Use only your external monitor with the MacBook lid open
Short answer: macOS only stops using the built-in screen when the lid is closed — Apple calls this closed-display mode. With the lid open, both screens are always in use. To keep the lid open (for the camera, keyboard or cooling) and still work on the external monitor alone, Okie Dockie can turn off the MacBook's built-in display from the menu bar, free.
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Closed-display mode
Apple's built-in answer is to close the lid. With an external display connected, and — per Apple's instructions — the Mac on power with an external keyboard and mouse or trackpad, closing the lid turns the built-in screen off and moves everything to the external monitor.
Why people keep the lid open
- The MacBook's camera and microphones are needed for calls.
- Touch ID and the built-in keyboard are closer to hand.
- An open laptop stays cooler than a closed one tucked beside a monitor.
- The laptop screen is simply a distraction at the edge of your vision.
With the lid open, macOS insists on using the built-in screen too: windows, notifications and the Dock can all end up on it.
Turn off the built-in display, lid open
Okie Dockie adds the switch macOS leaves out. With your monitor connected, open Displays from its menu bar icon and choose Turn off Built-in Display. The MacBook stops using its own screen as though the lid were closed, and your windows move to the external monitor. The lid, camera, keyboard and Touch ID keep working.
Choose Turn on Built-in Display to bring it back.
Things to know
- It asks you to confirm, and turns the screen back on by itself after 15 seconds if you don't.
- It will not turn off your last working screen, so unplugging the monitor never leaves you in the dark — and Control-Option-Command-D turns every display back on.
- Restarting, logging out or quitting Okie Dockie turns the built-in display back on.
Get every Chrome profile into your Dock
Okie Dockie builds a real Dock icon for each Chrome profile you use, badged with that profile's own picture. Click one and you land back in the window it already had open.
Everything except Chrome profile icons is free forever, and the profile icons come with a 7-day free trial that starts on its own — no sign-up, no card. macOS 13+, Apple Silicon and Intel.
Frequently asked questions
How do I use only an external monitor with my MacBook lid open?
macOS cannot do it with the lid open. Okie Dockie can turn off the built-in display from the menu bar, so only the external monitor is used while the lid stays open.
What is closed-display mode on a Mac?
Apple's name for using a MacBook with the lid closed and an external display, keyboard and mouse connected. The built-in screen turns off.
Can I still use the MacBook camera with the screen turned off?
Yes. Turning the built-in display off with Okie Dockie leaves the lid open, so the camera, microphones, keyboard and Touch ID keep working.
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