How to keep display on Macbook Pro instead of Clamshell Mode

I have an extended desktop through a Mini-Display Port-to-VGA connection from my Macbook Pro (OSX Mountain Lion) to an external monitor. I have the Macbook Pro screen set up as the "main screen" (with the display bar on top). But everytime I close my macbook pro, the computer goes into clamshell mode and sets the extended desktop as my "main screen" which switches my display bar. Is there anyway to tell OSX ML to always keep the Macbook Pro screen as the default and not go into clamshell mode?
This also creates a problem when I want to physically close my computer to allow to sleep, but instead goes into clamshell mode and extends the desktop to my external display. Any ideas?

this is from another discussion:
jk10003
Re: MacBook doesn't sleep when closing lid with external monitor attached with Lion     Oct 14, 2011 7:01 PM    (in response to admgtz) 
I would like to offer this solution.  I have a MacBook Pro with an external monitor, and, for a year and a half both displays slept when I closed the MBPS.  This behavior stopped when I installed Lion.  They would sleep when I removed the power cord, but what a pain that would be.  The command "pmset -g assertions" gave no indication of which process ought be preventing sleep.
I contacted Apple support, and after some searching, the guy working with me found this thread, which was flagged as an Apple-approved solution:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3190417?start=165&tstart=0
This is the important part:
Correct AnswerRe: How do I tell Lion to disable the LCD screen even when the lid is open?
Aug 31, 2011 9:56 AM (in response to Bob_viking)
Here's the command to make your laptop behave like it did Pre-Lion (courtesy of my friend):
sudo nvram boot-args="iog=0x0"
Works perfectly for me. If it screws up your system, just zap the PRAM next boot (cmd-opt-p-r) and you'll be back to the default Lion state. Or if you can still get into terminal, this command will get you back to Lion's default state as well:
sudo nvram -d boot-args
Enjoy!
One snag was that I had to run it with the external monitor disabled, but it worked great!

Similar Messages

  • How to restore display on MacBook Pro to original settings after faulty external display connection

    Rookie question, 2009 MacBook Pro.  We bought a dvi-VGA adapter to connect to an external display. Got a picture on the external monitor but very poor resolution.  Meanwhile the display on the MacBook Pro re-set itself and we were not able to restore it to normal even after we disconnected the external monitor.  We now have our MacBook Pro with messed up resolution and display, AND no external display.  How do we get the MacBook Pro back to its default display settings?  Any help greatly appreciated!

    this is from another discussion:
    jk10003
    Re: MacBook doesn't sleep when closing lid with external monitor attached with Lion     Oct 14, 2011 7:01 PM    (in response to admgtz) 
    I would like to offer this solution.  I have a MacBook Pro with an external monitor, and, for a year and a half both displays slept when I closed the MBPS.  This behavior stopped when I installed Lion.  They would sleep when I removed the power cord, but what a pain that would be.  The command "pmset -g assertions" gave no indication of which process ought be preventing sleep.
    I contacted Apple support, and after some searching, the guy working with me found this thread, which was flagged as an Apple-approved solution:
    https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3190417?start=165&tstart=0
    This is the important part:
    Correct AnswerRe: How do I tell Lion to disable the LCD screen even when the lid is open?
    Aug 31, 2011 9:56 AM (in response to Bob_viking)
    Here's the command to make your laptop behave like it did Pre-Lion (courtesy of my friend):
    sudo nvram boot-args="iog=0x0"
    Works perfectly for me. If it screws up your system, just zap the PRAM next boot (cmd-opt-p-r) and you'll be back to the default Lion state. Or if you can still get into terminal, this command will get you back to Lion's default state as well:
    sudo nvram -d boot-args
    Enjoy!
    One snag was that I had to run it with the external monitor disabled, but it worked great!

  • Novice here- how to keep my new macbook pro running smoothly

    Hi, I am new to this forum and have recently purchased for first macbook pro 2011. As i am novice can anyone please advise any tips for keeping it running smoothly? For example I was advised to empty the caches folder in my library every so often, is this right?
    Thankyou

    There are a few things to do --
    1) Disk Utility. Click on your disk and repair permissions. This is only if you notice some slight slowdown.
    2) Clean out your hard drive. This is quite obvious, except few people stay on it. The smaller your HD, the more you should delete unnecessary items (like downloaded .dmg files that you used to install programs).
    3) Treat it nicely. A hard drive won't spin if it's broken, and the better care you take of your computer, the easier it will be to notice when something's wrong. You can't hear the house creaking (nor would it matter) if the rest of the house is on fire.

