---
title: "Switch Your Mac's Dock Setup Automatically When You Plug In a Monitor"
url: https://moorapp.com/blog/mac-dock-switch-profile-when-monitor-connected
publisher: Moor by Bayou Applications LLC (https://moorapp.com/)
published: 2026-10-17
updated: 2026-10-17
---

# Switch Your Mac's Dock Setup Automatically When You Plug In a Monitor

In Moor, save one profile for your laptop alone and one for your desk (menu bar → Manage Profiles → Save Current Dock as New Profile…). Then, with each display arrangement connected, open Settings → Automation → Monitor setups, choose Add Current Setup and pick that profile. From then on, Moor switches profiles by itself whenever you plug in or unplug a display, whether a profile uses Apple's Dock, Moor's docks or both.

If you carry a MacBook between a desk and the couch every day, you know how it goes. At the desk you want a full Dock across a big monitor. On the laptop screen alone you want something small and tidy. And the next morning you fix it by hand all over again.

This guide shows how to save a Dock setup for each monitor arrangement and have Moor switch between them as you connect and disconnect. It also shows how to make a Focus switch your Dock using Shortcuts.

## What a profile holds

In Moor, a **profile** is a whole Dock setup. It covers which apps and folders sit in Apple's Dock and how it looks, which Moor docks are on screen, and whether Apple's Dock shows at all. Each profile has one of three modes:

- **Apple's Dock**: Moor swaps the real Dock's apps and settings. Nothing new appears on screen.
- **Moor only**: Apple's Dock hides and your Moor docks show up instead.
- **Both**: Apple's Dock stays and Moor's docks appear alongside it.

You don't have to replace Apple's Dock to use any of this. If you like the macOS Dock and only want a different set of apps at your desk, use **Apple's Dock** mode in every profile.

## Setting it up

### Step 1: Save a profile for each setup

Build each setup while you're actually using it. Start at the desk.

1. Connect your monitors and arrange the Dock the way you want it. For Moor docks, press Control-Option-E (or choose **Edit Docks** in the menu bar) to add apps, widgets and docks, then press **Done**.
2. Click the Moor icon in the menu bar and choose **Manage Profiles → Save Current Dock as New Profile…**. Give it a name like "Desk".
3. Unplug, set up the laptop-only Dock you want, and save that as a second profile, for example "Laptop".
4. In **Settings → Profiles**, give each profile a mode, an icon and a color. The icon and color show in the menu bar and the profile picker.

Changed your Dock since you saved? **Manage Profiles → Update "…" from Current Dock** saves the changes into the active profile. There's more in the [Profiles docs](/docs/profiles/) and in [separate Dock setups for work and home](/blog/different-dock-for-work-and-home-mac).

### Step 2: Link each profile to a monitor arrangement

1. Connect the displays you use at your desk and arrange them the way you normally do.
2. Open **Settings → Automation → Monitor setups**.
3. Choose **Add Current Setup** and pick your "Desk" profile.
4. Unplug the monitors, go back to **Monitor setups**, choose **Add Current Setup** again and pick "Laptop".
5. Add any other arrangements you use, such as a single office monitor.

From then on, connecting or disconnecting displays makes Moor switch to the profile saved for that arrangement. If the arrangement isn't saved, it picks the closest one. The [Automation docs](/docs/automation/) have the details.

### Step 3 (optional): Let a Focus switch it too

Apple lets you [create up to ten Focus profiles](https://support.apple.com/en-in/guide/mac-help/mchl613dc43f/mac) in System Settings and [schedule a Focus to turn on or off automatically](https://support.apple.com/en-in/guide/mac-help/mchl613dc43f/mac). Moor's Shortcuts actions work in personal automations, so a Focus can change your Dock as well:

1. Open **Shortcuts → Automation → New Automation → Focus**.
2. Pick a Focus (Work, Personal, Sleep…) and **When Turning On**. Choose **Run Immediately** so it doesn't ask first.
3. Add **Switch Moor Profile** and pick a profile. You can also add **Set Moor Dock Mode**, or use it instead, for example to show only your Custom Docks while Work is on.

