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Turn off built-in display when using external monitors

Hi Apple Community,


I have a dual monitor setup for my MacBook Pro. The two monitors I'm using are a Samsung monitor and an iPad Air 2 running Duet Display. The setup works well, but there's a small problem. I keep my MacBook open so that there's ventilation and I just turn the brightness down to zero. However, the built-in display is still being read as a third display. This is causing a problem because sometimes my programs open in the unused display, and I have to turn the brightness up on my MacBook, find the window, bring it to the main display, and turn the brightness back down to zero. What I would like to do is turn off that display completely while using my other two monitors.


I know that closing the lid of the MacBook is the simplest solution, but then there isn't as much ventilation. Plus, I do game development on it, and that can make the fan run. Is there a way I can turn off the built-in display on the MacBook Pro without closing the lid so that it only reads the two connected monitors? Any help would be much appreciated.

MacBook Pro 15", macOS 10.14

Posted on Jul 16, 2019 11:08 AM

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Posted on Jul 16, 2019 11:32 AM

The computer is designed to work in closed display mode (clamshell). It won't overheat.

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

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Turn off built-in display when using external monitors

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