Using an external display with a MacBook

Here are some tips for using a MacBook or MacBook Pro with an external monitor. They range from the painfully obvious (for brand new Mac users) to one I actually just learned yesterday.

1. When you connect an external monitor to your MacBook (or PowerBook, for that matter), you can combine your MacBook's LCD and your external monitor to create one big monitor. That means when your mouse pointer goes off the edge of one, it will appear on the other. Open the Displays Preference Pane to configure the resolution and orientation of the two monitors. This type of configuration works well when you want to keep your main work on your larger external display, but still keep things like IM, iTunes, and email constantly visible on the smaller laptop LCD.
2. Some windows act like they don't want to be dragged on to your external monitor. If a windows is being stubborn, try dragging it up to the menu bar, and keep dragging, even if stays stuck below the menu bar. Sometimes once you have dragged it far enough that it has room to render the entire window, it will jump to the other monitor (Terminal used to have this problem, but Apple fixed it some time ago). If that doesn't work, try dragging it from a corner of your monitor. My Adium contact list doesn't seem to want to live on my external monitor, but I can coerce it up there by dragging up from either corner.
3. When your laptop is open, you can't switch to using the full resolution of an external monitor. I have no idea why, but it's a fact of life for MacBook users. You can use both displays in "extended" mode, or you can mirror your MacBook's display (which most likely doesn't use the full resolution of your external monitor), but you can't switch to using only the external monitor. Very strange.
4. If you close your laptop, you can actually get the full resolution of your external display. Put your MacBook to sleep, connect your external display and an external monitor, and wake the computer up by pressing any key. You will have full use of your external display while your laptop is closed.
5. If you really want to have your MacBook open while only using an external display, after following the procedure above, you can open your MacBook, and it's screen will remain off, which means you can still use the MacBook's keyboard and trackpad. Why you can't get into this mode using F7, I have no idea. This is a good technique for allowing some heat to dissipate while still using an external display so the lid of your MacBook doesn't melt or warp.
6. You can boot your computer using just an external display. Just connect your external display, open the lid, hit the power button, and close the lid again immediately.
7. In order to output only to an external monitor, you have to have the power cable connected. I tried for several minutes yesterday to get my MacBook to wake up with an external keyboard and monitor before unpacking my AC adapter from my backpack, and it wouldn't work. It took me a while to make the connection (no pun intended), but I eventually discovered that with the power cable attached, everything works as expected.
   

And now for some other random tips:

1. If you decide to buy the MacBook over the MacBook Pro (I actually like the MacBook slightly better, but that's a topic for another post), don't forget to buy a mini-DVI to standard DVI adapter. The MacBooks don't have standard DVI port -- just the mini.
2. If you have a DVI to VGA adapter, stop reading this right now, go find it, and put it in your computer bag where it should be stored. You'll thank me the next time you're in front of a client or an audience, trying to mash a VGA cable into a DVI port.
3. For the ultimate in multiple-display, multi-computer support, check out Synergy. Synergy actually lets you switch between different computers running different operating systems simply by moving your mouse from one monitor to the next. The first time you see it, you'll swear it's magic. Imagine two separate physical computers next to each other with two monitors, one keyboard, and one mouse. Just move the pointer from one monitor to the other, and you're actually using the other computer. It even let's you copy and paste between computers. If you're a Mac user running Parallels, you might not see the point, but you still have to appreciate the technical wizardry.

Anything that I've missed? Post it in the comments.

Comments

[none]

"so the lid of your MacBook doesn't melt or warp"

wow. and you put up with this???

[Christian Cantrell]

I made that comment partially in jest. The old PowerBooks were prone to warping. I haven't heard of the MacBooks or MacBook Pros warping, so I think the problem has been fixed.

But that's one of the reasons I prefer the MacBook to the Pro. Among many other improvements, it runs cooler.

Christian

[Pingu]

I am thinking of getting a 23 or 30 inch apple diplay for use with my mac book pro. I dont really know how it will work, will i be able to plug a keyboard and mouse into the diplay's usb ports? i would prefer to keep my laptop closed while i work. Thanks

[sKurt]

WOW... You may say us folks with Parallel wouldn't be so hot on the Synergy program... but WOW... I have a MacBook I use at the office and I have a WinBox POS (Point of sale) with touch screen etc. that I have to use to talk to the clients with and having two keyboards, two mice, the MacBook's Keyboard/trackpad and another Monitor monitering the other computer on the desk, things get cluttered real fast, not to mention I sometimes type on the wrong Keyboard.