  • Mid-2010 MacBook Pro stuck in clamshell mode?

    I asked a similar question to this earlier, but now the problem has been more consistent. I have a mid-2010 MacBook Pro that I often use with an external display, plugged in via mini-DVI to HDMI adapter. The problem is, after I've unplugged my macbook to "go mobile" and am away from my display, if I ever have to restart my computer or boot into Windows 7, my computer will think it's still in clamshell mode. The screen will stay dark, and if the lid is closed, the white light will stay on steadily, not pulsing. However, if I plug into my external display when this is happening, the external display works fine and I have a display again. When I look up my displays while connected to an external display while this is happening, my internal display isn't even listed in the system report; it's like it doesn't exist! And this is especially a problem now as I am away on a 3 week school related trip.
    I have not been able to consistently reproduce this problem. Sometimes it restarts normally, sometimes I restart it and get the gray + apple logo screen that then goes dark, and sometimes the internal display just never turns on. The problem doesn't seem to be related to an OS, as it happens when booting into Windows 7 OR mountain lion 10.8.5. I've tried resetting PRAM mutliple times as well as performing an SMC reset multiple times, and neither has helped. This even happened when I was booting into a mountain lion install USB, as I thought maybe a fresh install would help. I've seen many other forums discussing a similar issue, but none described quite like mine.
    What gives?? How can I get my macbook to restart normally? I really don't want to have to make a repair, even though it's looking like a hardware problem. My computer is one month after Apple Care has expired, and I can't afford a pricey repair as I'm a very in debt student who only has a MacBook because his school gave it to him in the first place. I would be very appreciative for any suggestions and/or help! Thanks!

    Hello thedoctor8706
    Reset your NVRAM and test to see if that resolves your issues. Typically that will resolve video, volume, startup disk selection, and kernel panic issues.
    About NVRAM and PRAM
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1379
    Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.
    Regards,
    -Norm G.

  • HT3131 Is there a way to use 2 external monitors with the MacBook Pro in closed clamshell mode?

    My internal display on my MBP is having issues and occasionally displays white lines all over the screen. The current external monitor displays properly. Is there a way to use two extrernal monitors intead of one external + the internal display?
    ==========
    Model Name:          MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2009)
      Model Identifier:          MacBookPro5,2
      Processor Name:          Intel Core 2 Duo
      Processor Speed:          2.93 GHz
      Number of Processors:          1
      Total Number of Cores:          2
      L2 Cache:          6 MB
      Memory:          8 GB
      Bus Speed:          1.07 GHz
    NVIDIA GeForce 9400M:
      Chipset Model:          NVIDIA GeForce 9400M
      Type:          GPU
      Bus:          PCI
      VRAM (Total):          256 MB
      Vendor:          NVIDIA (0x10de)
      Device ID:          0x0863
      Revision ID:          0x00b1
      ROM Revision:          3436
      gMux Version:          1.7.10
    NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT:
      Chipset Model:          NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT
      Type:          GPU
      Bus:          PCIe
      PCIe Lane Width:          x16
      VRAM (Total):          512 MB
      Vendor:          NVIDIA (0x10de)
      Device ID:          0x0647
      Revision ID:          0x00a1
      ROM Revision:          3436
      gMux Version:          1.7.10
      Displays:
    Color LCD:
      Display Type:          LCD
      Resolution:          1920 x 1200
      Pixel Depth:          32-Bit Color (ARGB8888)
      Main Display:          Yes
      Mirror:          Off
      Online:          Yes
      Built-In:          Yes
    Cinema HD:
      Display Type:          LCD
      Resolution:          1920 x 1200
      Pixel Depth:          32-Bit Color (ARGB8888)
      Display Serial Number:          *************
      Mirror:          Off
      Online:          Yes
      Rotation:          Supported

    Hi Mike, this isn't the first such problem report I've seen, perhaps another option...
    http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Newer%20Technology/VIDU2DVIA/

  • HT3131 Will running the Macbook Pro 2011 in clamshell mode affect heat dissipation at all?

