SSMi

Q: "Sleep" doesn't when I close lid on MBPr with external display

I can't get my laptop to go to sleep with the lid closed if my external display is plugged in. Here are the variations I've tried:

  • Laptop up and running, external display plugged in, close lid: Windows all gather on external display
  • Laptop up and running, external display not plugged in, close lid: Sleeps
  • Laptop up and running, external display plugged in, click Apple logo, click sleep, close lid: After a few seconds, logon appears on external display
  • Laptop up and running, external display not plugged in, click Apple logo, click sleep, close lid: Sleeps

 

Am I stuck with either unplugging the external display or not closing the lid when I want to put it to sleep?

 

Specifics:

  • Late-2013 13" MBPr running Yosemite 10.10.3, 2.6GHz Intel Core i5, 16GB RAM, 500GB SSD
  • No external keyboard, mouse or trackpad
  • External display is Acer H276HL connected via HDMI
  • Preferences -> Energy saver -> "Prevent computer from sleeping automatically when display is off" is checked, as I need to keep it connected to company VPN when I step away for lunch or a meeting

MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X Yosemite (10.10.3)

Posted on Jun 2, 2015 10:55 AM

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Q: "Sleep" doesn't when I close lid on MBPr with external display

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  • by jeffd55,

    jeffd55 jeffd55 Jun 4, 2015 11:37 AM in response to SSMi
    Community Specialists
    Jun 4, 2015 11:37 AM in response to SSMi

    Hello SSMi,

     

    Thank you for using Apple Support Communities. 

    I see you are having issues with putting your MacBook Pro to sleep when connected to an external display. From what I am seeing in your 4 examples, the computer is operating as designed. In examples #2 and #4, the MacBook Pro goes to sleep when closing the display. But, with examples #1 and #3, you are putting the compter into "closed-clamshell (display closed) mode (see article below). 


    To put the unit to sleep with the lid closed as I understand you want to do, a couple of ways that I see are:

    #1 - Set a sleep timer and close the lid. It will go into closed-clamshell mode and then when it gets to the set time, it will go to sleep. See the second article below for setting sleep and wake times.

    #2 - Close the lid. It will go into closed-clamshell mode and then select the Apple logo and click sleep. 

     

    How to use your Mac notebook computer in closed-clamshell (display closed) mode with an external display - Apple Support

    OS X Yosemite: Set sleep and wake times for your Mac

     

    Regards,
    Jeff D.

  • by SSMi,

    SSMi SSMi Jun 4, 2015 11:57 AM in response to jeffd55
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 4, 2015 11:57 AM in response to jeffd55

    Thanks for the suggestions, Jeff -- but I don't think #1 will work with an inactivity timer because of needing to keep it connected to the company VPN, and setting a sleep timer every time I want to close the lid seems like a lot more trouble than just unplugging the display cable.

     

    Also, my computer doesn't meet the requirements for closed clamshell display mode, according to the link you provided -- I don't meet these criteria because I don't have an external keyboard, mouse or trackpad:

    Requirements for closed-display mode

    • Power adapter
    • External keyboard, mouse, or trackpad
    • External display

     

    #2 was intriguing, until I realized that I can't select the Apple logo and click sleep because with the lid closed, I have no way to do that!

     

    If there were a script that I could set up to automatically get kicked off when the lid closed and set a sleep timer for, say, 10 seconds in the future, that might work. But I have no idea if that's even possible.

  • by SSMi,Solvedanswer

    SSMi SSMi Jun 4, 2015 12:01 PM in response to SSMi
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 4, 2015 12:01 PM in response to SSMi

    Based on the "requirements for closed-display mode" bullets, I just tested the following, which seemed to work:

    • Unplug power
    • Close lid
    • Laptop seems to sleep, but external display shows a mouse pointer
    • A few seconds later, the external display loses signal
  • by SSMi,

    SSMi SSMi Jun 4, 2015 4:46 PM in response to SSMi
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 4, 2015 4:46 PM in response to SSMi

    Note that my normal configuration (with the power plugged in) doesn't meet the "requirements for closed-display mode", but it still goes into that mode when I close the lid. Seems like a bug......