Now I have one Keyboard, One Mouse, running both comptuers, and an A/B switch for the other monitor with my MacBook closed, with a laptop fan under it and everything is great.

Your help with configuring the MacBook and Synergy's help with the keyboard/mouse makes for a nice desk arrangement.

sKurt

[Will]

I'm thinking about getting an external display for my Macbook. I currently use a bluetooth mouse and keyboard with my Macook. If I hook it up to the external dsplay, will I still be able to use them with the macbook closed? I'm pretty sure I can, as I can wake it up by clicking my mouse or pressing a key on the keyboard. Can someone confirm this?

[Chris]

Of course, you can enable allowing << Bluetooth devices to wake this computer >> in Keyboard and Mouse preferences, then close the lid. It only works with the power adaptor plugged in though, and I'd really turn this option off if you carry your mac in your bag, and only turn it on when needed. If you email me, i'll see if i can give you a hand to write an AppleScript to change this setting by clicking a button... but it always worked for me :)

[Matias]

Can anybody help me with this setup? I'm using a PC running XP as my main computer, hooked up to a 22" viewsonic with DVI. I'd like to connect my MacBook to the VGA-input of the screen, but i won't get full resolution (1680 x 1050) because when my PC is on the screen will revert to that input and the Mac fails to recognize any screen (defaults to 800 x 600). Is the only solution to get a DVI splitter? Also, isn't there any way to select custom resolutions on this Mac (I've had it hooked up to the 22" with DVI and that worked like a charm...)

[Andy Morton]

Any suggestions for using my 17" MB Pro with a 30" Apple Ext Monitor and having the dock and the menu bar on the 30"? Surfing Safari on the 30" and having to go over to the laptop to use the menubar is lame

AM

[Matias]

Andy: That's easy, just go into the display settings and drag the menu bar (represented by a white line) to the screen of your preference.

[Trevor Smith]

You write:

"3. When your laptop is open, you can't switch to using the full resolution of an external monitor. I have no idea why, but it's a "

I have never seen this behaviour either with my old PowerBook G4 nor with my new MacBook (Core2Duo). I have an older polycarbonate 23" Apple cinema display. When I have my laptop open and plug in the monitor to it, the 23" display runs in 1920x1200 and the laptop monitor remains in its native mode. Every time.

I can choose to manually switch to "mirror" the displays so they are both the same resolution if I want.

I believe I have also used my PowerBook with external projection monitors and had them run in separate (native) resolutions too. Maybe I misunderstood your claim.

You also write:

"4. If you close your laptop, you can actually get the full resolution of your external display. Put your MacBook to sleep, connect your external display and an external monitor, and wake the computer up by pressing any key. You will have full use of your external display while your laptop is closed."

Here, I'm sure you're using an external keyboard (as am I) to wake up your MacBook, since it's hard to get at the built-in keyboard with the lid closed. :-) Just in case anyone was confused.

[Tim Belmore]

I am a new MacBook user. Can you tell just what cables I need to connect a 20-inch wide screen (I'm looking at the View Sonic VX2025) external monitor? I am a bit confused by the DVI/VGA discusssion. Thanks

[Anna Ellis]

Alright, well, i just got a macbook pro...so im new to mac. When i hook up my 19 inch dell monitor to my macbook it just shows the background picture on my mac? Someone should help me? : )

[D]

Anne, this confused me at first as well. It's working in "extended" mode, so all you have to do is drag windows to one side or the other (I think to the right by default) to get stuff over there.

[Chris hale]

I Just bought my mini DVI connector for my Macbook and I am trying to hook up my Macbook to my Samsung HD LCD TV. I can't get the whole desktop to appear on my Samsung? The dock can barely be seen and I can barely see the taskbar at the top? The resloution also isnt that great. Any ideas?

[Tim]

I want to have a movie playing in full screen on my external monitor while working on my laptop's built in monitor. Is this possible? I've seen it done with Windows computers

[antron]

movies on external monitor vs working on built-in:

yes, but the setup is usually done by the player application.

VLC: just choose your screen from the video device submenu under the "Video" menu. Then change to full screen mode.

Quicktime: choose "Present Video" from the "View Menu". You will get a choice on which screen you like to present the video.

