Menubar resizes after disconnecting external monitors
I enjoy using my MacBook Pro in a desktop and laptop setup. However this hybrid work setup hasn't been as flexible as I was hoping. I had a Dell Latitude that had Thunderbolt 4 and was running Windows 11. It was able to handle a dual 1440p setup from a single cable no problem and be able to smoothly transition to a laptop environment. When I purchased my 14 inch 2023 MacBook Pro M3 Pro, along with a CalDigit Element hub, I was hoping to achieve an even greater experience given the power under the hood of this machine. Although I am pleased with the machine, this flexibility of transitioning from desktop to laptop mode has been terribly annoying.
Two 1440p monitors run through Displayport to the hub. The hub has a single dongle for my keyboard and mouse. From there it gets plugged in straight to the MacBook, nothing complicated here. I run the MacBook in clamshell mode to save space on my desk. Everything runs great.
I unplug the MacBook and attempt to use it as a laptop without my monitors and I notice many graphical problems that force me to restart the entire machine. These problems include:
- The default resolution for the internal display being reset. I have no clue what the display resolution is because by default macOS only shows scaling options in the Displays section of System Preferences. Now the scaling options have disappeared and will only reappear with a full system restart. Amazing.
- Scaling options are replaced with resolutions. Everything I choose is either too small or too blurry. I installed an application called BetterDisplay that lets me choose 1512 x 982 (HiDPI), which seems to be the correct resolution. Disabling the HiDPI mode from the BetterDisplay menu causes blurriness again, so I decided to keep this app as a temporary fix.
- The larger menubar at the top is now totally broken. It is half or even a third of the default size. The menu options are spaced incorrectly and not uniformly. Menu options are being hidden behind the notch. Same goes for menu icons on the right in terms of spacing and visibility.
- Full sizing apps also cause issues because the notch is disregarded and windows are being displayed where the notch is, leaving display elements hidden behind the notch.
Overall this is a total disaster.
What I am expecting is that macOS should be able to revert to default settings when not using external monitors. It seems to me that the OS is still rendering everything on the screen as if it were an external monitor by scaling everything smaller, changing the resolution to the native resolution of the display, and by disregarding the notch the internal display has. This has to be a bug, and quite a nasty one.
I need a solution to this! How do I report this to Apple? A big selling point of this machine is the ability to run it in a desktop format and then transition again to laptop mode. This seems to be broken, primarily the menubar given it's a core part of the GUI.
Display after unplugging. Native resolution is registered as Default. 1512x982 looks more like the Default. Spacing on menubar on top is off.
Menubar and options are shrunk and cutoff. The help option is behind the notch. Notch is over menubar options and the window.
Right hand side has icons being smushed. Menubar width is 1/3 or 1/2 original. Notch in the way.
Display options after reboot.
Displays after monitor(s) disconnect.
Reminder: I had this issue on a fresh install of MacOS Sonoma 14.4.1. Please don't recommend me uninstall applications, this was occurring with the stock macOS applications being only installed as well. Thanks in advance.
