Apple has long offered a laptop option when you want to use just an external display in mirrored mode and not view the internal monitor. You can close the clamshell lid, and your separate screen continues to work. But what if you want to have external devices active and don’t need a display? One reader, for instance, wants to keep a webcam active but close their laptop’s lid.
Apple doesn’t provide a “headless’ option, and I can’t find third-party software designed for consumer models. It might be undoable.
You can keep the lid opened a little bit and set it so that its display dims after a short period:
- In Monterey or earlier, go to System Preferences > Battery, and in the Power Adapter view, check “Prevent your Mac from automatically sleeping when the display is off.”
- In Ventura, go to System Settings > Displays, click Advanced, and then enable “Prevent automatic sleeping on power adapter when the display is off.”
Another option is to attach a tiny, inexpensive external display and set the same details as above. For instance, this $60 7-inch display designed for gaming and Raspberry systems would work.
It can seem a little ridiculous to attach a $100, 10-inch monitor to your multi-hundred or thousand-dollar-plus laptop to have it keep running, but if it does the trick for what you need, your problem is solved. Note you can’t just turn the power off on the external display: it will appear as unavailable to macOS and switch display control back to the internal screen.
This Mac 911 article is in response to a question submitted by Macworld reader Me.
Ask Mac 911
We’ve compiled a list of the questions we get asked most frequently, along with answers and links to columns: read our super FAQ to see if your question is covered. If not, we’re always looking for new problems to solve! Email yours to mac911@macworld.com, including screen captures as appropriate and whether you want your full name used. Not every question will be answered, we don’t reply to email, and we cannot provide direct troubleshooting advice.
Author: Glenn Fleishman, Senior Contributor
Glenn Fleishman’s most recent books include Take Control of iOS and iPadOS Privacy and Security, Take Control of Calendar and Reminders, and Take Control of Securing Your Mac. In his spare time, he writes about printing and type history. He’s a senior contributor to Macworld, where he writes Mac 911.