To switch back, make a second automation with **When Turning Off**, or pick a profile in **Settings → Automation → When Focus turns off**. Siri phrases work too: "Switch Moor to Work".

Combine this with a Focus schedule and your Dock changes at a set time, while Monitor setups handle the moments you plug in. Keep in mind that Focus modes [sync across your Apple devices unless you turn that off](https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/take-control-of/9781947282483/text/ch009.xhtml), so a Focus you start elsewhere may turn on on your Mac too.

## Tips and tricks

### Name profiles after places, not screen counts

Two desks with one external monitor each can still be laid out differently. Writing about DockAnchor, Brightcoding.dev suggests [naming profiles by location ("Desk-Studio", "Home-Office") instead of by display count](https://www.blog.brightcoding.dev/2026/10/06/bwya77dockanchor-lock-your-macos-dock-to-one-display). That advice works just as well for Moor.

### Let docks adapt inside a profile

Each Moor dock has a **Placement** setting that decides which display it lives on:

| Placement option | Good for |
|---|---|
| Display with the pointer | One dock that follows you between screens |
| Display with the active window | A dock that stays with the window you're working in |
| All displays, outer edges only | A dock on every screen, skipping shared edges |
| A specific display | A side dock pinned to your vertical monitor |

**Don't show on** leaves out individual displays, and **Same size on every display** sizes docks for the smallest one. See [putting a dock on every monitor](/blog/mac-dock-on-every-monitor).

### Keep manual overrides handy

| Action | How |
|---|---|
| Jump to profile 1 to 9 | Control-Option-1 to Control-Option-9 |
| Back to the last profile | Control-Option-` |
| Profile picker | Control-Option-Space |
| Undo the last switch | Menu bar → **Manage Profiles → Undo Last Switch** |
| From a link | `moor://profile/Desk` |
| From Terminal | `moor switch Desk` (after **Settings → Advanced → Install Command-Line Tool…**) |
| From Shortcuts or Siri | **Switch Moor Profile** |

### Good desk setups

- **Developers**: give the Desk profile a left-edge dock with your editor, terminal and the Agents widget.
- **Store owners**: put Shopify or Stripe widgets in the Desk profile. **Meeting mode** (Settings → Automation → During calls) hides revenue while you're on a call.
- **Before reworking your setup**: make a backup with **Settings → Advanced → Export All Profiles…**.

## Troubleshooting and limits

- **Apple's Dock appears alongside Moor's.** That profile is set to **Apple's Dock** or **Both**. Change it in **Settings → Profiles**.
- **The wrong profile loads.** Moor fell back to the closest saved setup. Connect the arrangement you want and choose **Add Current Setup** for it.
- **A Focus automation asks before running.** Open the automation in Shortcuts and choose **Run Immediately**.
- **Your Dock doesn't switch back after a Focus ends.** Add a **When Turning Off** automation, or set a profile in **Settings → Automation → When Focus turns off**.
- **You want Apple's Dock back entirely.** Use menu bar → **Manage Profiles → Restore Original Dock…**. Quitting Moor also brings it back.

## Other apps that do part of this

Several apps cover similar ground. These descriptions come from their own listings, so check each app's page for current details:

| App | What its listing says |
|---|---|
| DockAnchor | [Free, open source (MIT)](https://alternativeto.net/software/dockanchor/about); stops the Dock moving between displays, with profiles that switch by connected displays |
| SmartDock | [Free, open source](https://github.com/alexeikaratai/smartdock); switches Dock position, icon size, magnification and autohide when an external monitor connects, with 5 global hotkeys. Its Shortcuts "Switch Dock Profile" action is listed as built, not yet shipped |
| Dockish | [Remembers separate layouts](https://appish.app/blog/dock-on-every-monitor-mac) per mode, switching as monitors connect or disconnect |
| Modoki | [Multiple Dock layouts](https://alternativeto.net/feature/dock-utility/) applied when Focus modes change, or by shortcut |
| DockIt Space | [Paid](https://alternativeto.net/software/dockit-space/about); suggests profile switching based on your most-used apps |
| DockLock Lite | [Free with in-app purchases](https://apps.apple.com/app/docklock-lite/id6741814079); needs "Displays have separate Spaces" on and a bottom Dock |
| DockFlow | [One-time purchase](https://353640881875.gumroad.com/l/dockflow); unlimited presets, each with a hotkey |
| MultiDock Pro | [£4.99](https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/multidock-pro/id6758738739); independent docks per display that can run Shortcuts |

