Users can expand a MacBook’s screen space without any extra hardware, but an external monitor, an iPad or a TV can be connected as a display.
Even the largest MacBook has limited screen space compared to Apple’s desktop Mac computers which are often connected to monitors that measure over 30 inches. The good news is that there are at least five ways to expand a MacBook’s screen space to allow viewing more content at once. That means more room for a big preview while editing multi-track videos, extra space for multiple documents, or multi-page layouts. It’s pretty easy to use any extra room that users can find.
Apple launched two 13.3-inch laptops in the fall of 2020, the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, among the first computers to be powered by Apple Silicon. In 2021, the next-generation M1 Pro and M1 Max chips took Mac laptops to a whole new level with larger screen sizes. Apple’s 14.2-inch MacBook Pro added a little more screen space but improved significantly in terms of performance and screen quality. The 16.2-inch model had the same benefits plus a much larger display.
Even with a 16-inch MacBook Pro, there are times when the screen can feel cramped. On smaller MacBook models, this problem arises more frequently. The most obvious solution is to attach an external monitor, and every recent MacBook has this option. Some MacBook models can support more monitors than others, though the proper cable is required, and Apple gives all of these details on its website. Available space can be more than doubled with just one extra external display. Something that’s much easier is to change display scaling, which requires no additional hardware allowing use anywhere and anytime. In System Preferences, under the Displays section, choosing ‘Scaled’ for the resolution and ‘More Space’ will reduce the size of all content providing more space without affecting sharpness.
iPad Or Apple TV As A Mac Monitor
There are a couple of other ways to add a secondary physical display without connecting a computer monitor. First, an iPad can be connected via Sidecar, turning it into a secondary wireless monitor. In System Preferences, under ‘Displays,’ the ‘Add Display’ menu in the bottom-left shows any iPad logged in with the same Apple ID. A click is all it takes to connect to it. With iPadOS 15.4 and macOS 12.3, Universal Control allows users to Link Keyboard and Mouse to the iPad. In this configuration, the iPad runs its own software but feels like an extension of the MacBook since sliding the mouse pointer over to the iPad screen causes clicks and keypresses on the MacBook to be received as input on the iPad.
The final method offers the biggest screen of all, a television as a MacBook display. A direct connection might be possible with the suitable cable, but wireless works with a TV with AirPlay 2 compatibility or any TV users can connect to an Apple TV. In the Control Center, clicking the Screen Mirroring button, choosing Apple TV, then selecting Use As Separate Display allows the TV to act as a MacBook external monitor. With so many ways to expand screen space on a MacBook, there’s never a reason to settle for a cramped workspace.
Source: Apple 1, 2, 3, 4
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