Open ContextsStart with the job your taskbar does
Suppose a writing project uses two browser windows and one editor window. A taskbar can expose those windows individually; a project group can keep just that working set together. Open Contexts lets you name a group, drag those windows into it and pin an order in its app bar.
Its bar can sit on the left, right or bottom, and remain visible or appear on hover. Use the native macOS Dock to launch apps while Open Contexts handles windows that are already open.
uBar Window Grouping and a saved window group
uBar offers Always, Never and Automatic Window Grouping. Those settings determine whether windows from the same application share an entry. Automatic grouping can fold entries when space becomes limited.
An Open Contexts group has a different purpose: you choose which windows belong to a named task, including windows from different apps. Switching tools is most useful if that organization solves a problem your taskbar settings do not.
What you would give up
Keep uBar if your bar needs pinned apps, files and folders, live previews, several rows or a clock. Those are documented uBar capabilities; Open Contexts does not provide the same launcher and taskbar feature set. The app bar and window switcher both support multiple displays.
Open Contexts focuses on an MRU window list, keyboard switching and a persistent app bar. It currently has no window search or live thumbnail previews. A free license is only a benefit if this narrower workflow is enough.
Try one task before replacing your taskbar
- Keep your uBar settings, then quit uBar during the first test to avoid overlapping bars and shortcuts.
- Install Open Contexts on macOS 13 or later and grant Accessibility access.
- Choose a bar position and create a group containing windows from two apps.
- Try Command-Tab and the same-app shortcut; change bindings if another tool already owns them.
- Restart Open Contexts and check how saved groups match your still-open windows. Check the Spaces you actually use.
There is no uBar settings importer. Saved groups do not reopen your applications or restore their desktop positions.
Free software or a broader paid taskbar
Open Contexts is free under Apache 2.0 and requires macOS 13 or later. uBar publishes a macOS 10.13 minimum, a 14-day trial and one-time licenses: $30 Personal for up to two Macs, or $50 Commercial per employee for up to two Macs.
If older macOS support or the full taskbar is your priority, try uBar on the intended machine. Published minimum requirements are not a substitute for checking compatibility with your particular system.
Official sources
Sources checked on October 8, 2026. Consult the current official pages for prices, licenses and system requirements.