Closed Macbook Pro with external monitor?

Connect the monitor. Close the MBP. Wake up the MBP with an external KB or mouse.

Once you've closed the lid, you can use an external keyboard and mouse to bring the computer back to life with the lid shut by pressing any key on the keyboard.

iToaster said:

Connect the monitor. Close the MBP. Wake up the MBP with an external KB or mouse.

Click to expand...

Why this tips doesn't work for me? I was connect my external monitor and usb keyboard and try to close the MBP and the MBP go to sleep, after that I try to click my mouse or by pressing any key on my keyboard but, nothing happen

Please what's going on? and how to do this?

jauhari said:

Why this tips doesn't work for me? I was connect my external monitor and usb keyboard and try to close the MBP and the MBP go to sleep, after that I try to click my mouse or by pressing any key on my keyboard but, nothing happen

Please what's going on? and how to do this?

Click to expand...

I had the same problem. Make sure your external is connected. Take a USB device and unplug it/plug it in. Either action tells the computer "Hey! Wake up, I got something for you!".

This method had been working quite well for me for a week. My computer kernel paniced. I restarted and now I can't get it to work that way. I wake the computer up, but now it just goes right back to sleep.

Any ideas?

If you've got an Apple remote, that will wake up the machine as well with the lid closed.

Hold the escape button after it goes to sleep. After 5-10 seconds, mine almost always comes back on.

It has to be plugged into the power.

it can be tricky sometimes...even when you have an external keyboard and mouse hooked up, you close the MBP and then try to wake it, and it won't wake...I started having this problem after 10.5 but it's disappeared with 10.5.2 and graphics update. Sometimes a reboot of the system will help.

Good luck!

One other thing that I've noticed is that with my KVM switch, I am unable to wake the machine with a keystroke or by clicking a mouse button. So I end up plugging in things in this order when I get to work in the AM:

1. Monitor
2. Network
3. Sound
4. Power
5. USB

Plugging in the USB device does wake the machine (as a previous poster said). It will be fabulous when they build a docking station for the MBPs.

Appreciate the info guys. The thing is plugged in to an outlet.

It is strange because I haven't had any problems like this with it until it kernel panicked...Something that was already set must have reset because of an improper shutdown...

Anyway, I know in the display settings sometimes it identifies my monitor as "P221W" (I suppose is default for this monitor) or "Monitor 2". Don't know why.

I don't want to get an app to do this as it is native to OS X, I just need to reconfigure/fix it. But if I have to, know of any apps that could allow me to work on an external with it closed.

More importantly, any other ideas on how to fix the problem?

This has worked for me... with your MBP off and external monitor plugged in, lift the lid on the MBP, push the power button and then immediately close the lid. The unit should boot properly to the external display. After this, if you want to use both displays, just raise the lid again and go in to system preferences, displays, and hit detect displays. Your MPB should now recognize both displays properly. This work around has worked for many people since the latest graphics update. YMMV

dmarch, your idea worked great!

i hit the restart button, closed the lid after i heard the start tone (i was not paying attention), waited for something to happen...i got impatient lifted the lid and it kernel panicked. ok little annoying....

turn it off...back on quickly shut lid. display lights up, no problems.

so weird that it would glitch out like that. anybody have any kernel panic errors from external monitor usage? the only other thing that may have caused the panic was my firewire...but i don't know why that would do it.

This worked for me.

1. Put the monitor is in extended display mode (or mirror it does not seem to really matters after laptop LCD is disabled).
2. Plug in USB Key board (doesn’t matter if it is done before or after closing laptop).
3. Close Laptop.
4. Wait for a seemingly long time (50-55 seconds) until the LCD lid light starts to pulsate between brightnesses back and forth – removing the power cable does not speed things up – but if it is removed – you need to plug it back in order to wake it up again).
5. Wake up laptop by hitting keys on keyboard of moving mouse.

How do I turn the LCD laptop display on again? In display system preferences hit the ‘Detect Displays’ button.

Maybe there is a way to shorten the 55 second wait time?

Or you can use this app called InsomniaX.

Removing the 55 second waiting time...

I learned how to more quickly remove the waiting time to disable the laptop LCD - and that is to turn off "safe sleep". Safe sleep saves an image of main memory onto disk if you loose all power (e.g., ., you are not plugged in and have no battery power left). This is partly from http://www.macworld.com/article/53471/2006/10/sleepmode.html and works nicely.

1. Check your current mode:

For MacPro books after 2005 the default should return a 3, Mode 3 keeps your RAM powered during sleep to allow super fast wake-up, but also writes an image file of all memory onto disk in case power is lost. The writing slows the wait for it to disable the screen.

2. If the above is 3, change it so it doesn't create an image file, but switching the mode to "0" (zero). In a Terminal window:
Enter your password when asked to do so. This prevents Safe Sleep from saving your memory contents to disk, in large part the cause of not being able to wake MacBook’s from sleep.

That is it! Now my previous post steps work without the 55 second wait.

InsomniaX worked for me as well by keeping the display on while the laptop being closed. So it is probably a matter of preference if you want the display on or off.

It works! try my method

Ok guys after messing around with external display and macbook pro display i finally got it to work with closed macbook pro and just using external display (Im using samsung 1080p display).


Connect everything hdmi, usb if you have it, THEN make sure you plug in your charger. Then try closing the lid of macbook pro and volia!! Your welcome. hope this works! leave comment if it doesnt.

Five year old thread? Zombie attack!

Adunb8 said:

Ok guys after messing around with external display and macbook pro display i finally got it to work with closed macbook pro and just using external display (Im using samsung 1080p display).


Connect everything hdmi, usb if you have it, THEN make sure you plug in your charger. Then try closing the lid of macbook pro and volia!! Your welcome. hope this works! leave comment if it doesnt.

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little late?

it's nice that you wanna help but I guess it's probably too late. It's likely that the OP is already dead