MBP Clamshell Mode Display question

[thriii]

Sometimes I like to use the iSight but when I do my monitor becomes a second screen (can move my mouse from MBP Screen to monitor). When I'm done using the iSight the only way I know how to get my monitor to become the main screen with the dock/icons n everything thats suppose to be on my MBP screen is to restart the computer with the MBP closed while it boots up.
Is there a faster way I can have my monitor as the main screen without having to restart my MBP with it already in clamshell mode?

edit: what I want is my macbook pro closed and just to operate with my monitor after I'm done with iSight (i would close the macbook pro when im done) so I only have my monitor as my display. But for some reason the only way I can get my monitor as the main display is if i restart the computer completely and I'm wonderin if there is a quicker way than restarting

 

[AppleMan101]

System Preferences > Displays

There should be some appropriate options in there to sort it out.

 

[mja427]

Sys Prefs

If you have the Displays icon in your menubar go there and click on Display Prefs or get there through System Preferences.

Click the Arrangement Tab & Follow the Instructions and Move the Model menu bar to the display you want to be the main.

Note: If only one display is there, click detect displays and it will pick up your MBP monitor

 

[thriii]

hmm im at the display pref window but see no arrangement tab at all.. is this because I'm using only 1 monitor?

 

[thriii]

is the fastest way to restart?

 

[chex]

no

when you have both screens running, then open preferences>displays

Display options will open up on both screens, and whichever screen is set as your primary will have the option for arrangment.

Since you're running in clamshell can't you just close the laptop screen and hit a key on the keyboard to wake up the computer to the external screen?

I'll get you a screenshot.

 

[thriii]

no

when you have both screens running, then open preferences>displays

Display options will open up on both screens, and whichever screen is set as your primary will have the option for arrangment.

Since you're running in clamshell can't you just close the laptop screen and hit a key on the keyboard to wake up the computer to the external screen?

I'll get you a screenshot.

for some reason before when I closed the clamshell and my monitor was connected it would goto sleep.. it doesnt now and im really confused now.. i have disconnected and reconnected the monitors wire so maybe that changed somethin but I saw there was a Mirroring option.. would that be bad for my mbp if i use that feature? that way i can use photoshop and see how accurate the colors are on both screens

 

[iToaster]

Press the F7 button and close it. It will put it into mirror display mode and when you close it, it should work in lid closed mode again.

 

[thriii]

i got it to work with the lid close but when I was messin around tryin to figure it out i was thinkin about usin my monitor as the primary and my mbp screen as the secondary.. would this be slow down my mbp since its using 2 displays? I would like to use photoshop on my mainscreen and my laptop screen for everything else if possible.. is it possible to use the monitor as the primary screen and the laptop as the secondary?

 

[chex]

there is no 'primary' and 'secondary' screen, just drag what you want on the mbp monitor to the mbp monitor and leave photoshop on the external.

when i said 'primary' before, I meant the screen with the menu bar and dock.

 

[thriii]

if i do that tho.. there is no dock or mac menu at the top right?

 

[chex]

I think you can only have the menu bar and dock on one display.

If you want to run everything on your mbp screen, you can have your dock and menu bar there, and drag photoshop over to your external screen, along with all its menus.

For example: here I have firefox and the dock/menu bar on my external monitor, and my IM client on my laptop monitor.

 

[thriii]

I think you can only have the menu bar and dock on one display.

If you want to run everything on your mbp screen, you can have your dock and menu bar there, and drag photoshop over to your external screen, along with all its menus.

For example: here I have firefox and the dock/menu bar on my external monitor, and my IM client on my laptop monitor.

i want it on 1 display but i want it on my monitor not my MBP.. the reason is i use the File/Edit/Etc.. settings when im in photoshop and with the IM client I would just be typing ot people so i wouldnt need File/Edit n all that..thats why I asked if its possible to have my monitor as the primary because the dock/menu n everythin is on the macbook which i thought would make it the primary screen..so what im tryin to do isnt possible?

 

[chex]

while running both monitors open preferences>Displays and a dialogue will open up on both displays.

If the macbook display is primary it will have an 'arrangement' tab, like in my screenshot. Drag the menu tab from the macbook display to the the external display (on the dialogue representation).

 

[thriii]

thx alot this is exactly what i wanted