diff --git a/src/video/cocoa/SDL_cocoaevents.m b/src/video/cocoa/SDL_cocoaevents.m
index 58cae99554..fd178b8dac 100644
--- a/src/video/cocoa/SDL_cocoaevents.m
+++ b/src/video/cocoa/SDL_cocoaevents.m
@@ -311,15 +311,26 @@ static void Cocoa_DispatchEvent(NSEvent *theEvent)
 
 - (void)applicationDidFinishLaunching:(NSNotification *)notification
 {
-    if (!SDL_GetHintBoolean("SDL_MAC_REGISTER_ACTIVATION_HANDLERS", true))
+    if (!SDL_GetHintBoolean("SDL_MAC_REGISTER_ACTIVATION_HANDLERS", true)) {
         return;
+    }
 
     /* The menu bar of SDL apps which don't have the typical .app bundle
      * structure fails to work the first time a window is created (until it's
      * de-focused and re-focused), if this call is in Cocoa_RegisterApp instead
-     * of here. https://bugzilla.libsdl.org/show_bug.cgi?id=3051
+     * of here. https://github.com/libsdl-org/SDL/issues/1913
      */
-    if (!SDL_GetHintBoolean(SDL_HINT_MAC_BACKGROUND_APP, false)) {
+
+    /* this apparently became unnecessary on macOS 14.0, and will addition pop up a
+       hidden dock if you're moving the mouse during launch, so change the default
+       behaviour there.  https://github.com/libsdl-org/SDL/issues/10340
+       (13.6 still needs it, presumably 13.7 does, too.) */
+    bool background_app_default = false;
+    if (@available(macOS 14.0, *)) {
+        background_app_default = true;  /* by default, don't explicitly activate the dock and then us again to force to foreground */
+    }
+
+    if (!SDL_GetHintBoolean(SDL_HINT_MAC_BACKGROUND_APP, background_app_default)) {
         // Get more aggressive for Catalina: activate the Dock first so we definitely reset all activation state.
         for (NSRunningApplication *i in [NSRunningApplication runningApplicationsWithBundleIdentifier:@"com.apple.dock"]) {
             [i activateWithOptions:NSApplicationActivateIgnoringOtherApps];