CrackMacUsing a MacBook with the lid closed and an external monitor (clamshell mode)
Yes, a MacBook runs perfectly with the lid closed. Connect power, an external monitor and a keyboard and mouse, then close the lid. If your built-in screen is cracked, this turns the Mac into a clean desktop for about the price of a monitor.
What you need
- The Mac's power adapter, connected.
- An external display and the right cable or adapter for your model: USB-C, Thunderbolt or HDMI.
- An external keyboard and a mouse or trackpad, wired or Bluetooth.
Setting it up
- With the lid open, connect power, the monitor and the keyboard and mouse.
- Wait for the monitor to show the desktop.
- Close the lid. The monitor goes dark for a moment, then everything moves onto it.
- If it stays dark, press a key or click the mouse to wake it.
In System Settings, Displays, you can set the resolution and arrange screens. With the lid closed only the external display is used.
If your built-in screen is only partly broken
You may want the lid open so you can still use the laptop's screen as a second display. That works too, but windows and menus will keep drifting onto the damaged part. Either make the external monitor the main display by dragging the white menu bar onto it in Displays settings, or tell the Mac where the damage is.
If the damage runs along one edge, CrackMac can keep windows, menus and the pointer off it. There's a free 30-minute trial.
Common problems
- Mac sleeps when the lid closes: power isn't connected. Connect it and wake with the keyboard.
- Blurry text: pick a "Default" or scaled resolution in Displays that matches the monitor's native resolution.
- Only one external monitor works: most base M-series MacBook Airs support one external display with the lid open, and on some models two with the lid closed. Check Apple's specs for your model.
Other ways to keep working are in using a MacBook with a broken screen.
Quick answers
Can you use a MacBook with the lid closed?
Yes. Connect power, an external display, and a keyboard and mouse or trackpad, then close the lid. The Mac keeps running and uses only the external display.
Why does my MacBook go to sleep when I close the lid with a monitor attached?
Usually because it isn't connected to power, or no external keyboard or mouse is connected. Connect the power adapter and press a key or click the mouse to wake it.
Damage along an edge?
CrackMac keeps windows, the menu bar and the pointer on the part of the screen that still works, and paints the dead strip black. You draw the line once, on a picture of your screen, and it stays out of your way after that.
- Works on macOS 13 or later, Apple silicon and Intel.
- Free for 30 minutes of use, then a one-time price. No subscription.
- A refund within 7 days, no questions asked.