photos rather than just stopping? Or pressing left will go up and to the previous row of photos?
 
mysticmanix said:
Is there any app that can alter Finder so that when I look through a gallery of photos, like in Windows or Linux, pressing the right arrow key continuously will go to the next row of photos rather than just stopping? Or pressing left will go up and to the previous row of photos?
Click to expand...
Select all, hit spacebar and enjoy.
 
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