diff --git a/src/plugins/platforms/cocoa/qcocoaapplicationdelegate.mm b/src/plugins/platforms/cocoa/qcocoaapplicationdelegate.mm
index d6421159262..81cd16a78c6 100644
--- a/src/plugins/platforms/cocoa/qcocoaapplicationdelegate.mm
+++ b/src/plugins/platforms/cocoa/qcocoaapplicationdelegate.mm
@@ -192,9 +192,8 @@ QT_USE_NAMESPACE
     inLaunch = false;
 
     if (qEnvironmentVariableIsEmpty("QT_MAC_DISABLE_FOREGROUND_APPLICATION_TRANSFORM")) {
-        auto frontmostApplication = NSWorkspace.sharedWorkspace.frontmostApplication;
         auto currentApplication = NSRunningApplication.currentApplication;
-        if (frontmostApplication != currentApplication) {
+        if (!currentApplication.active) {
             // Move the application to front to avoid launching behind the terminal.
             // Ignoring other apps is necessary (we must ignore the terminal), but makes
             // Qt apps play slightly less nice with other apps when launching from Finder
@@ -202,6 +201,7 @@ QT_USE_NAMESPACE
             // being non-active here because another application stole activation in the
             // time it took us to launch from Finder, and being non-active because we were
             // launched from Terminal or something that doesn't activate us at all.
+            auto frontmostApplication = NSWorkspace.sharedWorkspace.frontmostApplication;
             qCDebug(lcQpaApplication) << "Launched with" << frontmostApplication
                 << "as frontmost application. Activating" << currentApplication << "instead.";
             [NSApplication.sharedApplication activateIgnoringOtherApps:YES];