How to keep dock in the same display (multi-display system) and tick Displays have separate Spaces

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How to keep dock in the same display (multi-display system) and tick Displays have separate Spaces

Hi,

I'm running a MacBook Pro with two external displays, ie. three displays in total. I would like to keep the Dock always in the built-in display, and not have it jump around. The standard advice seems to be to untick the 'Displays have separate Spaces' option in SysPref > Mission Control, but I don't want to do that as I prefer to have separate spaces (also don't want to lose the menu bar from the external displays). How can I fix the Dock in place so that it always stays in the built-in MBP display? Seems to me like it's missing a simple 'pin' to lock it in place...

TIA,

r8pe

PS: FWIW, I think the way the Dock jumps around is quite irritating. It's meant to appear on a display when I go and hover around the bottom of the screen with the mouse. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't, which is bad enough. But what it does do fairly consistently is, when I go to the bottom of the built-in display (where I would like to keep the Dock), just before I manage to click on anything the Dock jumps to another display, for no obvious reason other than to irritate me. Seriously, what's that about?!

MacBook Pro 13", macOS 10.15

Posted on Feb 18, 2020 2:24 AM

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Answer 1

Feb 18, 2020 3:44 AM in response to r8pe

There are two ways to keep the Dock always on the same display (and NOT have to give up on 'displays have separate Spaces'):

a) Put it on one side (left or right): then it will be on the leftmost or rightmost display only

b) Leave it always visible. Then it will be on the "main" display only (by "main" I mean the one that has the little white menu bar in System Preferences->Displays->Arrangement).

EDIT: Scratch that option b); I thought it would work, but I have checked and it doesn't.

I personally have it on the left and hidden. I have very little use for the Dock, anyway, and I know where it is if (and when) I need it (which is almost never...).

However, in such a multiple display setting, and if you do use the Dock, I would expect it would actually be convenient to have it accessible on any display... care to elaborate?

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Answer 2

r8pe Author

Level 1

16 points

Feb 18, 2020 6:01 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1

Thanks Luis.

I've moved it to the left, and you're right, it does seem to stay there. Hopefully that will have resolved the problem, now I just have to get used to the Dock being in a different place. :)

I agree that it would be great if the Dock was available on any display, if by 'any' you mean every. In other words, if the Dock appeared simultaneously on every display, that would be great. Failing that, my next preferred option is for it to appear on only one display, but to appear always there no matter what. Instead, what it does now is that it moves around between displays seemingly randomly, which is the worst option IMO. But with your advice I at least seem to have that nailed down now, which is good.

Thanks,

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Answer 3

Feb 18, 2020 8:14 AM in response to r8pe

I see how this arrangement can be problematic. You probably move across the bottom of a display quite often and that can make the Dock jump around.

I guess keeping it on the left is probably the best solution for now...

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Answer 4

Feb 18, 2020 6:25 AM in response to r8pe

FWIW, it is not moving “randomly”.

It moves to one display when you hover the mouse cursor near the bottom of that display (I’d say for about a second but I have not timed it), that is near the position it would occupy on that screen if set to bottom.

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Answer 5

r8pe Author

Level 1

16 points

Feb 18, 2020 8:11 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1

Well, it often does jump to a different display without me making any conscious effort, to hover on the bottom of that display or otherwise. It may be that the system interprets something I do as 'hovering', but I would say that's a sign of ambiguity in the system design. Also, per my OP, quite often when I go to the Dock to select an item, before I get a chance to click on it, the Dock jumps to another display; I'd call that pretty random behaviour also.

Having said all of which, in my case the three displays are arranged so that the built-in MBP display is in the middle, and the two external displays are side-by-side above it, in a T-shaped arrangement. It did occur to me that some of this erratic behaviour could perhaps be explained by the specifics of my arrangement, whereby I often cross the bottom boundary of either external display on my way to and from the in-built display below, and crossing the boundary may be what the system interprets as hovering (even if it only lasts a fraction of a second).

Be that as it may, IMHO the Dock's behaviour on multiple displays is far from perfect. Mind you, not as bad as that of full-screen mode on multiple displays, but that's a whole other complaint... ;)

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How to keep dock in the same display (multi-display system) *and* tick Displays have separate Spaces

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