Turn Off LCD and Use External Display?

[gentlefury]

try pressing any button.

Which button is the any button??

 

[iujock]

The magnet trick

The easiest way to run your MacBook Pro 13" with the lid open yet the display off (the computer then will allocate all graphics processing power to your external display because it thinks it is in clamshell mode) is to use a magnet. I went to harbor freight and purchased a generic magnet, it is about 2" long 1" wide and 1/2" high. I wrapped it bright orange duct tape to protect the finish of the MacBook Pro. When I want to use my external display but operate in clamshell mode (or so the computer thinks) I leave the lid open and place the magnet on the left side corner edge. It works when the magnet is placed on the edge directly over the built in battery charge remaining indicator). This is using a late 2011 13" MacBook Pro, for other models you may have to play with the placement of the magnet (my late 2007 MacBook Pro the magnet placement is totally opposite). I chose this method because I did not like SwitchResX software option when a $1.00 magnet works just as well without glitchy software.

 

[hp79]

I have a rMBP13 with Haswell, and using Cinema display. I searched trying to disable the laptop display and got to this old thread. Heat is less of a problem on mine in clamshell, still I don't like it heating up in clamshell mode when I run cpu intensive tasks.

Looks like another one of those apple way that never got fixed. Why can't they just add an option to turn off the internal display? Off topic, but I really hate the boot up sound, which would have been great if Apple gave us a option in settings or somewhere, instead of hacking the way or a workaround.

I LOL'ed at using a strip of magnet. Good idea none the less.

I switched from Windows 6 months ago and find OSX mostly comfortable and well thought out compared to Windows 7/8. It's even unbelievable that I didn't have to re-install the OS not even once! On Windows 7 I would reinstall from a backup image maybe once a month just to keep it clean. I bet there's a lot people coming to OSX because they don't like Windows 8 and/or want high resolution screen that actually scales well. It's just too bad that there's these Apple-way things that never gets fixed, along with Apple Fanbois preaching this is the way it's supposed to work.

For the dork who referenced the user manual, even if the manual says it's supposed to work in clamshell mode, once you run out of warranty and if it's damaged from heat (and it will), it's out of your pocket. It probably will take more than 1 year, hence the basic 1 year warranty. It's like car sales advertising lifetime no-change ATF fluid, while warranty is only 3 years 50k miles on a new car.