    I'm worried about the heat not being able to escape when the laptop is closed.

    I have used my new mid-2012 MBP in clamshell mode and monitored the temperatures and they were no different than when the lid was open, so it appears that the cooling system is unaffected. Very little heat dissipates upwards through the keyboard/upper case anyway, the heat is directed through the rear and underside of the case.

  • Can I display my macbook pro picture on my imac screen

    how can I display my macbook pro picture on my imac screen

    What do you mean by "my macbook pro picture"?  Are you talking about screen sharing?

  • I have just used air display with macbook pro. i have disconnected now from apple tv. but my laptop screen is still very small like its connected to the tv. this means all the tabs and writing is very small, how do i full disconnect my laptop?

    i have just used air display with macbook pro. i have disconnected now from apple tv. but my laptop screen is still very small like its connected to the tv. this means all the tabs and writing is very small. like the display down the bottom where al the applications are, is n the middle of the page and not spread down the bottom. this is seriously annoying! all the writing is every small and the tabs are small and its hard to read.  the air display link has disappeared from my computer. but the laptop screen is still very small. i want to know how do i get rid of this and return my macbook screen to its normal size. thank you

    Hello chrispyw,
    If your content is still being displayed incorrectly, I would check the resolution setting for the built in display with this article:
    OS X Yosemite: Adjust your display’s resolution
    If it keeps happening whenever you use AirPlay then I would use this section of the following article to reset the display system:
    Apple computers: Troubleshooting issues with video on internal or external displays
    Reset the system
    You can reset the Mac's parameter RAM and SMC.Reset the resolution
    Start by resetting the Mac's parameter RAM. If the display does not come up, was previously set to an unsupported resolution, and still results in no video:
    Start up in Safe Mode.
    From the Apple () menu, choose System Preferences.
    Choose Displays from the View menu to open the preferences pane.
    Select any resolution and refresh rate that your display supports.
    Restart your computer.
    Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
    Regards,
    Sterling

  • How do I use my Macbook pro retina display as a monitor for a PC?

    How do I use my Macbook pro retina display as a monitor for a PC?

    MacQueries wrote:
    How do I use my Macbook pro retina display as a monitor for a PC?
    Unfortunately, that is not possible. The computer only can "output" your display image, it cannot "input" an image from an external computer and display it on your MacBook's retina display.

  • How do i connect my macbook pro retina display to lcd projector

    How do i connect my macbook pro retina display to lcd projector?

    Depends on what type of video connection the projector accepts. Most common would be DVI, VGA or HDMI. Review this article for more information: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3235

  • How do I connect my macbook pro 5,5 to 24" cinema display

    how can I connect my macbook pro 5,5 to apple 24" cinema display

    Hello jkinhays,
    I recommend reviewing the steps on page 8 of the Apple LED Cinema Display manual to assist on setting up your MacBook Pro with the Cinema Display:
    Apple LED Cinema Display manual
    http://manuals.info.apple.com/zh_CN/Apple_LED_Cinema_Display_CN.pdf
    Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
    Best,
    Sheila M.

  • This month I just purchased a 27 Display with Thunderbolt. I have a 17 inch MacBookPro with the mini DisplayPort. How do I connect my MacBook Pro to the 27 inch Thunderbolt Video display.

    This month I just purchased a 27 Display with Thunderbolt. I have a 17 inch MacBookPro with the mini DisplayPort. How do I connect my MacBook Pro to the 27 inch Thunderbolt Video display.

    Mini-Display Port == ThunderBolt.
    In other words, just plug it in.

  • How do I partition my MacBook Pro so I can keep Snow Leopard and also install Mountain Lion?

