How to use external monitor with laptop closed

My external monitor goes to sleep when i close the Macbook Air lid. How do i stop that from happening?

Mac notebooks: How to use your computer in closed clamshell ...

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Using external monitor with laptop

At work I have an external monitor, keyboard and mouse so I want to close my laptop and leave it on a shelf while I work. Yesterday I plugged in my monitor before opening my laptop and it woke out of sleep (still closed) and let me work without having to open the machine. It also automatically fit my screen to the display size. Today I connected my laptop to the external monitor, but if I close it it goes to sleep (regardless of using the keyboard etc). The screen also shows a widescreen view of my desktop (it's not fit properly like yesterday). What do I have to do so that I can close my laptop, yet still be able to use it?

Today I connected my laptop to the external monitor, but if I close it it goes to sleep (regardless of using the keyboard etc).
That's normal. It will go to sleep, and you then wake it back up from the external keyboard/mouse. There are hacks such as Insomnia X which, I believe, will disable this sleep when the lid is closed, but you use any such hack at your own risk.
The screen also shows a widescreen view of my desktop (it's not fit properly like yesterday).
Have you checked the Displays preference for the external monitor to be sure it's set appropriately for the display's resolution?

Audio & video via HDMI to an external monitor with lid closed.

I would like to run a Macbook Pro Retina (2014) with the lid closed and all video and audio via HDMI routed to an external monitor (Samsung Syncmaster from 2010). Is this possible? When I try this, no sound is transferred to the external monitor and I cannot operate the Macbook Pro with the lid closed. As soon as I close the lid, it cuts the signal to the external screen.
I’ve tried looking for previous posts but they’re about MCP’s connecting via Thunderbolt or DVI. Any ideas?

Seems like there may be two separate questions here. Audio working in either configuration and video from HDMI when lid closed. First, you are doing this with the Mac running off of AC, not battery, right?
Audio:
Is the HCMI cable you are using able to carry the audio? Some cables don't.
The only way I've ever used external displays with lid closed is with the thunder port (or DVI) adapter, not with the HDMI. I see the specs from Apple:
HDMI video output
Support for 1080p resolution at up to 60Hz
Support for 3840-by-2160 resolution at 30Hz
Support for 4096-by-2160 resolution at 24Hz
So have you tried varying the screen res to determine the results? I can find no specs regarding what ports remain operational in clamshell. Like you, I would have assumed all of them.
I suspect only the thunderbolt port would support your desired config -- try a thunderbolt/hdmi adapter.
Finally, clamshell mode doesn't allow the MBP to cool efficiently. Heat kills electronics, so if it's too warm or the fans really kick in, you might want to reconsider this setup.

Is there anyway to have an 11 inch mac air connected to an external monitor with lid closed and still be able to see content. I have a wireless ketboard and mouse and have tried everything. Only works when plugged in.

Is there anyway to have an 11 inch mac air connected to an external monitor with lid closed and still be able to see content. I have a wireless ketboard and mouse and have tried everything. Only works when plugged in.

You are referring to a feature called Clamshell Mode, please read Clamshell Mode setup for instructions.
BTW when posting when you use generalities such as "have tried everything" this tells us nothing. When posting please be specific and try to paint a complete picture. It just makes things easier for those trying to help you.

How to run an external monitor with lid closed

how to use an external monitor with the "lid" closed

You can use your MacBook in Clamshell Mode with a wired or Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3131

How to work on external monitor with lid closed?

I have an external monitor connected to my MB Pro and would like to work with the lid closed. When I shut it, the monitor also goes to sleep. Yesterday I did something right and the monitor woke but I was able to keep the computer closed. Today it's not working. I use a wireless keyboard that also goes to sleep when the lid closes.
What's the procedure to keep the monitor awake while the laptop is closed?
System 10.6.8

Yes, I have done that and tried it over and over and it still won't work. The monitor went on for a few seconds and then went black again.
Is it possible to do this with a wireless keyboard? I do press the power key to try to wake to keyboard but nothing happens.

Display only on external monitor with laptop open--possible?

