diff --git a/src/widgets/widgets/qdockarealayout.cpp b/src/widgets/widgets/qdockarealayout.cpp
index 0f8a4850041..33162bad3bf 100644
--- a/src/widgets/widgets/qdockarealayout.cpp
+++ b/src/widgets/widgets/qdockarealayout.cpp
@@ -1107,6 +1107,21 @@ static QRect dockedGeometry(QWidget *widget)
     return result;
 }
 
+bool QDockAreaLayoutInfo::hasGapItem(const QList<int> &path) const
+{
+    // empty path has no gap item
+    if (path.isEmpty())
+        return false;
+
+    // Index -1 isn't a gap
+    // Index out of range points at a position to be created. That isn't a gap either.
+    const int index = path.constFirst();
+    if (index < 0 || index >= item_list.count())
+        return false;
+
+    return item_list[index].flags & QDockAreaLayoutItem::GapItem;
+}
+
 bool QDockAreaLayoutInfo::insertGap(const QList<int> &path, QLayoutItem *dockWidgetItem)
 {
     Q_ASSERT(!path.isEmpty());
diff --git a/src/widgets/widgets/qdockarealayout_p.h b/src/widgets/widgets/qdockarealayout_p.h
index 03e84d31446..4a5e8901504 100644
--- a/src/widgets/widgets/qdockarealayout_p.h
+++ b/src/widgets/widgets/qdockarealayout_p.h
@@ -135,6 +135,7 @@ public:
 
     void clear();
     bool isEmpty() const;
+    bool hasGapItem(const QList<int> &path) const;
     bool onlyHasPlaceholders() const;
     bool hasFixedSize() const;
     QList<int> findSeparator(const QPoint &pos) const;
diff --git a/src/widgets/widgets/qmainwindowlayout.cpp b/src/widgets/widgets/qmainwindowlayout.cpp
index 0971ac5d581..e9cfd05007a 100644
--- a/src/widgets/widgets/qmainwindowlayout.cpp
+++ b/src/widgets/widgets/qmainwindowlayout.cpp
@@ -541,8 +541,12 @@ bool QDockWidgetGroupWindow::hover(QLayoutItem *widgetItem, const QPoint &mouseP
 
     auto newGapPos = newState.gapIndex(mousePos, nestingEnabled, tabMode);
     Q_ASSERT(!newGapPos.isEmpty());
-    if (newGapPos == currentGapPos)
-        return false; // gap is already there
+
+    // Do not insert a new gap item, if the current position already is a gap,
+    // or if the group window contains one
+    if (newGapPos == currentGapPos || newState.hasGapItem(newGapPos))
+        return false;
+
     currentGapPos = newGapPos;
     newState.insertGap(currentGapPos, widgetItem);
     newState.fitItems();