DVD player: am afraid doesn't really work but move the DVD player window to the screen of your choice and change to fullscreen. however, you will notice when you use another application on the built-in the DVD player will switch to window mode. i think apple should fix this in the app. otherwise it is good enough to at least monitor some app on your built-in..

[Ilpo Karkkainen]

Does anyone know if it's possible to use two external displays with a Macbook? I have have two 19" screens at my studio that are being used with the old G4. I would like to be able to hook up my new Macbook as well. Thanks in advance.

[kontorhotel]

I tried today but i didnt work.. Is it not possible to work with a 23" external display and NOT have my macbook pro connected to a powersuply. My MBP kept on going to sleep when i closed the lid..

help.. please.. (-:

[Soren]

#LIPO

Connect the external screen, close the lid, and it will go sleep, Then take a USB device (USB KEY / USB Mouse) plug it in and it will wake up , and show the primary screen at the external. you can even open the lid again and use the keys without the screen-onboard turning on.

It will allways need the PSU, for viewing external.

[Jonas Tegenfeldt]

I have a peculiar problem:

When trying to move a file or a folder from within a folder to the desktop on the external monitor, the file or folder instead winds up on the LCD monitor of the laptop (MacBook Pro 2.2).

Simply moving something from one desktop to the other is OK. Also, moving something from a folder to the desktop on the LCD monitor works fine. The problem occurs when I try to move something from within a folder to the desktop of the external monitor.

I have tried two different monitors and the problem persists.

I did not have this problem previously, using a range of different Apple laptops and external monitors.

Is this a hardware problem or can it be fixed through a future OS update or patch?

[Josh Beagley]

I've been using a Dell 20" monitor with a Macbook Pro but the Macbook screen regularly freaks out and goes fuzzy, with multiple lines across it, like bad TV reception. Putting it to sleep or restarting fixes it. Any iddea why this happens? The connection is secure and the computer isn't being jolted.

[Peter Olivetti]

Anyone have issues with macbook 13 and viewsonic 20" display? My macbook always forgets the viewsonic displays native 1680x1050 and default so a generic 1600x1200. I try various sequences of restarts, open/closed, detect displays... but nothing seems to get the macbook to remember the viewsonic display.

[Vijay Dholakia]

I am using macbook with Viewsonic 20 inch VX2025wm without any problem at native resolution of 1680 by 1050.

[Charlotte Bath]

I have just ordered a new (2 GHz/2GB memory/80GB Hardrive)macbook along with a mouse and Keyboard as i want to have a desktop set up aswell. im pretty much clueless as to how to set this up and what monitors i can have. ideally i would like to have a dual display as im going to be using pro Tools and Logic music production software which has to main windows that need to be accessed regularly. i am unsure of whether my mac can cope with the two monitors and also what monitors i should get. Any advice on how i go about setting this up would be greatly appriciated. If the dual display is not possible then any suggestions for a large monitor would be great! cheers

[A.J. Price]

Today I got my mini-dvi cable, and hooked my macbook up to my 42" westinghouse monitor. I figured out how to get the display fully on my TV, however the right side of the monitor is fuzzy, and I can't see the top-right apple symbol. The TV is centered when I watch TV always, don't see why the monitor should be different. Any suggestions?

[A.J. Price]

Problem persists, worst thing is it seems as though my television will not allow me to justfy the screen while it is not connected to a VGA source. Am I out of luck?

[Ted Andrusyszyn]

I jsut purchased a X2gen monitor that has both VGA and DVI inputs. I also purchased a DVI-I Integrated Dig/Ana Dual cable dvi-dvi to hook it to my MAcBook Pro. I get no signal with the direct DVI cable but works fine with the DVI-VGA adapter. Shouldn't the DVI - I Cable work, and with better resolution??? CAn anyone help? Do I have the correct DVI cable???

[Jonas Tegenfeldt]

Concerning comment posted by Tegenfeldt March 4 at 0751am.

The solution was simple. I shifted the primary monitor to the external screen. In other words, I made sure that the Finder menu bar and the Dock shows up on the external monitor instead of on the internal monitor of the laptop. Now, everything works great.

/JT

[Prakash]

Thank You. This really helped me out

[alex]

Is there a way to have two menu bars ?
Alex

[Atlas]

I just baught the mini dvi to dvi and a dvi to vga but it does not work on with my external monitor. i have a macbook.

