CrackMacHow to use a MacBook with a cracked or broken screen: five ways that work
Most cracked MacBook screens still show most of the picture, and the Mac underneath is fine. Here are five ways to keep working, from cheapest to most complete. You can combine them.
Worried it isn't safe? A cracked screen carries no shock risk, and the real risks are easy to manage.
1. An external monitor
The cheapest full fix. A basic 24-inch monitor costs $120 to $200, and with a keyboard and mouse your MacBook becomes a desktop. The catch is obvious: it stops being a laptop. Setup, including running it with the lid closed, is in clamshell mode.
2. Keyboard shortcuts for what you can't see
If the damage hides the menu bar or part of a window, the keyboard can reach it. The ones that matter most:
- Control-F2 (add Fn on most MacBooks) moves focus to the menu bar. Arrow keys walk through the menus.
- Command-Shift-/ opens the Help menu's search. Type any menu item's name and press Return.
- Globe-Control-F fills the screen with the current window on macOS 15 and later. Globe-Control-C centres it.
The full list is in keyboard shortcuts for a Mac with a broken screen.
3. A bigger pointer that's easy to find
System Settings, Accessibility, Display, Pointer: make the pointer larger and turn on "Shake mouse pointer to locate". When it disappears into the damage, a quick shake shows you where it went. More in the pointer keeps disappearing.
4. Move the Dock away from the damage
If the bottom of the screen is broken, move the Dock to the left or right in System Settings, Desktop & Dock. Keep it away from whichever edge is damaged.
5. Tell the Mac which part of the screen is dead
This is the one that makes a damaged panel feel like a smaller, normal screen. macOS has no setting for it, which is why CrackMac exists. You draw a line on a picture of your screen. From then on windows can't go past it, the pointer stops at it, the dead area is painted black, and the menu bar, Apple menu included, is redrawn just inside the working glass.
If the damage runs along one edge, CrackMac can keep windows, menus and the pointer off it. There's a free 30-minute trial.
Here's how to set it up step by step, and which kinds of damage it works for.
When none of this is enough
If the damage is in the middle of the screen, or the panel shows noise everywhere, work-arounds won't carry you far. Compare the costs in cracked MacBook screen: your options and consider a repair or selling it as is.
Quick answers
Is it safe to keep using a MacBook with a cracked screen?
Generally yes. A cracked LCD doesn't harm the rest of the Mac. Avoid pressing on the crack and keep glass fragments away from the keyboard, and back up in case the damage came with a knock that affected anything else.
How do I see the menu bar if the top-left of my screen is broken?
Press Control-F2 (Fn-Control-F2 on most MacBooks) to move keyboard focus to the menu bar, then use the arrow keys. Command-Shift-/ opens Help search, where you can type the name of any menu command.
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.