How to Easily Disable an External Monitor from Your Mac

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Are you looking for a way to disable an external monitor connected to your Mac? If so, you’ve come to the right place! Disabling an external monitor on a Mac is a simple process that only takes a few steps. In this blog post, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about disabling an external monitor on your Mac.

First, make sure that all display and power cables are plugged in properly. A loose cable can cause power or display problems, so it’s important to check them before proceeding.

Once the cables are all secure, open System Preferences. Select Displays and then click Arrangement. Uncheck Mirror Displays so that your Mac is no longer mirroring the image from your external monitor.

Next, hard power off uing DDC | Control+Command+Option+6. This will turn off the monitor completely and is equivalent to pressing the physical power button on the monitor.

Finally, open Settings and click on Display. Under “Select and rearrange displays” select the monitor that you want to disconnect. Under “Multiple displays” use the drop-down menu and select “Disconnect this display” option.

And there you have it! You should now be able to successfully disable an external monitor connected to your Mac with just a few simple steps. Be sure to double check all of your cables again before powering off just in case somethng has come loose during your process!

disable external monitor mac
Source: support.apple.com

Disabling a Second Monitor on a Mac

To disable a scond monitor on your Mac, open System Preferences and select Displays. Then select Arrangement. Finally, uncheck the box for Mirror Displays to disable the second monitor.

disable external monitor mac
Source: arstechnica.com

Disabling a Second Monitor on a Mac Without Unplugging

You can disable your second monitor without unplugging your Mac by using the Displays pane in System Preferences. You can access this pane by clicking the Apple icon in the top left corner of your screen, then selecting System Preferences, followed by Displays. In the Displays pane, you will see a list of all of the available displays connected to your computer. Select the display you wish to disable, and then click the “Displays Off” button at the bottom of the window. This will turn off your second monitor without unplugging it from your Mac.

Disabling a Second Monitor Temporarily

To temporarily disable your second monitor, open the Settings app on your computer. From here, click on Display. Under the “Select and rearrange displays” section, select the monitor that you want to disconnect. Then, undr the “Multiple displays” section, use the drop-down menu and select the Disconnect this display option. This will temporarily disable your second monitor until you reconnect it using the same steps.

Troubleshooting Mac External Monitor Going Black

It’s possble that your external monitor is going black due to a few different causes. First, check to make sure all of the display and power cables are plugged in securely. Loose cables can cause the display to go black or lose power. You could also be experiencing an issue with your Mac’s settings. Go to System Preferences > Displays and make sure that the correct monitor is selected as the main display. If it’s not, select it and see if that fixes the problem. Finally, you may need to reset your Mac’s SMC (System Management Controller). To reset this, you’ll need to turn off your Mac and then press and hold down certain keys while turning it back on. Refer to Apple’s support documentation for specific instructions for your model of Mac.

Unplugging an External Monitor

Yes, you can unplug an external monitor from any device at any time. Make sure to power off the device first if possible and then unplug both the power cord and video cable from the back of the monitor. If the monitor has a power switch, make sure it is in the “off” position before unplugging it.

Turning Off Two Monitors and Using a Laptop

To turn off two monitors and use your laptop, first right-click the Windows desktop and select Display Settings from the drop-down list. If two monitors are not displayed normally, click Detect. Then select Show only on 1 from the drop-down list to turn off one of the monitors. Once this is done, you can exit out of Display Settings and use your laptop as normal.

Impact of Disabling a Second Monitor on Performance

Yes, disabling a second monitor can have a positive effect on performance. Generally speaking, having a single monitor open will provide the best frame rate (FPS) for gaming and other intensive tasks. This is because the GPU does not have to render images for two separate screens. However, if you only have a second monitor open with say an article or web page, then it should not affect your FPS in any major way. If the second monitor is being used to watch YouTube videos or stream on Twitch though, then it can lead to decreased FPS due to the GPU having to render more images than usual.

Closing Macbook Pro Causes External Monitor to Go Black

When you close your Macbook Pro, the system enters a low power state called Clamshell mode. This mode is designed to conserve energy by powering down the connected external monitor and other devices when the laptop lid is closed. To prevent your external monitor from going black when you close your Macbook Pro, you can set the Computer Sleep and Display Sleep sliders in System Preferences > Energy Saver to Never.

Conclusion

In conclusion, disabling an external monitor on a Mac can be done by opening System Preferences, selecting Displays, and unchecking the Mirror Displays option. Additionally, you can use the DDC Control+Command+Option+6 shortcut to hard power off the monitor. To ensure a successful disconnection, make sure that the display and power cables are plugged in securely. With these steps, you should be able to easily disable your external monitor on your Mac.

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Sanjeev Singh

Sanjeev is the tech editor at DeviceMAG. He has a keen interest in all things technology, and loves to write about the latest developments in the industry. He has a passion for quality-focused journalism and believes in using technology to make people's lives better. He has worked in the tech industry for over 15 years, and has written for some of the biggest tech blogs in the world. Sanjeev is also an avid photographer and loves spending time with his family.