To keep your MacBook Pro on an external monitor when closed, you can adjust the display settings in your System Preferences. Let me guide you through the steps:
1. Open System Preferences: You can do this by clicking on the Apple menu in the top left corner of your screen and selecting “System Preferences” from the drop-down menu that appears.
2. Click on “Displays”: In the System Preferences window, you will see various icons representing different settings. Look for the “Displays” icon and click on it.
3. Select the “Display” tab: Once you’re in the Displays settings, you will see multiple tabs at the top. Click on the “Display” tab.
4. Check the “Show mirroring options in the menu bar when available” box: This will allow you to easily toggle between display options from the menu bar.
5. Close your MacBook Pro lid: Now, you can close your MacBook Pro lid and it will automatically switch to the external monitor.
By default, your MacBook Pro may go to sleep when you close the lid, but you can change this behavior to keep it awake while connected to an external monitor. Here’s how:
1. Open System Preferences and go to “Energy Saver”.
2. Click on the “Battery” tab if you’re using your MacBook Pro without a power adapter, or click on the “Power Adapter” tab if your MacBook Pro is connected to a power source.
3. Beside “Turn display off when inactive”, select “Never”. This will prevent your display from turning off due to inactivity.
4. Beside “Turn display off on power adapter when inactive”, also select “Never”. This ensures that your display remains active even when your MacBook Pro is connected to a power source.
By adjusting these settings, your MacBook Pro will stay on and connected to the external monitor even when the lid is closed. This can be useful if you want to use your MacBook Pro as a desktop computer with an external display or if you want to use it in a closed clamshell mode with an external keyboard and mouse.
I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any further questions.