The Dock usually disappears because auto-hide is enabled, its position changed, the size is very small, it moved to another display, or the Dock process needs a restart. Most cases are settings, not damage.
This guide applies to recent macOS versions.
Does This Affect You?
Use this if the Dock at the bottom or side of the Mac screen is gone and moving or clicking where it used to be does not help.
Check Auto-Hide
- Move the pointer to the bottom edge of the screen, or to the left or right edge if the Dock was placed there.
- Hold the pointer at the edge for a moment.
- If the Dock appears, open System Settings > Desktop & Dock.
- Turn off Automatically hide and show the Dock if you want it visible all the time.
Check Dock Position and Size
- Open System Settings > Desktop & Dock.
- Check Position on screen and try Bottom, Left, or Right.
- Move the Size slider toward the middle if the Dock is tiny.
- If using more than one display, check the other screen too.
Relaunch the Dock Process
- Open Activity Monitor.
- Search for Dock.
- Select the Dock process.
- Click the stop button and choose Quit.
- Wait a second or two while macOS restarts the Dock automatically.
- Restart the Mac if the Dock still does not return.
Dock Setup Tips
Change Position
Left or right Dock placement can save vertical screen space on a laptop. Change it in Desktop & Dock settings.
Use Magnification
Magnification makes icons grow under the pointer, which can help if you keep the Dock smaller.
Auto-Hide Deliberately
Once you know how to reveal it, auto-hide can be useful for extra screen room.
Main Display
With multiple displays, the Dock follows the main display. Change the main display in Displays arrangement settings if needed.
Sources
- Apple Support: Change Dock settings on Mac
- Apple Support: Change display settings on Mac
- Apple Support: If Mac apps or windows are not behaving as expected