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Turning off Macbook Display when using External Display on Lion

Before Lion you could turn off the internal display on a Macbook by closing the lid, putting the Macbook to sleep and using an external keyboard/mouse to wake it up. After waking up, the internal display would be off and you could open the lid and it would stay off. This allowed better airflow while using an external display, not to mention saved resources like video memory etc. If you wanted to turn the display back on all you had to do was select Detect Displays from the Display menu on the Menu Bar, or put it to sleep and wake it up with the lid open.


On Lion this function no longer works. Lion will automatically execute a Detect Displays when the lid is opened. I don't want to run Dual displays at the moment, my desk is not setup for this and I don't need it. I much rather have more video ram available when I'm playing World of Warcraft.


I know that not having control over what display is active is a more novice user friendly function, but some of us are not novices, Windows has had for years the ability to disable any display from the displays control panel. Most if not all windows laptops come with a dedicated function button expressly to select the active display (press it external display only, press again, internal display only, press again internal and external mirrored, press again internal and external dual display mode). This can be cumbersome and overwhelming to novice users I get it, but Apple should implement some fix for us gaming nerds. I want to keep my lid open to have better airflow and I want my internal display off. How about and advanced button on the Display Preferences.


Anyone know of any existing workarounds?

Macbook Pro 17"-OTHER, Mac OS X (10.7)

Posted on Jul 20, 2011 10:21 PM

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112 replies

Jul 30, 2011 4:32 AM in response to DrBenru

1. The madness of magnets


You don't have to be old school to be concerned about the sheer madness of users feeling obliged to experiment with passing magnets over the top of their expensive Apple computers and sticking them on here, there and everywhere in a desperate effort to find a short-term workaround. The sooner this problem is fixed at source (ie within Lion), the better. On which note, pls see point 2 below.


2. A possible proper solution - Apple is listening!!


Please see a post in the following thread and reply to it as you wish. Apple has reportedly requested us to provide evidence in support of our desire to have the open lid option reinstated (eg significance of operating temperature differences, reduction in wifi reception, etc). They may then address our concerns with a software update.


https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3190417?start=60&tstart=0

Jul 21, 2011 3:12 AM in response to DrBenru

Turning the screen black isn't the same. You loses your mouse every minute by accidentally sliding to the left/right.


I now put my display under "display arrangement" to the lower left, so there is only a one pixel area to let the mouse slide through but anyway, the video memory is (ab)used and you can't close the lid because the fans start to spin like ****.


Please Apple, give us an option to control it manually!!!

Jul 21, 2011 9:19 AM in response to DrBenru

I'm trying at the moment to fool the laptop into thinking it's closed even though it's open.


I can get the laptop open by around an inch before the laptop monitor shuts off. Going to see if this keep it cooler like when it's open.


Do MacBooks have different fan maps for when the computer is closed and open?

Jul 21, 2011 2:17 PM in response to DrBenru

I was too using my Macbook Pro this way, having my external display on with the whole UI and my MBP with the open lid and the screen off. This really helped the computer in terms of airflow.


Now I'm stuck in clamshell mode while using my external display... Beh. Apple, come on, it's an upgrade. Users should at least have the capability of choosing how to use their external display, just like we had in SL.

Jul 22, 2011 12:56 AM in response to DrBenru

Hi Dr Benru


As you can see, you're not alone! This bug is affecting many other people (myself included) who have been using just an external display in exactly the same way (using clamshell mode and re-opening the MBP lid for improved cooling, without the internal display re-activating).


Please help by submitting a bug report here - it's one of the best ways to get our concern as near as possible to the top of Apple's queue for fixes:


http://www.apple.com/feedback/macosx.html

Jul 22, 2011 2:53 AM in response to DrBenru

Same here. I read the article about the external displays, but this is obviously for Snow Leopard and hasn't been upadted for Lion. It is truly annoying that I cannot have my MacBook lid oped, while having display on it turned off. Apple, please, can you add some options to choose from?! I know that someone is happy with this status like this guyhttp://usingapple.com/2011/05/mac-os-lion-handles-external-monitor-better-video/, but it is really not cool!

Jul 22, 2011 9:29 AM in response to DrBenru

Wow, this is a hot topic. I kown that there is no third-party software and plug-ins which can solve the problem. I kinnda have a suggestion. I hope Apple can consider our request.


We should be able to choose the display mode from the following:

1. Turn on 2 displays at the same time using one of them as extention display ( the apple preference)

2. Only external display ( whatever you open or close the lid) By saying this mode, I am not talking about SL, that's even more stupid. You close the lid to make it go to sleep and the wake it up using a keyboard or mouse. This is stupid!!! We should be able to directly turn off the orginal display!

3. Mirroring base on external display ratio but the internal resolution because no external display will have less pixels.

4. Mirroing base on internal display ratio and the internal resolution.


I think if we can chose from this 4 modes, it will satisfy most people.

Turning off Macbook Display when using External Display on Lion

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