Help · Multiple displays

Mac display arrangement keeps resetting?

You set up your screens, and the next morning the monitor is on the wrong side again. Here's why that happens and what helps.

Common causes

• Different port or dock. macOS can treat the same monitor as a new screen when it's connected through a different port, adapter or dock, and give it a default spot.
• Two identical monitors. Some monitors report the same serial number, so macOS can't tell them apart and may swap them.
• Sidecar. An iPad used as a screen is often placed in a default spot each time it connects.
• Moving between desks. A different set of screens means a different arrangement, and macOS doesn't keep one per desk.

Things to try

1. Plug each monitor into the same port every time, ideally without swapping adapters.
2. Update your Mac, and your dock's firmware if it has updates.
3. Re-set the arrangement in System Settings › Displays › Arrange… after the change, so macOS stores it for that setup.

Let it fix itself

Lineup remembers the arrangement for every combination of screens you use. When a screen reconnects, it puts everything back where you left it automatically, and tells you with a small note. For moving between desks, save a profile for each one.