NotchDock
Home Blog Check NotchDock behavior on an external display
External Display Checks • Updated 2026-10-18 • 6 min read

Check NotchDock behavior on an external display

A monitor without a camera notch has different screen geometry from a notched MacBook. Check what the current app build does on your exact connection instead of assuming it creates a floating capsule.

What the current implementation tells us

In the reviewed source, the NotchDock panel’s initial rectangle is centered using NSScreen.main. The notch-width calculation reads the selected screen’s auxiliary top-left and top-right areas; when those areas are absent, it uses a configured fallback width. This is not proof that every external display receives a centered floating “island,” nor that the panel follows each display automatically.

Set up one external-display test

  1. Connect the monitor and open System Settings > Displays.
  2. Check whether macOS is extending or mirroring the desktop and which display is designated as the main display.
  3. Launch or reopen NotchDock and note where its panel appears. Try one display change at a time.
  4. Disconnect the monitor and record whether the panel returns to the MacBook screen without restarting.

Apple’s Displays guide explains the Arrange controls for positioning, mirroring, and choosing the main display. Not all options appear for every display.

Report compatibility accurately

Include the monitor model, connection type, Mac model, macOS and NotchDock versions, main-display selection, and the observed position. A result from one setup should not be generalized to Studio Display, 4K, 5K, rotated, and clamshell configurations.