[Derek]

I have a friend who's daughters Mac Book 15" died. We hoped it was just a hard drive, but turns out the Monitor is bad. In a dark room you can see a real faint display (shining a high power flash light at the monitor at an angle makes it a little easier to see). I once saw an article about removing the LCD and just using the Mac Book with an external display. The article was about a hack to the code to force the Mac to alway output video on the external monitor port. Can anyone tell me where to get information on removing the LCD (and have the Mac Book work) and how to force the external display to be always on?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Derek

[Derek]

OK, got my friend to bring in the laptop. Details are the same except that the model is a Powerbook G4 15" 1.33 GHz model.

[Steve]

Hi. I am currently running a 19-inch samsung external monitor from my black macbook with 1 GB RAM. I notice my computer runs considerably slower when I'm using it compared to when I am not (mouse clicks, program response time, loading time is slower). I'm wondering if there is a direct link between memory usage and using an external monitor. I also have an external sound card and USB hub connected to my macbook. However it seems the system resources are more drained by the monitor.

Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks!

[Lee]

Hi, I've got my macbook hooked up to my Toshiba HM95 DLP 46" HD TV via the mini DVI to Video adapter. The screen looks good, but not great. I've switched the display to run at 1024 x 768, but the TV only recognizes the resolution at 480i. Is there anyway to increase the output of the Macbook to something higher than 480i? I do some online gaming (World of Warcraft) and when I use the macbook's display the picture is crystal clear, but when I use the TV as the monitor, I have trouble reading some of the in-game text. Is there anyway to make my mac send out an HD signal? Thanks!

[Kevin]

Thanks for this post! I just hooked up my 23" cinema display but couldn't get the full resolution working or closing my lid and using just the external monitor. Now, I've got both working on my Macbook!

[se]

Guys, check here
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=3493567�

[Howard Lovatt]

Great post, very helpful.

When I switch from the larger external screen to the laptop some of the windows are off the edge or too big. Particularly the windows that are off the screen edge are a pain.

Is there a way to get the screen to lay out the windows so that at least they are all on the screen.

[Brandon]

I have a macbook pro and an old sony monitor, but the monitor wont sense an input whereas the macbook senses the monitor. the monitor is just blank. can anyone help me please?

[Andreas]

Why is such a pain to switch simply to external monitor only?
When i'm at home i wsnt only work on my 23" extrenal monitor with the macbook display turned off... In windows (bootcamp) you can choose this simply with the GMA driver, and even save different display arrangements...
(btw when i close and reopen the lid usb mouse&keyboard connected don't work anymore.....)

[roj]

I have same problem like steve. My macbook runs slower when I used my external monitor. any suggestions?

--------
>> "4. If you close your laptop, you can actually get the full resolution of your external display. Put your MacBook to sleep, connect your external display and an external monitor, and wake the computer up by pressing any key. You will have full use of your external display while your laptop is closed."

>>>> Here, I'm sure you're using an external keyboard (as am I) to wake up your MacBook, since it's hard to get at the built-in keyboard with the lid closed. :-) Just in case anyone was confused.
--------

I was thinking the EXACT same thing. :)

[Bhavik]

hi i have 15" macbook pro and a older polycarbonate lcd display how do i get this to work, wot sort of connector do i need to buy?

[Bhavik]

hi i have 15" macbook pro and a older polycarbonate lcd display how do i get this to work, wot sort of connector do i need to buy?

[Kunaal]

Hi, when I connect my macbook to my TV there is a black border only on the right hand side. Is there anyway of shifting adjusting the positioning on the external display?

[Jon]

here's the scenario ( using a macbook pro ):
i like the solution of having a secondary monitor hooked up to my notebook, closing the lcd, and putting the notebook to sleep. this disables the lcd screen as discussed earlier.
my main concern is the "warping" or "burning" of the lcd.

Has anybody experienced this or heard of it happening? Considering the cost of my notebook i'm a little reluctant to keeping the lcd closed for a large amount of time, considering i'm a print designer who max's out the processor on a daily basis.

feedback is much appreciated.

thanks.

[Toastie]

Yeah, I'm wondering the same thing as Kunaal. I work in motion graphics and the idea of doing a full days work in motion with the lid closed scares me. My macbook pro gets hot at the best of times. You only need to look at
http://www.appledefects.com/wiki/index.php?title=MacBook_Pro
for some horror stories!

