Apple

So you can change the main screen of your Mac

If you’re working with a Mac connected to an external display, you’ll notice that the main display on your computer is the one that’s built right into the Mac itself. But if you want to change that main interface to the screen you have connected, you can do it through some very simple adjustments. And in this post we are going to explain how you can carry them out.

A different way to use your Mac

The first of all that we are going to point out, before seeing how it works, is the ideal type of Mac to carry out this function. Not all Apple computers have built-in displays. Therefore, ideally, the Mac that we are using (either desktop or laptop) I already have a screen. These Mac models are as follows:

  • macbook air
  • macbook pro
  • iMac

So if you have one of these three models, this trick makes a lot more sense than if you have a Mac mini, a Mac Pro, or a Mac Studio. These three models do not have a screen, and yes or yes, we are going to need to connect an external monitor to work. In fact, that monitor that we are going to connect is going to be the main screen. Nevertheless, We can also change which monitor we want to be the main one. In this case, we will also be able to do it if we follow the following steps.

How is this cheat activated?

First of all, go to System Settings > Displays. If we only have the screen of our computer in use, this only one will appear. If we want to see the configuration and use options of the other screens, then we will have to connect an external monitor, either through HDMI, USB type C (or Thunderbolt) or through an adapter.

mac home screen

Once we have the screen connected, then both will appear. Within the Screens section, we will see how the default option that appears marked is the screen of our Mac. We have to click on the monitor that we have connected.

In the event that we are using a desktop Mac that does not have a screen, we must select one of the two monitors that we have connected at that moment. Be that as it may, we will have to look at an option called Use as. Here we will have a drop-down menu where we will have several options to choose from:

  • Main screen
  • enlarged screen
  • mirrored built-in screen

The Extended Screen option is used to use the connected monitor as an extension of the integrated screen of our Mac. The Duplicate Integrated Screen option, for its part, reflects the integrated screen of the Mac on the external monitor that we have connected. Literally, a mirror of everything we see on the computer screen.

change screen macThe option that interests us is Main screen. If we select this option, the external monitor will show all the content of the computer screen, as well as the main functions of the desktop. Folders, files, stacks of files (categories), access to the Dock, etc. Whereas, the screen of our MacBook will act as the continuation of what is displayed on the monitor. Therefore, the contents and functions of both screens are reversed. However, this is a process that we can reverse at any time, just by changing the Use as menu option.

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