RocketDock was the dock of the Windows XP and Vista years: a Mac-style launcher that wore skins from MobyDock, ObjectDock and other docks, ran docklets, and showed minimized windows live in the dock. People still look for it on Windows 11 - so here's where it stands in 2026, and what to switch to if you want a dock that keeps up.
RocketDock in 2026
- The latest version is 1.3.5, released on September 3, 2008.
- Punk Labs still offers that version as a pay-what-you-want download on itch.io.
- Its community gallery of skins, icons and docklets closed on August 6, 2018.
- It still installs and runs on many Windows 11 PCs, but it has never been updated for Windows 10 or 11.
If RocketDock still does what you need, nothing says you must leave it. Just know what you're running: a launcher from before Windows 10 existed, with no fixes coming.
RocketDock next to two docks that are still updated
| RocketDock | Winstep Nexus | lumabar | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Latest version | 1.3.5 (2008) | 26.9 | 1.0.0 (October 2026) |
| Price | Pay what you want | Free; Ultimate is paid | $5.99, one time |
| What it shows | Your shortcuts, docklets | Apps, the system tray, 8 modules | Your apps and 85 live widgets |
| Look | Skins | Zoom and bounce effects, reflections, many themes | Five styles, two of them glass |
| Windows | 2000 and later | 7 to 11, ARM included | 10 and 11 |
If you used RocketDock as a launcher: Winstep Nexus
Nexus is the closest thing to RocketDock that's still developed: a free animated dock with zoom, swing and bounce effects, icon reflections, running apps, the system tray, eight built-in modules and a huge library of themes. Nexus Ultimate, the paid version, adds more docks, stacks and drawers. See lumabar vs Winstep Nexus.
If you want the dock to show more: lumabar
lumabar keeps your apps in a dock and adds what RocketDock never had: live widgets. The weather, your calendar, what's playing, CPU and battery, Screen Time - and your Claude or ChatGPT limits, Stripe revenue or GitHub streak if you need them. 85 in all, added by clicking.
Moving from RocketDock to lumabar
- Pin the apps you kept in RocketDock to the Windows taskbar (right-click an app → Pin to taskbar). lumabar's Apps widget shows the same pins, plus every open window.
- Install lumabar, then right-click the dock → Widgets… and add the ones you'd look at.
- In lumabar's Settings, pick a style and a size, and set the Windows taskbar to Hidden if you want the dock to be your only bar.
- Quit RocketDock and stop it from starting with Windows, so two docks don't share one edge.
Or go all the way to a Mac look
If RocketDock was really about looking like a Mac, MyDockFinder goes further - see how to make Windows 11 look like macOS. And for every option side by side: the best docks for Windows 11.