How to Get Your Mac Dock on Every Monitor (Not Just One)

macOS doesn't show the dock on multiple monitors simultaneously — it moves to whichever screen your cursor is currently nearest, leaving every other display without one. If you want a permanent dock on each monitor at the same time, you need a third-party app to do it; macOS has no built-in option.

Why macOS only shows the dock on one screen

Apple designed the dock as a single floating panel that follows your focus. In System Settings → Desktop & Dock, there's an option called "Displays have separate Spaces" — enabling this makes the dock appear on the screen you're actively using, but it still only shows on one screen at a time. Move your cursor to another display and the dock slides over after a short delay. It never shows on two screens at once.

This made sense when most Macs had one display. With two or three monitors it means a constant mouse trip back to the main screen every time you want to launch something from a secondary display.

What the native macOS dock can and can't do with multiple monitors

With default macOS settings (System Settings → Desktop & Dock):

• Dock position: bottom, left, or right of the screen — applies globally, not per-monitor
• Auto-hide: hides the dock until you hover the edge — still only one screen
• "Displays have separate Spaces" enabled: dock appears on whichever screen is active — still one at a time
• Dock on a specific monitor: move your cursor to that screen's edge and the dock migrates — not persistent

There is no checkbox, Terminal command, or hidden preference that makes the dock show on all screens simultaneously. That's a hard architectural limit of the macOS dock.

The Terminal workaround people mention (and why it doesn't work)

You'll see suggestions to run:

bash defaults write com.apple.dock workspaces-auto-swoosh -bool NO

That affects how the dock behaves with Spaces — it doesn't create a second dock instance on another monitor. The "pin dock to primary display" workaround (hovering the bottom edge of the main screen and waiting) just re-migrates the single dock; it still disappears from that screen when you move to another one.

The only real solution: a dock replacement that supports multiple displays

If you want an actual dock on every monitor at the same time, you need a third-party app that creates its own dock instances rather than wrapping the macOS dock.

Dockish is built specifically for this. It hides the macOS dock entirely (one click, fully reversible) and replaces it with its own dock that can show on every connected display simultaneously. The three modes:

• All Monitors: the same dock layout on every screen
• Main Only: dock only on your primary display (same as macOS default)
• Independent: each monitor gets its own separate dock with its own set of pinned apps

Independent mode is the one multi-monitor users actually want. Your main display might have your core work apps pinned; your second monitor might have media and communication apps. Each dock remembers its own layout independently — changing what's pinned on display 2 doesn't affect display 1.

When you hot-plug a monitor, Dockish detects it and brings up the dock on that screen automatically. Unplug it and the dock disappears cleanly without leaving a ghost panel behind.

Setting up per-monitor docks in Dockish

1. Download Dockish and complete the 7-day free trial (no payment details required upfront)
2. On first launch, it offers to import your existing macOS dock apps — accept this to start with a familiar set
3. Open Dockish preferences → Display Mode → select Independent
4. On each monitor, right-click the Dockish dock and choose Edit This Dock to customise that screen's pinned apps separately
5. To hide the macOS dock, go to Dockish preferences → click Hide macOS Dock — one button, reversible at any time

Each dock supports the same feature set: icon sizes from 24–96px, magnification, auto-hide, glass/dark/light themes, app folders (drag one app onto another), and hover previews showing live window thumbnails.

Does it work when you dock and undock a MacBook?

Yes — and this is where it's genuinely useful. When you connect your MacBook to a desk setup, Dockish detects the new display configuration and shows the appropriate docks. Disconnect, and it falls back to the built-in display only. There's no manual reconfiguration each time.

If you also lose your window positions when docking and undocking, that's a separate problem — Layoutish handles that by saving and restoring full window layouts per monitor configuration.

What about apps like HyperDock or DockDoor?

HyperDock adds window previews and some dock enhancements but doesn't create dock instances on additional monitors — it's an overlay on the existing macOS dock.

DockDoor (free) gives you window hover previews on the macOS dock, but again doesn't add a dock to secondary displays. It's a good free option if window previews are all you're after, but it doesn't solve the one-dock-per-Mac limitation.

uBar takes a different approach entirely — it replaces the dock with a Windows-style taskbar showing running apps. If that taskbar style suits you it's a mature option (~$30), but it's a fundamentally different workflow from a dock. Dockish stays true to the dock metaphor.

How much does it cost?

Dockish is $6.99 as a one-time purchase — no subscription, lifetime updates included. There's a 7-day free trial so you can verify it works with your specific monitor setup before paying. macOS 14.0 (Sonoma) or later required.

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Common questions

Can I get the macOS dock to show on two monitors at the same time without a third-party app?

No. macOS has no built-in option for this — the dock is a single panel that migrates between displays. Even with "Displays have separate Spaces" enabled, only one display shows the dock at any given moment. A replacement app like Dockish is the only way to have a dock on every screen simultaneously.

Does Dockish work if I use my MacBook with different monitor setups at different times?

Yes. Dockish detects your connected displays when you plug or unplug monitors and adjusts automatically. In Independent mode, each display profile remembers its own dock layout, so your home desk setup and your office setup can each have different pinned apps per monitor without manual changes.

Will I lose my existing dock apps when I switch to Dockish?

No — on first launch Dockish offers to import your current macOS dock apps automatically. You can also re-import manually at any time from preferences. The macOS dock is hidden, not deleted, and can be restored instantly from Dockish settings if you ever want to switch back.