Mac os x lion use only external monitor

Unfortunately, Mac OS X also disables keyboard and trackpad input when it thinks the display is closed, so this option didn't work for me. Mac OS X Hints has discovered a command that will allow this:. I know this is a bit of a kludge, but my work around for this issue is to hold down the brightness control on my macbook until the screen goes dark. Like you, I prefer to just work on the larger display, and keep typing with my laptop keyboard with the laptop display open only partially and open just enough the I can use the laptop's keyboard.

Not sure if this works in Lion but if you have the lid closed and plug in a USB device it'll power up your monitor and then you can open the lid and your external monitor will be on and your lid will be off.

Quickly Enter Clamshell Mode with an External Display in Mac OS X

First, I mirrored the displays, as has already been suggested. Soon after doing this, I realized that it was very distracting to have the macbook's lit screen off in the corner of my eye. This required that I kill the brightness on the macbook's screen.

So I wondered if there was a way to automate the process. I found this free app called Control Plane which let's me set "contexts" based on whether certain devices monitors, hard drives, etc are plugged in, whether certain wi-fi networks are in range, etc; and based on these contexts, run certain shell scripts. So all I had to do was write an applescript called killBrightness.

Use your Mac notebook computer in closed-display mode with an external display

Since I plug many different monitors into my macbook, I noticed that when one with a different aspect ratio is plugged in, my windows hang off the edge of the screen. The solution to this would be to resize the windows, but that's highly inefficient when you use a ton of apps and windows like I do; also, me being as lazy as I am, didn't like that solution. So, with the help of the nice folks over at Stack Overflow, I was able to come up with this AppleScript called resizer.

Now, all I had to do was write a similar shell script to call resizer. Once you have hooked up the external monitor, for sometime you do see this extended monitor setup. But if you don't want to use the laptop screen, simply close the lid of the macbook pro and continue working on the larger screen this works. The laptop doesn't go into sleep mode. This is with the Lion release. By clicking "Post Your Answer", you acknowledge that you have read our updated terms of service , privacy policy and cookie policy , and that your continued use of the website is subject to these policies. Home Questions Tags Users Unanswered.

Ask Question. Sorry for the wordy title, but my problem is thus: When I'm at my desk, I would like to use only the external display. With the nifty gestures in Lion, I have decided I would like to use the internal trackpad on my MacBook To physically touch the trackpad, the lid on my MacBook Pro needs to be open This used to be a piece of cake with Snow Leopard and below - you plug in the external display, close the lid, plug in a USB device or press a key on a connected keyboard to wake the machine, and once it's woken up and using the external display reopen the lid and the internal screen stays off.

Kyle Cronin Kyle Cronin Why don't you want the extra screen real estate provided by the internal display? CajunLuke It just doesn't work very well. Multiple displays are best when they're sitting next to one another and are the same distance from your eyes. No devices to plug and unplug, and it's all included with your computer. Thanks for posting this. It actually helps the speed of my powerbook. I have a 12" powerbook connected to 24" Dell display.

The graphics are much snappier now!! What I would like to see is a hint that describes how to work with the Powerbook open but with the internal monitor shut down as in this hint. I wonder if anyone's come up with a solution for this. It may be risky though since a "book" with the screen turned off and no second monitor connected or operational could make the machine virtually unusable.

User panic could ensue.

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I liked the IR suggestion -- easy and works great! Now, my question is, how do I easily get back to my Macbook's internal display? When I reopen the clamshell, it's still on the external. I hit the F7, but that didn't do anything. Any simple ways besides shutting down? The system will "Detect Displays" when the system is started, wakes from sleep, a display is connected or disconnected, CMD-F2 is pressed or the "Detect Displays" button in the Displays System Preference is clicked.

If the lid is closed during the detect process, the internal display will not be on or take up any resources. For years on many PBs with external displays I have started the system with the power button and closed the lid quickly before the display is detected. When i try to watch a video using front row there is no picture, only sound. Do you have a workaround for that? Where is the sensor to simulate lid closing without really doing it.

I have seen it once, somebody putting a coin or something somewhere and the machine went to sleep Thanks, this tip worked perfectly for me! I damaged my Macbook screen when I used a wet towel to clean it, half the screen is no longer usable! With this method, my laptop is still usable.

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Excellent - quick fix. Your comment from is still working in late Thanks very much and Merry Christmas!! I'm pretty sure the laptop must be plugged into a power source not just running on its own battery in order for it to wake up from sleep by connecting a USB device. Whenever I try to follow this process without my laptop plugged into the wall, the computer won't wake up without me opening it. Up until Snow Leopard this trick works, but in Lion not anymore.

How to Use a MacBook or MacBook Pro with Lid Closed & External Monitor

I use it everyday, as my white MacBook's screen burns away if I keep the lid closed while heavily using the processor and hard drive. In itself that is nice, the user doesn't have to think about what to do when he attaches an external monitor and closes the lid or re-opens the lid etc. But for me, with my melting LCD, this is not really what I want. I ended up installing SwitchResX, only for using the 'disable display' option, with which I now, in Lion, manually have to switch off the laptop screen when my external display is attached.

Does anyone know of a simpler scripting? Without 3rd party applications, I mean solution? Lost your password?

Powered by the Parse. More Mac Sites: Macworld MacUser iPhone Central. Use a MacBook with the main display off Jun 09, '06 I figured this out last night. Don't know if this is a known thing or not, but I was pretty psyched about it. If you want to use an external monitor with your MacBook in "clamshell" mode but with the screen open , but don't have the peripherals, here's what to do: With your MacBook on and running, plug in your external monitor and turn it on if the monitor isn't already on.

Depending on the way you have your display prefs set, you'll either be in mirror mode or extended desktop mode. If in extended desktop mode, change to mirror mode. If in mirror mode, keep it that way. Close your MacBook. The whole system including external display will go to sleep. This will wake up the external monitor and the MacBook. You should have your desktop displayed on your external monitor at its full resolution as long as it's equal to or less than the MacBook's highest achievable resolution, I think.

Your Answer

Now, you don't have an external keyboard and mouse, so how do you control the MacBook? Well, just open the MacBook up now. That said, be sure to attach an external keyboard and mouse first. Then, find a small magnet from your fridge. Connect the external display to your MacBook, slide the magnet around the outside lip of the MacBook screen until it goes right to sleep.

Once it goes to sleep, press any key on the external keyboard you connected up, and the MacBook should display only on the external monitor. This is of course more dangerous than just closing and re-opening your MacBook when connected to an external display, but that trick no longer works that well in OS X Mountain Lion. Have fun dissipating heat and using your graphics chip to its highest ability, and let us know in the comments what your favorite tip is. Got an OS X tip? Need help troubleshooting OS X?

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