[Toastie]

Sorry I meant Jon. Got a little confused there...

[jaffa]

Help, I have connected my Macbook (2Ghz Intel Duo, 1GB RAM) to an external 22" monitor (1680x1050) but I can not get anything higher than 1280x1024 to show up in the selection for display graphics. ?!?? How is everyone else getting such high resolution selections?
Is there something wrong with my display?

[Stephen]

Wow! thanks a lot, that answered all my questions.

[Jonathan]

Great article, I just got issued a brand new MacBook Pro through work but we use them with external monitors.

I had already figured out most of the stuff you mertioned, but the bit about getting maximum resolution out of the external monitor by connecting it whilst the laptop is closed was GOLD!

Thanks!

[Eli]

Does anyone know of a way to get set a MacBook Pro to idle sleep when it is connected to an external monitor? I generally just leave my computer with the screensaver on when I'm away from my desk, but when it is attached to my external monitor it never actually goes to sleep. This drains the battery. If anyone has any advice on how I can get idle sleep to work while the MacBook Pro is connected to the external monitor I would be very pleased.

Thanks,

Eli

[haracas]

Can anyone tell me how to make my macbook pro display on a projector please? I've hooked up my macbook pro to a VGA monitor, and am tapping F7 to not much avail.

If anyone can help, can you leave a comment here or email me at haracas@gmail.com, thanks!

[Carter Duggan]

I just bought a samsung syncmaster 906bw to use as an external display with my 13 inch macbook. Unfortunately i can only get the display to show my background picture and when i close the lid to the laptop the monitor just goes blank. Im using the dvi to mini dvi connector and an additional dvi to dvi cable. Im all out of ideas. Can anyone help me?

[Guy Harvey]

Great article. I'd always wondered how to get the external working by itself. To Toasite above, you probably need to uncheck "mirroring"
I had it checked and was getting the lower resolution on my 20 inch cinema.

[AJB]

I just got the hp w1907 monitor for my 1st gen macbook and i was having this problem where when i mirrored the displays, the hp would get blurry. i fiddled around with it, and i found a way to make only the external work, and i can use the keyboard and trackpad on the macbook:

if your monitor is plugged in, close the lid to your macbook, take out the mini-dvi cord, plug it back in, but don't open the lid. you need an external mouse or keyboard, which i have, and you wake the computer up in its sleep by clicking and swirling around the mouse. wait a few seconds, and your desktop should come up on the external monitor. now you can open your lid, and use the trackpad and the keyboard of your macbook. the monitor will be crisp and clear, unlike the mirroring feature. the macbook's display won't turn back on unless you take out the monitor or --> i did this on accident right after i got the monitor, and then i left and the computer went to sleep. i came back, and both the monitor and the macbook's display worked, so you don't have to worry about the macbooks display not working again or anything like that. well i hope that made sense, i wasn't sure how to explain it, but i hope that helps. :)

[Steven]

I just bought an external monitor and mini-DVI adapter for my macbook.

I got everything connected correctly, but when I tried to use the external monitor, all I got was a message saying "No signal", and the display promptly went to sleep.

What puzzles me, though, is that my macbook fully recognizes the monitor, yet the monitor isn't detecting signal.

Any ideas? I'm baffled and quite a bit frustrated. Thanks a bunch.

[Chris Kirby]

I am having the exact sam eproblem with my setup. Someone, please help.

[frank cusack]

when i switch to the dell 24" external monitor from the mackbook pro, my internet connection is a lot less strong. It's cable, with Airport before. ?Any thoughts

[Bones]

Great article. Thanks!

If I am using an HP monitor with my MacBook, do I have to look at a letter boxed image, or can I somehow make it appear full screen on the external HP monitor?

[TX Ciclista]

fn + F7 will switch between the two modes for a Macbook hooked to an external monitor.

[RFish]

I use an external dvi monitor with the mini-dvi to dvi adapter whenever my macbook is at home, and I also have the mini-dvi to video adapter so that I can use front row on my TV. The problem is that every time I want to watch TV or use the computer I have to switch the adapter. Is there any practical way to split the signal and have it display on both simultaneously? Mini-dvi splitters don't seem to exist.

[Scott Bendure]

Thank you for this page, I was on the verge of returning the SAMSUNG SyncMaster 245BW 24" Wide-Screen Monitor I bought yesterday, but the info on this page helped me get it working properly. The samsung site was no help. I am so glad I don't have to pay twice the price for an Apple widescreen monitor. Thanks!

