---
title: "How to Move Your Mac Dock to the Side (or Make It Full-Length)"
url: https://moorapp.com/blog/move-mac-dock-to-side-full-length
publisher: Moor by Bayou Applications LLC (https://moorapp.com/)
published: 2026-10-26
updated: 2026-10-26
---

# How to Move Your Mac Dock to the Side (or Make It Full-Length)

To move Apple's Dock to the side, open System Settings → Desktop & Dock and set Position on screen to Left or Right. Apple only offers Left, Bottom and Right, and its Dock never stretches from edge to edge. For a top-edge dock, a full-length dock, start or end alignment, or a dock sized to each display, use Moor: press Control-Option-E and use the Placement menu, or set every option in Settings → Docks.

On a widescreen display, the bottom edge is the space you can least afford to give up. Putting the Dock on the side takes care of that. Things get harder when you want a Dock along the top, a bar that runs the full height of the screen, or a dock that actually fits the portrait monitor next to your laptop. This guide covers what Apple's Dock can do, what it can't, and how to set every placement option in Moor.

## What Apple's Dock lets you change

Apple's **Position on screen** setting puts the Dock on the [left, bottom or right edge of the screen](https://support.apple.com/en-au/guide/mac-help/mchlp1119/mac). Those are the only choices. There is no top option. The setting is under **Apple menu → System Settings → Desktop & Dock**, and Apple's guide for that pane [covers macOS Tahoe 26 back to Ventura 13](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/change-desktop-dock-settings-mchlp1119/mac).

Tahoe gave the Dock a Liquid Glass look, but [its behavior did not change](https://dockgroups.com/guides/macos-tahoe-dock/): size, magnification, position and auto-hide still live in System Settings → Desktop & Dock. None of those settings makes the Dock run the full length of an edge.

### What about Terminal?

Dock tweaks made with `defaults write` in Terminal are widely shared, but check which macOS versions they were tested on before trying one. macos-defaults.com lists its [command for left, bottom or right placement](https://macos-defaults.com/dock/orientation.html) as tested on macOS Sequoia back to Mojave. Tahoe 26 isn't on that list.

Newer versions have also broken some of these tweaks. One Apple Developer Forums user [complained that since macOS 15](https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/756868) they could no longer use the defaults command to put the Dock at the top or pin it to a corner. That's one user's report, not a statement from Apple. Still, none of the sources here confirm these Terminal keys on Tahoe, so this guide sticks to System Settings.

Multiple displays add more limits. Position is set once and [applies to every screen that gets the Dock](https://appish.app/blog/mac-dock-on-both-monitors). If **Displays have separate Spaces** is off, the Dock [appears only on the main display](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/change-desktop-dock-settings-mchlp1119/mac).

| Placement option | Apple's Dock | Moor dock |
|---|---|---|
| Left, bottom, right | Yes | Yes |
| Top edge | No | Yes |
| Full length | No | Yes |
| Size that fits each display | No | Yes, automatic |

## Move Apple's Dock to the side

1. Open **Apple menu → System Settings**.
2. Click **Desktop & Dock**.
3. Under **Position on screen**, choose **Left** or **Right**.

A side Dock also stops it from jumping between monitors. Setapp notes that moving it to Left or Right [locks the Dock to a single display](https://setapp.com/how-to/how-to-move-dock-on-mac-to-a-second-monitor), because pushing the cursor to an edge only moves the Dock to another screen when the Dock is at the bottom.

You set icon size with the **Size** slider in the [same pane](https://dockgroups.com/guides/macos-tahoe-dock/).

## Set every placement option in Moor

A Moor dock can go on the **bottom, left, right or top** edge. You can center it or align it to the start or end. It can fit its contents or run **full length**. You can run several docks at once, each with its own placement. The full reference is in [Docks](/docs/docks/).

### Quick changes in edit mode

1. Press Control-Option-E, or choose **Edit Docks** from Moor's menu bar icon. The icons wiggle and a toolbar appears above the dock.
2. Click **Placement** in the toolbar to move the dock (edge, alignment, display).
3. Press **Done**, or Control-Option-E again.

### The full set of options in Settings → Docks

For everything else, click **Settings…** in the edit toolbar. That opens the dock's page in **Settings → Docks**, which has a live preview, the profiles that use the dock, placement, behavior, theme and the full list of items.

| Display option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Main display | Always on the main display |
| Display with the active window | Follows the window you're working in |
| Display with the pointer | Moves to whichever display the pointer is on |
| Outer edge of the desk | Sits on the outside edge of your display arrangement |
| All displays | One copy per display |
| All displays, outer edges only | Skips edges that two displays share |
| A specific display | Pinned to one monitor |

**Don't show on** leaves individual displays out. When a dock sits on an edge shared by two displays, it fades instead of sliding. That edge is "sticky," so you can still bring the dock back.

### A dock that fits a vertical monitor

Each Moor dock sizes itself to the display it's on, so a portrait monitor gets a dock that fits it. To set one up, open **Settings → Docks**, set the dock to **A specific display** and choose the portrait monitor. Put it on the left or right edge and make it full length.

If you'd rather have one dock at the same size everywhere, turn on **Same size on every display**. It sizes the dock for your smallest display.