## Next steps

1. Save a Desk profile and a Laptop profile.
2. Add each one under **Settings → Automation → Monitor setups**.
3. If you use Focus, add a Shortcuts automation with **Switch Moor Profile**.
4. Learn the [profile keyboard shortcuts](/blog/mac-dock-keyboard-shortcuts) for the times you want to switch by hand.

Moor has a free 14-day trial at [moorapp.com](https://moorapp.com/).

## Common questions

### How do I make Moor switch my Dock when I connect a monitor?

First save a profile for each setup, for example Desk and Laptop, from menu bar → Manage Profiles → Save Current Dock as New Profile…. Then connect each display arrangement, open Settings → Automation → Monitor setups, choose Add Current Setup and pick the matching profile. After that, Moor switches profiles by itself whenever you plug in or unplug a display.

### What happens if I connect a monitor arrangement I never saved?

Moor switches to the profile for the closest saved setup. If that isn't the one you want, arrange the displays the way you use them, open Settings → Automation → Monitor setups, choose Add Current Setup and pick the right profile. From then on, Moor treats that arrangement as its own setup and loads the profile you chose.

### Do I have to replace Apple's Dock to use automatic profile switching?

No. Each Moor profile has a mode: Apple's Dock, Moor only, or Both. In Apple's Dock mode, Moor swaps the real Dock's apps and settings and puts nothing new on your screen. So you can keep the macOS Dock and still have it change automatically when you dock or undock your Mac.

### Can a Focus mode switch my Dock profile?

Yes. In Shortcuts, choose Automation → New Automation → Focus, pick a Focus and When Turning On, and choose Run Immediately. Add the Switch Moor Profile action and pick a profile. To switch back, add a When Turning Off automation or pick a profile in Moor's Settings → Automation → When Focus turns off. This works alongside Monitor setups.

### How do I undo an automatic profile switch?

Click the Moor menu bar icon and choose Manage Profiles → Undo Last Switch. The Dock goes back exactly as it was before the switch. You can also press Control-Option-` to return to the last profile, or press Control-Option-1 through 9 to jump straight to any of your first nine profiles.

## Sources

1. [Set up a Focus on Mac - Apple Support](https://support.apple.com/en-in/guide/mac-help/mchl613dc43f/mac)
2. [Focus Mode Shortcuts - Take Control of Shortcuts, 2nd Edition (O'Reilly)](https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/take-control-of/9781947282483/text/ch009.xhtml)
3. [bwya77/DockAnchor: Lock Your macOS Dock to One Display](https://www.blog.brightcoding.dev/2026/10/06/bwya77dockanchor-lock-your-macos-dock-to-one-display)
4. [DockAnchor (AlternativeTo)](https://alternativeto.net/software/dockanchor/about)
5. [GitHub - alexeikaratai/smartdock](https://github.com/alexeikaratai/smartdock)
6. [How to Get Your Mac Dock on Every Monitor (All Methods, Honestly Compared)](https://appish.app/blog/dock-on-every-monitor-mac)
7. [Dock Utilities (AlternativeTo feature page, incl. Modoki)](https://alternativeto.net/feature/dock-utility/)
8. [DockIt Space (AlternativeTo)](https://alternativeto.net/software/dockit-space/about)
9. [DockLock Lite - Mac App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/docklock-lite/id6741814079)
10. [DockFlow (Gumroad)](https://353640881875.gumroad.com/l/dockflow)
11. [MultiDock Pro - Mac App Store](https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/multidock-pro/id6758738739)