[Marc Fearby]

I don't understand why Apple still have not released a laptop that works well with external displays, and certainly have no idea why there still is no official docking station support.

Without these essentials, Apple laptops will never be adopted by people that use their laptops as desktop replacements that can also go out on the road. I hope Apple can do something about this, and soon!

[patricio]

hey there... i just plugged my 19" dell monitor to my macbook pro, but the dell monitor doesn´t receive any image from the macbook... i want to get the dual screen... how can i make it??? thnx.

[Kevin Althaus]

Hello -

I just got my first mac (macbook) and first LCD dsplay (samsung syncmaster 932). I originally bought the hp w1907, but returned it as it looked really bad with my mac (I'm sure its a beautiful display with windows vista ..blah). Anyway, here is a trick I just figured out as I don't have a USB keyboard.

I have my syncmaster hooked up DVI to my macbook. I close the lid on my macbook and t goes to sleep. I then pull out and slide in (ever so gently) my usb mouse. The syncmaster is now the primary display.

Then I open the lid on my macbook and type. The LCD on the macbook is still off, but the internal speakers and keyboard works.

I plan to get a cheapo USB keboard tomorrowm but this might help those who are looking for a solution.

Kevin

[Pete]

A couple of people have asked if it's possible to run 2 external displays from a macbook, but I haven't seen a response. Does anyone know? Thanks.

[Bob Brumber]

i was wondering if you connect and external display to your macbook, and only want to use that bigger display instead of the macbooks, is it possible to use it w/ the bigger monitor while having the macbook completely closed?

[Jonas Hoffmann]

If you want to use your external display as primary display (with menu bar and dick), just go to system preferences > displays > arrange (?, where you can say if the display is on right or left) > one display has a little white bar at the top
drag this bar onto the other display and voila, the external display is the primary display with menu bar and dock and the laptop display is the extension of this.

[BAC]

When I try and close the lid of my macBook pro and then awake it from sleep, my external monitor says "out of range" and goes black. What causes this? What can I do to fix this?

Thanks!

[Jon Moore]

You can also use a program called Teleport to use one keyboard and mouse between different machines. Also allows you to copy and paste between the diferent systems too. Pretty nifty.

[David Noakes]

My external monitor (HP L1906) worked fine with my MacBook for a couple of weeks, now its dead.
If I hook the monitor up to a PC or windows laptop, it works.
The Macbook just won't detect it, the monitor says "check video cable: and goes to sleep.
Any ideas?
On a PC some say remove Adobe type Manager. I have adobe Indesign CS3 on the Macbook, but can't find Type Manager and wouldn't know how to remove it.

[Daniel Buergo]

Hi,

Wonderful reading here. I have a problem myself when viewing my external display. Using my Vizio 20" as an external monitor, i can adjust resolution & all ok. *** Only thing is that everything looks kinda fuzzy.*** This really drives me nuts considering that my MacBook Black's (1 month old to date) LCD display is so crisp & clear. *** Any reason why this is?*** I can't seem to find an answer to this. I ran the auto detect & repair apps, nothing. I am sure that I am not the only one out there having this problem, at least i would like to think not. Thank you very much for any information.

[Erick]

Quote from member D "I Just bought my mini DVI connector for my Macbook and I am trying to hook up my Macbook to my Samsung HD LCD TV. I can't get the whole desktop to appear on my Samsung? The dock can barely be seen and I can barely see the taskbar at the top? The resloution also isnt that great. Any ideas?"

Im having the same issues i can barely see my taskbar and dock. Ive learned to deal with it after trying to adjust the screen size in display properties and nothing making it all fit. If anyone has any idea please let me know thanks!

[Scott Olson]

The key to getting the external display to activate when the lid is closed is putting the displays in mirrored mode.

The following post explains this further:

http://www.gscottolson.com/weblog/2007/12/05/running-a-macbookmacbook-pro-on-an-external-monitor/

[Andrew]

I have my macbook pro hooked up to my tv via dvi to vga. any ideas on how to watch a movie in full screen on the tv and still be able to use the laptop? whenever i put the movie in full screen and then click on my desktop it goes out of full screen. also, if you have any ideas on how to use front row on the tv and just use my laptop to go on the internet, chat, etc. it would be appreciated. thanks.

