Amphetamine: Connect a closed MacBook to the display without a power adapter.

Family Apple MacBook It consists of laptop computers. These machines are called MacBook, MacBook Air or MacBook Pro They have a built-in battery. to make it easier for you to work or have fun anywhere in your home or while traveling. But many, like me, prefer Don’t take your laptop on a walk. And many in the office or where they live decide to connect a large screen and a wireless keyboard and mouse to it. For this you can keep your MacBook closed.

Use your MacBook closed and connected to external display This is known as shell mode. In English, clamshell mode. The name is said to come from the old iBooks, which had a curved design that gave it a shell-like appearance. True or not, the fact is that any laptop has this feature. That is, you can close the laptop and plug it in to the screen and other peripheral devices. This would make it a desktop computer. But the MacBook has a drawback. When you close it, the screen goes blank. Shell mode is only activated if you have it. connected to current.

This is problem. If you want to use your MacBook closed as a desktop computer, you’ll need to keep it plugged in, which can affects the battery and temperature From the device. There is a reason for this feature. A few years ago, laptops only lasted a few hours without direct power. But today this is no longer the case. That’s why we can fix it with a free app: Amphetamine.

MacBook is closed and woken up

The goal is work with a closed MacBookin shell mode or cotconnected to a big screen. And, by the way, to an external keyboard and mouse. And nothing more. But to avoid having to plug your portable Mac into a power source, you’ll have to ask macOS using a special application. Otherwise, if you close your MacBook, the external screen will turn black.

The app in question is called Amphetamine. That is, amphetamine. The name refers to the drug that keeps you awake. In this case, the app of the same name will keep your MacBook “awake” even if you keep it closed. It is curious that this name played a cruel joke on its creator, William Gustafson. On December 29, 2020, you received a notification from Apple informing you that Amphetamine was about to be removed from the Mac App Store. After 6 years of being there. Cause? Apparently the title violated an article in the App Store guidelines. This is about “encouraging the consumption of tobacco and vaping products, illegal drugs or excessive amounts of alcohol.” The matter was resolved on January 2, 2021, with a call clarifying that the name of the application was “metaphorical.”

So, the function of amphetamine don’t let your Mac sleep. Disk, screen or entire computer. Be it a desktop computer or a laptop. And for the case in question, it is ideal for using the MacBook in closed mode. cot without connecting it to an outlet. The app is free, available on the Mac App Store, and more than gets the job done. Although it is true that the same can be achieved via command linethis option is not always recommended.

How does amphetamine work?

As usual, the first step is to install Amphetamine. There is no secret to this process. Since it is published on the Mac App Store, you just need to open the link, which in turn will open the Mac App Store. Click Install and that’s it. Yes, indeed. When you first launch the application, you need follow the assistant’s instructions properly configure the application so that it can fulfill its purpose. note that need macOS permissions. And you have to hand it over to them manually.

Once Amphetamine is running, we can configure it to use your MacBook closed and connected to an external screen without having to Power adapter. Although, as you can see for yourself, this application can do many more things related to shutting down, turning on, or keeping your Mac running.

But for what we are interested in, you will only need to open the application that will be displayed in the menu bar. Click on its icon and go to Quick Settings. There you should uncheck the option Allow the system to go to sleep when closing the display. What does “Allow the system to go to sleep when closing the screen” mean? This is the problem that concerns us when closing a MacBook connected to the screen. Which automatically falls asleep. The function itself is very good 99% of the time. But not in this particular situation.

Deactivating sleep mode

If you uncheck this box, a floating window will likely appear asking you to install Amphetamine enhancer. This is an add-on to amphetamine that you do not need to install. But if you do, guarantees that when closing MacBook screen does not go to sleep. So if you decide to install this plugin, just click Get an amphetamine enhancer and the installer will download. It installs like any other application. That is, you open the DMG file and drag the application inside it into a folder. Applications.

Next step, open Amphetamine enhancer. A window will appear with two options. We are interested in what is written there Closed display mode. So, select it and click the button Install. Above it will be written something like Status: Not installed. When finished it will change to Status: Installed or similar. After this, the application will be configured. But there is one more step left.

If you need to connect your laptop to an external display and keep your MacBook closed, you’ll have to tell him amphetamine. That is, even if the application is open, it is not active. To disable sleep mode, you will have to start a new session. That is, click on the “Amphetamine” icon in the menu bar and then select the option Start a new session. There are several options to choose from. Will serve with For undefined period. You’ll see that the app is doing its job as a vertical line appears on the icon. If the line is horizontal, the application is disabled. If you no longer need this feature, return to the icon and select the option End current session.