Click the Casement icon in the menu bar, open Dock screen, and choose the display the Dock should stay on. The Dock then ignores the pointer pressing against the bottom edge of another screen. It needs no extra permission, and you can return to the default behaviour at any time.
Before you start
This only matters if you have more than one display. With a single display there is nothing to choose.
The Dock moves because macOS, with separate Spaces per display, shows it on the screen where the pointer presses against the bottom edge. macOS has a setting, Displays have separate Spaces, that changes this but also changes how full-screen apps work and needs a logout.
Steps
- Click the Casement icon in the menu bar.
- Open the Dock screen section.
- Choose the display the Dock should stay on, for example your main display.
- Test it: move the pointer against the bottom edge of another screen. The Dock should stay where you put it.
- To go back, choose to let the Dock follow the pointer again.
Check that it worked
Rest the pointer at the bottom edge of the other monitor for a few seconds. The Dock should not move.
If something goes wrong
- The Dock still moves. Check the correct display is selected and that the setting is switched on.
- You unplugged the chosen display. The Dock moves to a screen that is still connected, then returns when you reconnect it.
What to do next
See Dock screen and the guide stop the Mac Dock moving to another monitor.
Why it is worth fixing
A Dock that jumps is more than a small irritation. It moves your pointer targets, interrupts what you were doing and, on a desk with a taskbar-style second monitor, makes the Dock unusable on the screen you want it on. Pinning it to one display makes its position predictable, which lets your hands learn where it is.
If you rearrange your desk often, remember that unplugging the pinned display moves the Dock to another screen until you reconnect it. Nothing is lost; the setting is remembered.
Related settings to check
- In System Settings, check whether Displays have separate Spaces is on; it explains why the Dock follows the pointer.
- Check the Dock's position setting (left, bottom, right). A side Dock avoids the bottom edge on a second monitor entirely.
- Check Mission Control's options if full-screen apps behave oddly with several screens.
See the guide stop the Mac Dock moving to another monitor for the built-in options in full.
Questions people ask
Does it need extra permissions?
No additional permission is needed.
Is it free?
Yes.
Try Casement
Casement is a menu-bar app for Mac that puts each Chrome profile in the Dock as its own icon and adds snap layouts, hover-to-focus, a window switcher, Dock window lists, a drop shelf and display controls..