[Edgar]

I have a Sanyo Z2000 DLP projector with 1080p resolution. Thought I could use it to work with my MacBook Pro, first generation.
I use the DVI to VGA converter that came with my MBP.
Starting from mirror mode and after putting my MBP to sleep (as discussed in this forum) allows me to run the projector only as display, but not at full resolution. In the display preferences, 1080 never shows up as an option.
Did anyone else run into this? The MBP actually recognizes the projector correctly

[zoe]

Hi This seems like great tips!

I have a Macbook and would like to get an external display. Should I get an apple display or will I be able to work smoothly with any (cheaper) display (Dell, Samsong, etc)?

Thanks so much!

Z.

[Gabor Wolf]

How to connect Macbook pro to BOTH a projector and an external display?

Hello, experts:

Have you ever presented on a really big stage, so that you needed (1) a projector, and (2) an external display at the edge of the stage, so that you can peek at your current AND your next slide? (Keynote can do that!)

The question is: HOW can you connect a Macbook pro to TWO external units (projector and external display) when there is only one video out connector? (the standard dvi slot)

Thanks in advance!

[Jauhari]

I try to close/lid my MBP monitor, then I plug some USB Mouse and Keyboard and try to pressing any key, but my MBP still sleep :( what's going on? how to make this work?

Thanks

[Didou]

On point 4 you say "connect your external display and an external monitor", did you mean your external display and an external keyboard ?

& btw that technique (closing lid & waking MBP up from sleep) used to work very well up until yesterday before I upgraded to 10.5.2 & that new VGA driver. I'm not sure which update borked it but it's done. :-/

[steve]

I am having trouble with my Macbook Pro connected to my external projection device. When it is in dual display mode, the projector projects the screen in BRIGHT PURPLE, and all sorts of funky colors. But when i attach the comp. to my 2nd lcd monitor, all is fine. HELP ME PLEASE!?????

st

[Greg43]

Use External Video While Internal MacBook screen off.

Just brought home my first Apple Mac book (white 13") With Vga-Mini dvi adapter. Plugged in External Monitor (Envision 17") via adapter. Turned mirroring on Video. Both screens (internal & external) worked fine. Closed lid on MB (put it in sleep mode). Both screens went blank. 1. Plugged USB card reader in MB .. viola external screen went live. Opened MB lid .. KB and pad were both active, but internal screen still off (external screen still on).

Tried same scenario again this time I used IR devive to wake MB ...internal screen off, external screen off.

Tried it again with wireless KB and wireless mouse ... either one could wake up MB with internal screen off and external screen on.

Conclusion: Any external interrupt seems to wake-up Mac Book and external screen, while leaving Internal screen off.

PS... Internal screen can be turned on anytime by clicking Video Icon in menu bar and selecting "Detect Displays"

[absurdio]

Wow! Yeah! MacBooks run cooler! What an improvement! And all they had to do was lower the processor speed and take out the dedicated video card! Gosh! What kind of idiot wants a MacBook Pro?

[Sean]

absurdio - me.

Christian - This has been a really helpful post/thread. Thanks for hosting it.

[szpete1]

Great forum! I have a macbook pro and it is hooked up to a HP 19" LCD. I had no problems with the setup and other then the heat issue from the laptop I have one problem.
My screen looks like it has a wave all over it. It looks like all the pixels are sort of moving or shaking. I am not sure if it is a power problem or the VGA cable but it is a bit frustrating specially when I want to work on some photos.
Can anyone help me or do you have any suggestions?

Thanking you in advance

[Amy]

Classroom teacher seeks your expertise, please.

I cannot get a correct image to display when using a computer projector. Images are projected only if I shift them 'off screen' to the right w/my mouse. I am unable to view powerpoints or videos because that part of my screen isn't visible.

I just received an NEC computer projector to use with my iMac 4,1 w/intel. I am using a DVI to VGA adaptor to hook up my computer to the projector. Did I get a bum adaptor? Am I supposed to adjust a DIPswitch? (What is that, anyway??)

Thanks for your help.

[rkgoed]

is it possible to hook a mac air through a pioneer receiver which in return is conected to a projector?

