An external monitor is a different screen that plugs into your laptop, giving you the use of two screens instead of one. Most of the working population rely on laptops as their primary device for office work. Moreover, during the pandemic, with people working from home regularly, the demand for additional screens has gone through the roof.
According to BusinessInsider, using an external display increases productivity and improves the user’s overall physical problems while working. For example, an extra screen is much easier on the eye since you are staring at it for most of the day. It can also help reduce neck and back problems, as you don’t have to keep bending over your laptop while working.
There are several ways to connect a single device to multiple external monitors. A few of them are:
- Using an HDMI Cable to Connect Your Laptop to the Monitor.
- Extending Your Display with a DisplayPort Cable.
- Connecting with a USB-C Cable.
- Using a DVI Cable.
- Getting an Adapter.
Dual monitor programs and applications help you configure your multi-monitor setup so that you spend less time fiddling with monitor settings and more time doing productive work. Mentioned below are some apps that can control external display monitors with your MacBook.
DisplayBuddy
With this application, you can easily control external monitors connected to your Mac. It is compatible with macOS 10.13 and higher versions. In addition, DisplayBuddy allows you to adjust display settings directly from your menu bar without touching the physical control buttons.
MonitorControl
This app is a lifesaver when it comes to working with external monitors. MonitorControl is a macOS app that directly controls your external monitor’s brightness, contrast, or volume from a menu or keyboard native keys.
Displays
This app supports all active monitors attached to your Mac. You can easily select any resolution for your screens and enable or disable mirroring mode with one click. In addition, it has a night mode, screenshot tools, cloud services, laser pointer for your presentations, picture-in-picture, and many more such unique features.
Lunar
It is an intelligent adaptive brightness app for your external displays. It includes DDC support that enables native brightness control for all modern monitors and fallback-like software dimming when DDC fails. In addition, the app gives users a macOS feel with built-in light sensor support, command-line integration, and open-sourced code.
Since the latest MacBooks has a comparatively smaller screen size, it is more important to use an external monitor with your Mac. The benefits of doing so are:
- You can enjoy your favorite movie or game on an extra screen of a larger size. Additionally, you don’t need to stress your eyes out to work on a tiny display.
- Having an external monitor for your MacBook Pro would let you use your laptop and desktop interchangeably. You would only need a single connector cable, often HDMI, for video purposes. You can insert USB flash drives and hard drives directly into your laptop. If you are leaving the house, all your files will come with you, and when you get home, you can pick up where you left off immediately.
- If you are a reading fanatic or long-format reading is in your job description, then having an external monitor would save you a lot of effort and time. Using the pivot function makes the text go into portrait mode with a 90-degree turn on a second screen that can tilt. This way, you can easily read long-format content without the need for even a single scroll.
- When you need to showcase your screen to a large audience during an office presentation, attaching an external monitor with your MacBook would do the job well with the convenience of a twin view.
- Professionals who need to compare their creative product, work, or design, can make the most of an external monitor with their laptop device. For example, software designers working with multiple applications, creating code in one, and copying it to another; would need an additional screen for the whole functioning to be smooth and labor-saving. Additionally, if you have multiple web pages open on your computer, you can open them all simultaneously by hitting a few keys on your keyboard at the same time.
- An extra screen, a larger one at that, leads to a lesser chance of making errors, increases productivity, and in return leads to a reduction in stress levels.
- You don’t have to be restricted to the resolution of your built-in display of your Mac. With an external monitor, you can upgrade your collection from an average 1080p to 4K.
- If your external monitor is portable, it will be lightweight and easy to carry around with an easy-to-use interface. In some portable monitors, you also get built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
Technology has come a long way from bulky desktops to tiny laptops and now to just a display monitor. Mentioned above is everything you need to know about using an external monitor with your Mac and how it would most likely change your computing methods.
