Mac Dock Profiles: How to Switch Dock Layouts Automatically When Your Displays Change

macOS has one dock. It has one configuration. When you go from a three-monitor desk to a laptop-only setup on the train, your dock doesn't change - the same sprawling row of icons follows you everywhere, sized and positioned for a screen you're no longer using. Dock profiles, which let you save a different dock layout for each display configuration and switch between them automatically, aren't a macOS feature. But Dockish, a dock replacement for macOS 14 Sonoma and later, adds exactly this - and switches profiles on its own when your monitors change.

Why the macOS dock doesn't adapt to your display setup

The system dock has one set of preferences: one icon size, one position, one set of pinned apps. There's no concept of a "desk profile" versus a "laptop profile". When you undock your MacBook, the dock snaps to the built-in display at whatever size you last set, with whatever apps you last pinned - which was probably arranged for a 27-inch external monitor.

This isn't a bug. Apple simply hasn't built display-aware dock configurations into macOS. The closest native option is manually dragging the dock to a different screen (hold the mouse at the bottom edge of the target display until the dock jumps), but that changes its position globally, not per-configuration.

If you want the dock to actually respond to your hardware - different apps pinned at your desk, a leaner set when you're on battery, a presentation-friendly layout when you plug into a projector - you need something outside the system dock.

What dock profiles actually do in Dockish

Dockish 1.2 shipped dock profiles. A profile is a named snapshot of everything about your dock: which apps are pinned, how they're arranged, any folders you've made, icon size, spacing, theme (glass, dark, light, or a custom tint), and which displays are active.

You can create as many profiles as you like. The useful ones to set up are:

• Desk - your full setup with all monitors connected. Larger icons, every tool pinned, independent docks on each display.
• Laptop - built-in display only. Smaller icons, a tighter selection of apps, dock on the bottom.
• Presenting - external display only, or laptop plus projector. Minimal apps, nothing confidential pinned, clean layout.

When Dockish detects a display change - a monitor connecting or disconnecting, lid opening or closing - it checks whether the new display configuration matches a saved profile, and if it does, applies it automatically. You don't press anything.

Profiles switch from Dockish's popover too, so you can also swap manually with one click if you want to change the feel without changing what's plugged in.

How to set up display-triggered dock profiles

Here's the straightforward path:

1. Open Dockish from the menu bar.
2. Set up your dock exactly how you want it for your current display configuration - pin the apps you use, adjust icon size, arrange folders.
3. Go to Settings → Profiles, tap the + button, name it (e.g. "Desk"), and save. Dockish records the current display configuration alongside the dock layout.
4. Change your display setup - unplug your monitor, or connect a second one.
5. Rearrange the dock for this new configuration, then save another profile (e.g. "Laptop").

From then on, when Dockish sees the monitor combination that matches "Desk", it loads the Desk profile. When it sees the built-in display alone, it loads Laptop. The switch is immediate - no lag, no prompt.

If you connect a display that doesn't match any saved profile, Dockish stays on whichever profile was last active. It won't scramble your dock just because it saw an unfamiliar configuration.

Setting up independent docks per monitor, not just a mirrored copy

Profiles work well on their own, but they're more useful paired with Dockish's multi-monitor dock modes. When you're at your desk, you can run Independent mode - a different dock on each display, with different apps pinned on each. Your main monitor might have your creative tools; your second screen might have communication apps only.

Switch to laptop-only and Independent mode collapses gracefully to a single dock on the built-in display.

To set this up: in the Dockish popover, switch to Independent mode when multiple monitors are connected, then arrange each monitor's dock separately. Save this as your Desk profile. When you switch to your Laptop profile, Dockish moves to Main Only or All Monitors mode depending on what you saved - it remembers the mode as part of the profile.

This is the part that macOS can't approximate at all. The system dock in multi-monitor setups either appears on one screen or jumps to whichever you move your cursor to the bottom of - there's no persistent, per-display configuration.

For more on getting a dock on multiple monitors with the system dock, the options are narrower than you'd expect - it's worth understanding what macOS does natively before deciding whether a replacement is worth it.

Switching profiles with a keyboard shortcut

Dockish 1.2 also shipped a keyboard shortcut recorder for dock actions, including profile switching. If you find yourself regularly toggling between two setups without changing your physical hardware - say, a "focus" profile with fewer apps and a "normal" profile with everything - you can assign a shortcut to each profile.

Set this up in Settings → Shortcuts: pick a profile from the action list, record a shortcut. From then on, hitting that key combination loads the profile instantly, from any app.

What Dockish profiles don't do

Profiles cover the dock itself - pinned apps, layout, appearance, display mode. They don't move your application windows. If you want your windows to go back to specific positions when you dock or undock, that's a separate problem that Layoutish handles with display profiles and saved layouts.

The two tools solve adjacent problems and work alongside each other without conflict: Dockish profiles manage what's in your dock and how it looks; Layoutish profiles manage where your windows sit on screen.

Dockish pricing and trial

Dockish is $6.99, one-time, after a 7-day free trial - no card needed to start. A licence covers up to 3 of your own Macs. You can find the trial at appish.app/dockish.

If you only want window previews added to the system dock rather than a full replacement, DockDoor is free and worth a look - though it has no profiles or multi-monitor dock support.

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Common questions

Can I switch Mac dock layouts automatically when I plug in a monitor?

macOS has no built-in way to switch dock layouts based on connected displays. Dockish adds dock profiles that recognise your display configuration and apply the matching profile automatically when monitors connect or disconnect - no manual switching required.

Does macOS have dock profiles?

No. macOS maintains one dock configuration regardless of how many monitors are connected or what your current display setup is. Third-party dock replacements like Dockish are the only way to get display-triggered dock profiles on a Mac.

Will changing dock profiles affect my open windows?

Switching a Dockish profile changes the dock - which apps are pinned, icon size, appearance, and display mode. It doesn't move or resize open application windows. For automatic window repositioning when displays change, Layoutish handles that separately with its own display profile system.