I have a Macbook and can connect an external monitor just fine: it works great as a "#2" monitor. I would like to turn off the Macbook's display while using this other monitor as primary. How can I do this? Thank you.
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turning off internal display when external display connected
- Thread starter Bad Paper
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Your best choice is to close the lid.
Barring that, set the displays up to mirror (as opposed to span) and then reduce the brightness all the way on the internal display. There's no way I know of to turn off the internal display when the lid is open, but solutions might exist.
There's 3rd-party software out there to take care of this and allow you to do what you're wanting, but for the life of me, the name escapes me.
Do a search of the forums, this has been asked a lot, and you can probably find at least 10 different pieces of software through here that can do this.
Do a search of the forums, this has been asked a lot, and you can probably find at least 10 different pieces of software through here that can do this.
You'd need to wake it up with the mouse/KB after it went to sleep, but then it would be fine.
And it's perfectly OK to run it with the lid closed - it was designed to allow that. Just be sure there's adequate room for ventilation.
Does anyone know if this is possible with a MBP and Vista? I'm trying to run Vista off my MBP using an external monitor but it won't fill the whole screen (about 1 inch of black between edge of screen OS window and actual edge of monitor)...doesn't look as sharp as it should either? It has the main external as monitor 1, and the MBP as 2, but won't let me use the external as the sole primary monitor (like from bootup). Any ideas?
aha! I found two posts that help me out:
"attach the external monitor, then close the macbook. Using an external mouse, click the mouse to wake it from sleep. Then open the macbook. The internal display will stay off but you can now use the keyboard and trackpad."
https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/3646045/
"1. Go to system preferences (in the blue apple menu if not in your dock)
2. In the second row there is an option called "Displays" click it.
3. Go to arrangement.
4. When you see the two blue windows next to each other one has a white bar on the top. Drag the white bar over to the other."
https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/3579917/
"attach the external monitor, then close the macbook. Using an external mouse, click the mouse to wake it from sleep. Then open the macbook. The internal display will stay off but you can now use the keyboard and trackpad."
https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/3646045/
"1. Go to system preferences (in the blue apple menu if not in your dock)
2. In the second row there is an option called "Displays" click it.
3. Go to arrangement.
4. When you see the two blue windows next to each other one has a white bar on the top. Drag the white bar over to the other."
https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/3579917/
Glad my post helped you.