Apple has long offered a laptop option when you only want to use an external display in mirror mode and not display the internal monitor. You can close the flip cover and your separate screen continues to work. But what if you want external devices active and you don’t need a screen? A reader, for example, wants to keep a webcam active but close the lid of his laptop.
Apple doesn’t offer a “headless” option, and I can’t find third-party software designed for consumer models. It may be irreversible.
You can keep the lid slightly open and set it so that its display dims after a short time:
- In Monterey or earlier, go to System Preferences > Batteryand in the Power Adapter view, check “Prevent your Mac from automatically going to sleep when the screen is turned off”.
- In Ventura, go to System Parameters > AttachClick on Advancethen enable “Prevent auto-sleep on power adapter when screen is off”.
Another option is to attach a small, inexpensive external display and set the same details as above. For example, this $60 7-inch monitor designed for gaming and Raspberry systems would work.
It might seem a bit silly to strap a $100 10-inch monitor to your hundreds or thousands of dollar laptop to keep it running, but if it does the trick for what you need, your problem is solved. Note that you can’t just turn off the external display: it will show up as unavailable to macOS and switch display control back to the internal display.
This Mac 911 article is in response to a question submitted by the igamesnews Me reader.
Ask for Mac 911
We’ve compiled a list of our most frequently asked questions, along with answers and column links: read our awesome FAQ to see if your question is covered. Otherwise, we are always looking for new problems to solve! Email yours to [email protected], including screenshots if available and if you want your full name used. Not all questions will be answered, we don’t respond to emails, and we can’t provide direct troubleshooting advice.