I have an external monitor (20" with resolution of 1680 x 1050) attached via DVI-D to my MacBook Pro 15". When I'm using it in this configuration, I like to only use my external monitor and not the built-in laptop display. The only way I can get this to work is to close the laptop screen and then wake up the computer using an externally attached (bluetooth, actually) keyboard.
My question is, how can I do this and have my laptop screen open? Whenever the laptop screen is open, its built-in screen activates and I can either "mirror" the displays or have display spanning. Mirroring does not work well for me because the external monitor's native LCD resolution is 1680 x 1050 and the laptop is 14xx by something (I forget the number).
Why do I want the screen to be open? Better airport and bluetooth reception. My external monitor is far away enough from the laptop that sometimes, the bluetooth mouse gets jittery when it tracks.
Thanks for the help!

How about turning the
brightness on the MBP all the way down? Will that
achieve what you want?
Kryten
Well, that means using monitor spanning. In that case, I could certainly make my external monitor the main display (thus, the one with the menu bar). The problem with monitor spanning in my situation is that it is possible windows and icons be mis-located to the laptop monitor. Because my two displays are not sitting side-by-side (they are at least 5 feet away from each other) this could get confusing.

How to use two monitors with my Mac mini

Hello,
I have a Mac mini and using a 20" Samsung Monitor with it which works well. I also have my 40" LCD Samsung telly, set up next to it. Whenever i watch a DVD using my Mac i have to swap over the cables. Is there a way of getting the right cables etc and making it so i would be able to watch a dvd on the 40" and still use the 20" surfing the net etc. I had a similar set up with my old windows laptop, but cant seem to work out how do it with the mac. Both monitors have modern sockets, the 40in has HDMI/DVI IN and AGV, the 20" has AGV and HDCP/DVI IN. Many thanks.

To the best of my knowledge there is no way to use dual displays on the Mini. You may be able to find some adapter that will allow you to physically connect two displays, but they will be mirrored, not spanned.
To do what you describe would take spanning, which the Mini is not capable of doing. Unless something has changed recently,..

Built-in Isight for External Monitor with Macbook closed

Hello Apple Community,
I'm having trouble using my built-in iSight through my external monitor. My set-up is that the Macbook is closed and I run everything through an external monitor. I'm unable, however, to use that external monitor's iSight with any applications. They either say that there's no camera available or something along those lines. The iSight shows up in the system profile under USB, and I've tried resetting various things, but all of that seems geared more to the macbook than to the monitor. I've also woken up the macbook (where the iSight works fine) and tried mirror/non-mirror modes. When I use a camera-based application via the macbook, it doesn't give me an option of which camera to use, relying only on the macbook's. Is there a way to use the external monitor's camera instead?
Thanks,
Abe

Does one of these help you, Abe?
(1) Your Profile "Products" info shows " MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.4.1) ". If this is correct, you may be using an early MBP and/or display. Have you checked for the firmware update? http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3957
(2) Consider Apple's suggestions from the "If the built-in iSight camera, microphone, speakers, or USB ports on the display are not working:" section of http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2400
(3) If you are using a non-Apple external display, contact the seller or manufacturer for help.
Message was edited by: EZ Jim
Mac OSX 10.8.2

Using external monitor with powerbook G4 with a damaged display

Hi,
My powerbook's display has been seriously damaged from being banged from the outside. The screen now has a starburst and a series of heartbreaking lines that make it unusable. Because my budget really doesn't allow me to purchase a new computer right now, I am thinking about connecting it to an external monitor as a temporary fix. Is this a possibility for me? Would it have to be an apple monitor or can I just go ahead and get one of the cheapest ones that I can find? What equipment would I need? Is it possible to use the keyboard and mouse that are part of my laptop or do I need to have external ones? Thank you so much (I'm not exactly a computer genius, as you can tell)!

from the website Low End Mac:
http://lowendmac.com/pb2/powerbook-g4-400-500-mhz.html
Lid Closed Mode: TiBooks supports "lid closed" (or clamshell) mode, which leaves the built-in display off and dedicates all video RAM to an external display. To used lid closed mode, your 'Book must be plugged into the AC adapter and connected to an external display and a USB mouse and keyboard (you might also want to consider external speakers). Power up your 'Book until the desktop appears on the external display and then close the lid. Your 'Book will go to sleep, but you can wake it by moving the mouse or using the keyboard. The built-in display will remain off, and the external monitor will become your only display. Since all video RAM is now dedicated to the external monitor, you may have more colors available at higher resolutions. The TiBook is designed to run safely in closed lid mode, but if yours runs hot (perhaps due to overclocking or high ambient temperatures), you may want to open the lid when in lid closed mode: The screen will remain off and the computer will more readily vent heat from the CPU.
To resume use of the internal display, you need to disconnect the external display, put the computer to sleep, and then open the lid. This will wake up your 'Book and restore use of the built-in display.

