External Monitor Troubleshoot

Joined
Jan 23, 2013
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Points
1
OK so recently I had a small flat screen laying around and decided to hook it up to my Macbook pro. I have it connected and can drag other windows over and things like that. The purpose for this is that I do alot of research and need more window space to have multiple documents/windows open at a time to reference back and forth from. My problem is that I am a huge fan of full screen mode on my Macbook Pro, its basically all I use. When I have something on my external monitor, like a document/website/music/ whatever I am using it for and then swipe over to lets say safari or another program on my Macbook Pro I have open in full screenmode, the external monitor swipes with it into this gray blank screen. Is there a way to stop that from happening and to just keep whatever I dragged over onto the external screen and still be able to use my Macbook Pro as I normal would?


Thanks for your time,
Tim
 
Joined
Mar 17, 2009
Messages
3,626
Reaction score
111
Points
63
Your Mac's Specs
2018 15" MBP, 2019 11" iPad Pro, iPhone 11 Pro
You want the MBP and the TV to behave as 2 separate desktops/workspaces? Yes, that is doable. In System Preferences, open Display. I'm not on my Mac at the moment but in there is a setting to mirror the external display (TV) - you don't want that box to be checked. Like I said, I'm going off memory right now but the option is definitely in Display in System Preferences.
 
OP
T
Joined
Jan 23, 2013
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Points
1
First off thanks for the fast response!

I have tried that option and that box is not checked. Its not that its mirror my MBP as the same screen on the external TV its sort of set up as a double workspace but when I am on my desktop everything runs perfectly how I like it, its just when I swipe over to a fullscreen program the external TV goes with it but into that gray default metalish screen, I just want it to keep the info I had on it before I went to a fullscreen program so I can multitask back and fourth.

Thanks for your time,
Tim
 

bobtomay

,
Retired Staff
Joined
Dec 22, 2006
Messages
26,561
Reaction score
677
Points
113
Location
Texas, where else?
Your Mac's Specs
15" MBP '06 2.33 C2D 4GB 10.7; 13" MBA '14 1.8 i7 8GB 10.11; 21" iMac '13 2.9 i5 8GB 10.11; 6S
I have not done that much with an external monitor since 10.6. But at that time you could not use full screen mode at all without it resulting in a blank screen on the other. Unless Apple has fixed that...

Hopefully you'll get a response from someone else using multiple screens in extended desktop mode.
 
Joined
Mar 17, 2009
Messages
3,626
Reaction score
111
Points
63
Your Mac's Specs
2018 15" MBP, 2019 11" iPad Pro, iPhone 11 Pro
Ahh, the full screen is the culprit. I kind of glazed over that part in the original post. :Oops:
 
Joined
Feb 26, 2010
Messages
2,116
Reaction score
123
Points
63
Location
Rocky Mountain High, Colorado
Your Mac's Specs
1.8 GHz i7 MBA 11" OSX 10.8.2
Full screen mode - kinda messes with dual monitor displays. The secondary monitor - will always show a blank grey linen screen when in Fullscreen mode. I haven't found anything but some hackish things that will allow you to use the second screen when your application is in full screen mode. If you want your external display to be the one that displays full screen mode you can go to System Preferences -> Display -> Arrangement -> There you will see a picture of your two monitors. One of the monitors will have a white line on the top. That represents the menu bar - and connotes that - that screen is your primary screen. As you can see - my large thunderbolt display gets the bar -> so that is where the fullscreen window goes to.

If you want to use dual screen - then you really can't use full screen mode. Consider getting better touch tool and/or better snap tool.
Great Tools For Your Mac By Andreas Hegenberg » BetterTouchTool, BetterSnapTool & SecondBar
Both programs allow Windows 7 type snapping -> so to take up the whole screen just drag the window to the top and it will snap full screen.
Better Touch Tool and Window Snapping - YouTube

Edit: Too slow

Screen Shot 2013-01-23 at 4.20.10 PM.png
 
OP
T
Joined
Jan 23, 2013
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Full screen mode - kinda messes with dual monitor displays. The secondary monitor - will always show a blank grey linen screen when in Fullscreen mode. I haven't found anything but some hackish things that will allow you to use the second screen when your application is in full screen mode. If you want your external display to be the one that displays full screen mode you can go to System Preferences -> Display -> Arrangement -> There you will see a picture of your two monitors. One of the monitors will have a white line on the top. That represents the menu bar - and connotes that - that screen is your primary screen. As you can see - my large thunderbolt display gets the bar -> so that is where the fullscreen window goes to.

If you want to use dual screen - then you really can't use full screen mode. Consider getting better touch tool and/or better snap tool.
Great Tools For Your Mac By Andreas Hegenberg » BetterTouchTool, BetterSnapTool & SecondBar
Both programs allow Windows 7 type snapping -> so to take up the whole screen just drag the window to the top and it will snap full screen.
Better Touch Tool and Window Snapping - YouTube

Edit: Too slow

Thanks for the response!

I actually use bettertouch before this whole situation but I never thought about using it with an external monitor! Thanks for the great idea!

Hopefully someone will be able to make something to have this work better. It seems like a huge flaw Apple would of known about and should of been a quick fix.

Thanks for your time,
Tim
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top