How do I make apps open on my second monitor on a Mac?

Control-click the app in the Dock, choose Options, and under Assign To choose Desktop on Display with your monitor's number. The app then opens on that display's current desktop.

How do I make a program open on a specific monitor on Sonoma or Sequoia?

The steps are the same on macOS 14, 15, 26 and 27: Dock icon, Options, Assign To, Desktop on Display. Apps that restore their own windows may still open where you last closed them.

Why do apps open on my MacBook screen instead of the external monitor?

Usually because the app remembers its last position, or the MacBook is still the main display. Assign the app to the monitor in the Dock, or drag the white menu bar onto the monitor in Displays, Arrange.

Can DisplayShift make an app always open on the external monitor?

No. DisplayShift's per-app rules act when you plug in a display or move windows, not when an app launches. Use the Dock's Assign To option for where an app opens, and a DisplayShift rule for where its windows go when you dock.

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Mac apps opening on the wrong monitor? How to choose where they go

By Aqib Javed · Updated Nov 2, 2026

To make a Mac app open on a specific monitor, Control-click its icon in the Dock, choose Options, and under Assign To pick Desktop on Display and the number of the screen you want. The option appears when more than one display is connected; if it's missing, turn on Displays have separate Spaces in System Settings, Desktop & Dock, then log out and back in. Apps that reopen old windows may still remember their last spot.

Why apps open on the wrong screen

Many apps reopen windows where they were when you last quit. If that was the MacBook screen, that's where they come back, even with the monitor connected.
Apps without a remembered position often open on the main display, the one with the white menu bar in System Settings, Displays, Arrange.
After sleep or a dock reconnect, macOS may have moved windows to the MacBook screen, and apps then save that as their last position.
With Spaces, an app can be assigned to a desktop. If it is assigned to a desktop on the other display, it opens there.

How to make an app open on a specific monitor

Connect the monitor and open the app, so its icon is in the Dock. Keep it in the Dock if you want the setting to stick (Options, Keep in Dock).
Control-click the app's icon in the Dock and choose Options.
Under Assign To, choose Desktop on Display, followed by the display's number. All Desktops shows the app in every space, This Desktop ties it to the current desktop, and None removes the assignment.
Quit the app and open it again to check it lands on the right screen.

If Assign To is missing, open System Settings, Desktop & Dock, and in the Mission Control section turn on Displays have separate Spaces. Log out and back in for it to apply. You can also add a second desktop in Mission Control, since the option assigns apps to spaces.

Settings that also change where apps land

Make the monitor the main display: System Settings, Displays, Arrange, then drag the white menu bar onto it. Apps without a remembered position start there.
When switching to an application, switch to a Space with open windows for the application, in Desktop & Dock, decides whether switching to an app jumps to its existing windows.
Close windows when quitting an application, also in Desktop & Dock: turn it on and apps open fresh instead of reopening old windows in old places.
If one app keeps forgetting, move its window to the monitor and quit it with Command Q while it's there; most apps save that position.

Where DisplayShift fits

DisplayShift doesn't decide where an app opens at launch; the Dock option above does that. It handles what happens when you plug in or move windows. In Settings, Apps, give an app a rule: Stays on the MacBook, Goes to the external display, or Never moves. When a monitor connects, the picker ticks windows according to those rules, and Move everything (Control Option Command E to the external display, Control Option Command B to the MacBook) sends each app where its rule says. Moving an app against its rule asks first. It's free for 7 days, then $6.99 once.

Questions

How do I make apps open on my second monitor on a Mac?: Control-click the app in the Dock, choose Options, and under Assign To choose Desktop on Display with your monitor's number. The app then opens on that display's current desktop.
Why is Assign To missing from the Dock menu?: It needs more than one space to choose from. Turn on Displays have separate Spaces in System Settings, Desktop & Dock, log out and back in, and make sure the app's icon is in the Dock.
How do I make a program open on a specific monitor on Sonoma or Sequoia?: The steps are the same on macOS 14, 15, 26 and 27: Dock icon, Options, Assign To, Desktop on Display. Apps that restore their own windows may still open where you last closed them.
Why do apps open on my MacBook screen instead of the external monitor?: Usually because the app remembers its last position, or the MacBook is still the main display. Assign the app to the monitor in the Dock, or drag the white menu bar onto the monitor in Displays, Arrange.
Can DisplayShift make an app always open on the external monitor?: No. DisplayShift's per-app rules act when you plug in a display or move windows, not when an app launches. Use the Dock's Assign To option for where an app opens, and a DisplayShift rule for where its windows go when you dock.