Using Your Mac Laptop with the Lid Closed

How to adjust your Mac laptop's settings to use an external monitor and close the laptop lid without having the display turn off.

This article explains how to adjust your Mac laptop's settings so you can use an external monitor with the laptop lid closed without having the display turn off. This is called Clamshell Mode. 

Instructions

1. Turn the computer on, and connect it to a power adapter.

2. Connect the computer to an external monitor.

3. Connect a keyboard and mouse (either wired or Bluetooth).

4. Adjust settings to ensure the display never turns off when the computer is connected to power:

   1. Open System Settings.

   2. Open Lock Screen.

   3. Change Turn display off on power adapter when inactive to Never.

5. You can now close the lid. The displays will initially go black, but will wake up when you move your mouse or press a key on the keyboard. 

 

Important notes

• The above steps require your computer to be connected to a power source (i.e., not running from its battery) in order to work as desired.

• Your screen will not go to sleep or lock when you walk away, so you will need make sure to manually lock the screen or log out when you are finished.