    How do I partition my MacBook Pro so I can keep Snow Leopard and also install Mountain Lion?
    I want to install the latest OS, but I already know that I will lose a lot of my software unless I can partition the hard drive and have two "bootable" drives.
    How do I retain everything I have, partition the drive, then reloa the software I own according to which OS it will work under?

    msmedia wrote:
    I do not currently own OS X ML.
    I am currently running OS X (10.6.8 Snow Leopard) on my MacBook Pro. It has a 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor. I want to upgrade to Mountain Lion, but many of my software titles will not operate with ML and I cannot afford to replace some of them (Adobe Creative Suite, for e.g.)
    After I back-up my HD and then partition the HD, how do I use the back-up to reinstall what I want to the SL partition, and then place the rest on the ML partition.
    I have not done what you want to do, so can only offer some general thoughts in support. Take value from the following where you can. No guarantees.
    If it was me, I would use a disk clone utility (e.g. Carbon Copy Cloner) to image the existing Snow Leopard disk to an external drive. Then verify that the external drive would boot and run Snow Leopard normally.
    I would then purchase and download the Mountain Lion upgrade installer, but not run it. Use Lion Diskmaker to make a bootable USB stick, and perform a clean install of Mountain Lion, replacing the Snow Leopard on your MBP. This way, you make absolutely certain that no third-party drivers or other SL cruft remains to make Mountain Lion unstable. Update to latest ML point release. Fix permissions. Let TimeMachine make a full backup of your ML installation to a different external drive. Then turn of Time Machine.
    In Disk Utility, use the + sign at the bottom of the ML partition to add another GUID, HFS+ Journaled partition for Snow Leopard. Resize to taste. Name it differently from your ML partition. Exhale.
    Now ideally, you would like to reverse the external clone and put it back into the new SL partition. Then fix permissions. And demonstrate that you can boot into individually stable OS X installations. This would save you alot of work. Resist copying your home directory into ML just yet.
    If you cannot successfully achieve the preceding paragraph, you will be faced with a full SL and application reinstall.
    The ~/Library contents for SL and ML are sufficiently different that you do not want to mix them. You may want to salvage Safari bookmarks.plist. And, ML created folders in the home directory may have different permissions or ACL settings than in SL. So, my rule of thumb would be to copy folders that you created in SL, and only the contents of matching named OS created folders such as Music, Pictures, Downloads, etc.
    For each operating system, you probably want the Time Machine settings to exclude the opposite OS X partition. If you use the same host name in Sharing prefs, then you will mix SL and ML backups on the same Time Machine back up drive. If you use different host names, they will be distinct folders in the Time Machine backups.backupdb and allow discrete restores per host. You may also want to gag Spotlight from indexing the opposite OS X partition.

  • How can I keep synchronized my macbook pro at the office and a traveling macbook air?

    How can I keep synchronized my macbook pro at the office and a traveling macbook air?

    Have you tried doing the sync via Time Machine?
    I thought it would be possible to backup the travelling machine and restore the machine at the office from the new backup.
    I read a warning from Apple that it is not advisable.
    I would be very interested in your opinion.

  • How do I restore a frozen display on MacBook Pro ?

    HHow  do I restore a frozen display on MacBook Pro ?

    Have you tried forcing shutdown? Hold the power button for 5-10 seconds to force shutdown.

Maybe you are looking for

  • Can't figure out what I'm doing wrong

    I'm using Studio 8 in Mac OS X (10.4.6). I've got some pdfs uploaded to my site that are accessible through links one one of the pages. I had to make changes to the pdfs and resave them. I thought I uploaded them, but when I test the links it downloa

  • How to see all changes on Project

    Hello, How I can see all changes done on one Project, including description on project level, budget changed, description and budget on WBS, all networks changes, hours booked, etc. I need date of change and who did that. In CN60 I see something, but

  • Received message without correlationID

    Hi, I am facing a strange problem. Whenever I execute any JPD in my weblogic workshop using the Workshop test browser, I am getting following error. <Error> <WLW> <000000> <Received message without correlationID. MessageID=ID:P<294710.1177353184648.0

  • Legend in CNiGraph

    I am using the CNiGraph control in Measurement Studio enterprise edition v7.0.0.341 for Visual studio.NET 2003.  I have multiple plots and the number of plots is variable depending on user input.  A dynamic legend for this plot is highly desirable in

  • ITunes v9.1 Import MP3 Custom Settings VBR Quality?

    The pulldown options are: lowest, low, medium low, medium, medium high, high, highest What do the options of VBR Quality translate to? How do they relate to LAME Quality settings? Thanks in advance...