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The display on my MacBook Pro has recently died so I have been using the hdmi adapter to display the screen on my lg tv, which has been fine for a few day apart from the resolution not being ideal. Trying to fix this I un-ticked the Mirror Display option, making my tv a secondary display. Now I have no way of changing this back as all the options are on the primary display on my MacBook which has a dead screen!

Is there any way to restore it back to the mirrored image. Or a way of using the secondary display as a primary? I'm really stuck here and would appreciate any help.

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The easiest way would be to set the screens to be mirrored again. There is a simple shortcut for this: Cmd+F1 (or Fn+Cmd+F1).

From there, you can open System Prefrences, go to the Arrangement-tab and un-mirror them if you need to, and set the external screen to be the main on (by dragging the white top-strip of the "screen" to the other screen).

Another, maybe better approach, is to use the keyboard shortcut Option⌥+F2, which will directly open System Prefrences to the Displays-board, which will show up on both screens with the option to Gather Windows.

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    These keyboard shortcuts only work on fairly modern Apple keyboards. These do not work on my 3rd party keyboards. Another example of this is putting an iMac into Thunderbolt display mode with Cmd-F2. – Ɱark Ƭ Feb 15 '13 at 15:21
  • They should work on the OP's MBP, but maybe not on 3rd party keybords, as you point out. I've updated my answer. – Emil Feb 15 '13 at 15:35
  • I was trying to add some information. I spent 1/2 hour trying to get my iMac into Thunderbolt display mode and finally tried the Apple keyboard that came with it. I can't stand Apple' – Ɱark Ƭ Feb 15 '13 at 15:53
  • Thanks! Does the Option+F2 shortcut work with 3rd-party keyboards? – Emil Feb 15 '13 at 15:54
  • Nope. It requires a modern Apple keyboard. I have an old Apple keyboard that didn't work. I tried that first because bluetooth is a pain. – Ɱark Ƭ Feb 15 '13 at 16:19
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Plug in an external keyboard and mouse, display adapter, and power. Close the lid, wake the system with the external keyboard. The system will wake and drive only the external monitor.

Might not hurt to put display settings in your menubar, using the checkbox found on the Displays screen of system prefs.

Edits: New non-shortcut solution, saves desk real estate as well.

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  • If he can't see the Mirror Display-option, he can't see the Gather Windows-button either. All of the windows are on the main (and broken) computer screen. – Emil Feb 15 '13 at 15:10
  • true. Sorry for the oversight. – PaulWalnuts Feb 15 '13 at 15:31

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