There are times when you are working and you realize that just using one screen is not sufficient. For instance, you may be trying to carry out a creative project like music production or simply want to stream videos and you need more than screen to help with the process. In such instances, you often find yourself needing to make use of an external monitor. The good news is that these days, connections your Mac to more screens is as easy as getting yourself a usb c hdmi hub to expand your Mac’s port and facilitate the connection. It will also allow you to better customize how your external displays will function to better optimize your workflow.

However, you always have to make sure that you have the necessary components.  As mentioned, most Macs often need to make use of an adapter to extend their connection ports. This is because with MacBooks becoming slimmer and slimmer every year, the numb rod connection ports continues to decrease. This means you need to do your research and purchase the right usb c multiport hub, if you want to connect multiple devices to your Mac at once.

You will also usually have the option to either mirror your displays together or simply extend your display on to different screens, allowing you to operate different windows and apps at once. The mirror option is an excellent choice if you are simply looking to expand your viewing experience like if you are watching a movie or making a presentation. On the other hand, if you want to use the extended desktop mode, this is the perfect productivity tool for those looking to multi-task on each screen.

How To Activate Mirror-Extend Mode

You can easily activate the extend mode by connecting your Mac to an external monitor using a hdmi hub or mini displayport to thunderbolt 2. Once the two devices are connected, head to System Preferences > Displays > Arrangement. From there, you need to ensure that the Mirror Displays checkbox is unticked. After which, you should be able to organize your displays to suit your own personal preferences. You will also be able to switch your primary screen display to whichever screen you want to help give yourself a more comfortable work setup. In this respect, you should also consider investing in a laptop angle stand to help position your Mac in a better angle and secure it so that it doesn’t accidentally fall off your desk. Plus, they also do well to help reduce the risk of back, neck or eye strain while working!

If you want to switch your primary display to something else, you can conveniently do this by simply heading to System Preferences > Displays > Arrangement. From there, you should be able to drag the display to where you want it and you should also see a red border while doing so. You can drag the menu bar to the display that you prefer to use and set it as the main screen.

How To Activate Mirror Display Mode

Alternatively, if you are looking to activate display mode so that your screens show the same windows, then all you need to is to head to System Preferences > Displays > Arrangement. From there, you can tick the Mirror Displays option to activate it.

You can also opt to use closed-display mode which is where you close your Mac’s screen and use the external monitors to do all your work. However, to use this mode you would need to get a USB-C compatible external screen, as well as an external keyboard and mouse. You can opt to use wireless devices in which case you will to make sure that your bluetooth is activated. However, if you only have wired accessories, you will need to make sure that you have the right usb adapter as well.

You also need to make sure that your Mac is plugged into a power source. This is because, if your laptop suddenly runs out of power, your entire workspace will go off with it. Once you have established you gave all the right accessories, you can connect the external monitor and close your Mac’s lid. Your workspace should then automatically transition to your external monitor and you can operate your workspace from there. When your’e fan working, all you have to do to get your Mac back to normal mode is simply unplug the external monitor and you’re all set!

You should keep in mind that when using any one of these modes there is always the chance that you could accidentally knock off your Mac off the desk or spill liquids on it. It is common occurrence, especially with those users who are multi-tasking and forget that their Macs are still on their desks. As we mentioned before, it’s best that you invest in a laptop stand to make sure that your device stays secure on your workstation, even while you use external monitors.