External Monitor with Laptop

hello in premiere pro cc can be displayed on a monitor travez hdmi port on a lapto to preview the time line
[Please choose a short description for the thread title and only post the actual issue in the main body.]
Message was edited by: Jim Simon

Today I connected my laptop to the external monitor, but if I close it it goes to sleep (regardless of using the keyboard etc).
That's normal. It will go to sleep, and you then wake it back up from the external keyboard/mouse. There are hacks such as Insomnia X which, I believe, will disable this sleep when the lid is closed, but you use any such hack at your own risk.
The screen also shows a widescreen view of my desktop (it's not fit properly like yesterday).
Have you checked the Displays preference for the external monitor to be sure it's set appropriately for the display's resolution?

System hangs after using external display with lid closed

I often use my MBP with the lid closed with an external display and Bluetooth mouse and keyboard. When done in this mode, I put the system to sleep using the apple menu, then disconnect the monitor. I found some info on the apple site explaining that this was the recommended procedure for exiting the lid-closed mode.
However, sometimes the system doesn't go to sleep. Opening the lid, the LED goes out, but the display remains off. If I then try reconnecting the external monitor, nothing happens. It appears that it has gone into some mode where it is active, but no displays are enabled. My only resource at this point is to power the system off and back on, at which point everything is ok.
I'm wondering if turning off my bluetooth devices after selecting the sleep menu item is causing the system to reawaken at a bad time, causing this state to occur.
I have also run into problems when connecting an external projection monitor. On several occassions I have connected the external display adapter before turning on the projector, or before connecting it to the adapter, and the system locked-up hard (no mouse movement, etc). My only recourse was hard power off.
Any ideas? Is this a broken system or are these known OSX or MBP issues?

Try SleepLess…
http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/17893
… or InsomniaX…
http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/30315

Connect laptop to a external monitor with laptop screen off

I need to connect my laptop to an external monitor but i need my laptop screen off.
Is it possible? I use an hdmi or vga connection, gnome as DE and ati 5700 graphic card

mm...
try on a terminal "xrandr"
first type xrandr to know the name of the two displays... then
xrandr --output laptopdisplayname --off --output monitorname --preferred
That will turn of the laptop display and turn on the monitor....
But I don't know if that command runs on gnome.. if it runs try to download "arandr" gui app of xrandr from yaourt
Last edited by vigohe (2010-12-20 03:36:54)

Adjustment lag using external monitor with 4.3

I have an Eizo external monitor connected to my MBP and use the external for editing. I have been doing so for a couple years now and with all versions of Lightroom (even 4.2). I have always been able to see the changes/edits real-time on the external monitors when adjusting something with one of the LR sliders. Ever since I installed the latest LR update (4.3)- I don't see changes realtime. I have to wait until I let go of the mouse/slider to see the changes/adjustments. Anyone else having this issue? Is there something g I can do to fix it?

I believe that change was made in order to improve performance in the Develop module. If it's causing a problem in your workflow, you might like to report it here: Official Feature Request/Bug Report Forum

Using external monitor with macbook pro?

Can someone tell me how to get my Dell desktop monitor to work with my MBPro? I connected with usb/vga cable; i have a pic on the external monitor and the mouse pointer will move about the screen, but that's it; no funcitonality. I don't know what do do next? Settings?

It sounds like it's working perfectly, you have a functioning image and pointer. But you may be expecting to see some of your windows. It sounds like the monitor is connected in Extended Desktop mode, which means it's working as an additional area to your existing desktop, like sliding another table next to yours. So, if you want to see some windows and programs over on the new monitor, you should drag them there. Also, open your Displays system preference to see this and change settings.
If you expected to see the same image on both your monitors, you need to switch to Mirrored display. If there is a Displays icon on your menu bar, you can switch it there.

How to use external monitor with laptop closed

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