- How to connect macbook to monitor and turn off screen how to#
- How to connect macbook to monitor and turn off screen full#
- How to connect macbook to monitor and turn off screen Pc#
- How to connect macbook to monitor and turn off screen mac#
Your monitor’s screen will likely fade to black for a second or two, and then it should display what’s on your computer.
If you have a MacBook and you want your external monitor to be your main display, make sure you’ve connected an external mouse and keyboard to your MacBook and that the computer is plugged into a power source.
How to connect macbook to monitor and turn off screen mac#
You can connect your Mac to the monitor before you turn it on, but the Mac won’t show up on the monitor until you actually log in. When you do, what’s on your Mac’s screen should be mirrored on the external display. Then turn on your Mac, log in, and plug your Mac into your monitor. Once you have the cables you need, plug in your monitor and set it up on your desk.
How to connect macbook to monitor and turn off screen full#
Check out Apple’s full list of which of its computers have which ports on its website so you can figure out what cables you need to buy. If you have a Mac that’s older than that, though, you might need something else, such as a cable with Mini DisplayPort connector. If you have a Mac that was released in 2019 or later, it will have Thunderbolt 3 ports, which means you can plug a USB-C cable into one of those ports and hook the computer up to your monitor with a cable that has a USB-C or HDMI connector on the other end. Knowing what type of cable to plug into your Mac to send a signal to your monitor can be a bit trickier to figure out. There’s also a chance that your computer can plug into that monitor with a USB-C cable.
These days, most monitors have at least one HDMI port on the back, like what you’ve probably seen on your TV. Check the ports on your monitor and your Macīefore you even try to set up your monitor, check out its ports and the ports on your Mac so that you know what cables or adapters you need in order to connect them to each other. If you don’t have an iPad or just want to use an external monitor as an additional display, follow these steps to get that monitor set up. You can also turn on a Touch Bar that appears on the iPad’s display. You can use an Apple Pencil to draw on content from your Mac that’s displayed on your iPad’s screen, for example. In addition to giving your Mac more screen space, Sidecar gives your iPad gets a few cool tricks. Your iPad’s screen may flicker for a second, but then it should change to show your Mac’s desktop background - if it does, you’ve successfully turned on Sidecar. Once you find the AirPlay icon, click it, look for the name of your iPad in the drop-down menu that appears, and click that. If you don’t see the icon, go to the System Preferences menu, then Displays, and then look for the checkbox in the bottom left that says “Show mirroring options in the menu bar when available.” That box needs to be checked for you to see the AirPlay icon in the menu bar. That icon looks like a rectangle with an arrow pointing up at the bottom. Then, go to your Mac and find the AirPlay icon on your Mac’s menu bar. First, turn on your iPad and unlock it, then set it aside. Once you have that all set up, you can turn on Sidecar. If you have your equipment ready and everything up to date, then make sure both your Mac and iPad are signed into the same iCloud account and that you have two-factor authentication turned on. Both work well, but a wired connection should have a little less latency and lets you charge your iPad from your Mac while you’re using Sidecar. You’ll also need to be on the right firmware your Mac will need to be on macOS Catalina and your iPad needs to be on iPadOS 13.0.īefore you get Sidecar set up, you’ll also have to decide if you want to use Sidecar over a wireless or over a wired connection. You can check Apple’s list of supported devices right here.
If you want to use macOS Catalina’s Sidecar feature to share your Mac’s screen with your iPad, first make sure you have a Mac and an iPad that both support the feature.
How to connect macbook to monitor and turn off screen Pc#
(We’ll offer advice for how Windows PC users can set up an external monitor in an upcoming article.) Using Sidecar with an iPad
How to connect macbook to monitor and turn off screen how to#
I’ll walk through how to set up both options in this guide. If you don’t have an iPad, you can connect a separate monitor to your Mac. If you have an iPad and a Mac, Apple offers a handy feature called Sidecar that lets you use your iPad as a second display. If you’re considering adding another screen to your macOS setup to help fix that laptop hunch or just to add some extra screen real estate, read on. To fix that, I’ve found that plugging my laptop to an external monitor on my desk is essential for me to be productive. But it’s really hard for me to put in a full workday hunched over one. It’s great to do work while lounging in my favorite chair or at a coffee shop (when we could still do that). Every computer I’ve called my own for work or personal use has been a laptop.