[Jeff]

I have a macbook pro problem opposite to most of those posted here. I as occasionally hooked up to an external monitor. If I unhook my macbook pro from the external monitor to take it some where, when I open the lid to wake up the computer, I can hear the computer working, but my my computer screen is black. Sometimes I can even see only a white mouse cursor on the screen. The only way I can get the internal screen to work again is to restart the computer, or hook the macbook pro up again to the external monitor, press the fn f7 keys to go to mirror mode, then press them again to have both monitors working separately.

Any ideas how to fix this?

[Leonardo]

Macbook on battery with only external monitor, steps:

- turn on Macbook without AC power but with mini DVI connected;
- when Macbook on (Leopard) close the display for sleep;
- press any key or button in USB mouse/keyboard, done your Macbook is run only on external display on battery!

[Doug]

I need some advice. I have a MacBook Pro and an Apple 23" monitor. For some reason, the usual process of closing the lid on my portable after boot and then clicking on a key to activate the external monitor is failing. The monitor comes on for about 4 to 5 seconds and then goes dark. The only way to get the monitor to work again is to leave the laptop lid open. I'm running Leopard 10.5.2. Any ideas on how to fix this problem? Thanks.

[Rick]

Can anyone help with this please ? Just on the way to purchase of new Macbook pro 15" and love to use external HD monitor in HD quality for editing clips,but not sure if there is any way to reach full HD quality 1920x1080. Or shall I go for 17" with Hi resolution display ?
Thank you
Rick

[Scott]

I have a macbook Pro and i just got a 22" Westinghouse monitor. i was hoping to make my new 22" my primary monitor but i can not get it to work. I this possible? If so how would i go about it? thanks

[Lachlan]

Thanks a bunch for this, I was trying to figure out if it were possible to use an external display as the primary and only display.

@ anybody with a fuzzy screen - chances are that you're mirroring the display and your external screen doesn't like it, so is stretching the pixels. To disable mirroring, go to system preferences > displays > and uncheck the box for 'mirror displays'

@ anybody with lower than expected resolutions - I may be wrong, but it seems to me that this is happening only to macbook users (as opposed to macbook pro users)... if I remember correctly, macbooks only support up to a certain resolution due to the integrated graphics, which is why it won't support 1600 x 1050 etc.

@ edgar - I had a similar problem too when connecting to a HDTV with an iMac. Turns out that although the HDTV supported 720p, this wasn't its native resolution, which caused all sorts of trouble - turned out to be some exotic resolution which wasn't particularly common. Perhaps the same goes for your projector? Either that or the graphics card in your MBP doesn't support resolutions that high, but I don't think that's your problem.

@ BAC - how big is your external monitor? is it widescreen or 4:3? If it says 'out of range' and you're mirroring, its likely to be because your external display just doesn't like/can't handle the resolution being outputted. Try turning mirroring off or using just the external display, and see if you can get it to work that way.

@ steve - are you using the same cable to connect both displays? if you're using different cables, chances are the one causing the purple-ness is busted: probably a damaged pin or something. Try using a different cable if possible

@ Amy - you haven't got a bum adaptor, that's what it's supposed to do by default - the external monitor is acting as an extension of your desktop (to the right, although you can change this in system preferences > displays > arrangement and moving the square without the white bar at the top around). You can fix this in either of two ways:

1. You can turn on mirroring in the displays preferences, where there is a checkbox for mirroring displays

OR

2. Most slideshow applications have an option in their preferences for which screen the presentation is displayed on. You'll want it to show up on the secondary (or external) display.

@ anybody asking about connecting to multiple external displays - as far as i know, this is impossible. The only thing I can think of is to get a vga/dvi splitter (vga/dvi out which splits to two vga/dvi-ins) but this would only show the same thing on two different monitors - they wouldn't both be separate extensions

@ zoe - any external monitor will work (providing you have the right connectors i.e mini dvi to dvi or vga)... but of course apple cinema displays are nicer :)

Wow, I wrote a lot more than I planned to. Hope this helps everyone :)

[Brennan]

Hey I want to know what cables I need to get to hook my macbook up to a external monitor. If you know which one email me at

devastator_279@juno.com

That would be awesome, I already bought an HD monitor for my ps3 and it would be a plus to find the cable that will hook up my macbook too. Thanks!

[Annie]

Thanks Christian and subsequent contributors, this enabled me to successfully hook up what I thought was a useless 24" Digimate monitor to my new 13" MacBook with minimum fuss. I still wouldn't recomend the DigiMate (zero manuals on or off line and no help, plus not great quality), but extended mode and is now improving my home office experience no end!