## Tips for picking a placement

- **Laptop plus portrait monitor (developers).** Keep the main dock along the bottom of the laptop screen. Add a slim full-length dock on the outer edge of the portrait monitor with your editor, Terminal and the Agents widget. Each dock has its own theme, so the side dock can use the compact Terminal theme while the main one stays Glass.
- **Two or three side-by-side displays.** **All displays, outer edges only** puts docks on the outside edges and leaves the edges between screens empty. Your pointer won't set off a dock as it moves from one screen to the next.
- **Ultrawide (designers).** A top-edge dock aligned to the start keeps the canvas area clear. Turn on **Opacity when idle** and it fades when you're not using it.
- **Laptop on the go.** Use **Display with the pointer** or **Display with the active window** so one dock comes to you.
- **Behavior per dock.** Each dock can **Automatically hide and show** with its own show and hide delays. It can also **Hide when an app is fullscreen** and **Hide while using** apps you choose, such as a game or a video editor.
- **Save each arrangement.** A [profile](/docs/profiles/) stores which docks are on screen. Switch with Control-Option-1 to 9, or let **Settings → Automation → Monitor setups** switch for you when you plug in or unplug a display. Profiles also let you keep [separate Dock setups for work and home](/blog/different-dock-for-work-and-home-mac).

## Troubleshooting

**Apple's Dock still shows next to Moor's.** The active profile is set to **Apple's Dock** or **Both**. Change it to Moor only in **Settings → Profiles**.

**Apple's Dock disappears on Tahoe.** Some people on macOS Tahoe 26.0 [report the Dock vanishing or acting as if auto-hide were on](https://macreports.com/dock-disappears-randomly-on-macos-tahoe-26-0-how-to-fix/). It often happens after sleep or on setups with several displays. Pressing Option-Command-D, or turning the auto-hide setting off and back on, brings it back for the time being. Option-Command-D is also the quick way to [toggle auto-hide](https://www.igeeksblog.com/how-to-hide-show-dock-on-mac/) on purpose.

**A Moor dock is on the wrong screen.** Check its display option in **Settings → Docks**. **Display with the pointer** and **Display with the active window** move by design. Choose **A specific display** to pin it to one monitor.

**You want your old Dock back.** Choose **Manage Profiles → Restore Original Dock…** from the menu bar. Quitting Moor also brings Apple's Dock back.

## Next steps

Start with the screen you look at most and choose its edge. Then choose fitted or full length, and set the display option last. Once a layout works, save it as a profile so you can bring it back with one keystroke.

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

## Common questions

### Can I move the Mac Dock to the top of the screen?

Apple's Dock can't go at the top. Position on screen in System Settings → Desktop & Dock only offers Left, Bottom and Right. One Apple Developer Forums user reports that the defaults command for top placement stopped working for them in macOS 15. In Moor, press Control-Option-E and use the Placement menu, or open the dock's page in Settings → Docks, and choose the top edge.

### Can the Mac Dock stretch the full length of the screen?

Not Apple's Dock. None of the settings in System Settings → Desktop & Dock (size, magnification, position and auto-hide) make it run edge to edge. A Moor dock can either fit its contents or run full length on any edge. Press Control-Option-E, then click Settings… in the toolbar to open the dock's page in Settings → Docks and choose full length.

### How do I get a dock that fits a vertical monitor?

Moor docks size themselves to the display they're on, so a portrait monitor gets a dock that fits it. In Settings → Docks, set the dock's display to A specific display and pick the vertical monitor. Put it on the left or right edge and make it full length. For one size everywhere, turn on Same size on every display, which sizes the dock for your smallest screen.

### Can each monitor have its Dock on a different edge?

Apple's Dock can't, because its position applies to every screen that shows it. Moor lets you run several docks, and each one has its own edge, alignment, display and theme. You could keep a bottom dock on your laptop and a full-length left dock on a portrait monitor, for example. In Settings → Docks you can also choose All displays, outer edges only to skip the edges between displays.

### How do I stop the Dock jumping to my other monitor?

With Apple's Dock, move it to Left or Right in System Settings → Desktop & Dock. Setapp notes this locks it to one display, because pushing the cursor to an edge only moves the Dock to another screen when it sits at the bottom. In Moor, open the dock's page in Settings → Docks and set its display to A specific display or Main display.

## Sources

1. [Change Desktop & Dock settings on Mac (en-au) - Apple Support](https://support.apple.com/en-au/guide/mac-help/mchlp1119/mac)
2. [Change Desktop & Dock settings on Mac - Apple Support](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/change-desktop-dock-settings-mchlp1119/mac)
3. [The macOS Tahoe Dock, Explained](https://dockgroups.com/guides/macos-tahoe-dock/)
4. [macOS defaults > Dock > Position](https://macos-defaults.com/dock/orientation.html)
5. [Apple Developer Forums thread on macOS 15 dock top-position regression](https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/756868)
6. [How to Get the Mac Dock on Both Monitors - appish.app](https://appish.app/blog/mac-dock-on-both-monitors)
7. [How to move Mac Dock to another screen - Setapp](https://setapp.com/how-to/how-to-move-dock-on-mac-to-a-second-monitor)
8. [Dock Disappears Randomly on macOS Tahoe 26.0, How to Fix - macReports](https://macreports.com/dock-disappears-randomly-on-macos-tahoe-26-0-how-to-fix/)
9. [How to Hide or Show the Dock on Your Mac - iGeeksBlog](https://www.igeeksblog.com/how-to-hide-show-dock-on-mac/)
10. [Moor](https://moorapp.com/)