How do I force my laptop screen to be the main display?

Question

How do I force my laptop screen to be the main display?

Since traveling with my MacBook Pro and using an external screen, something is messed up with the display settings at home: Every time I plug in my external secondary display, it shows that is connected but shows NOTHING. BUT my MacBook "thinks" that the external display is now the MAIN screen - all controls, menus, apps in dock etc. disappear from its own, build-in screen. Hence, I cannot do anything to troubleshoot since I literally don't see what I'm clicking at. There should be a simple key combination that always forces the build-in display to become the main display, no matter what - is there? Or any other trick? right now my secondary display (which has worked with that same laptop for years) is useless - I have to unplug it to get control back.

MacBook Pro 11/23 running Sequoia 15.6.1

MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 15.6

Posted on Nov 1, 2025 10:09 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Luis Sequeira1

Level 9

72,702 points

Nov 1, 2025 11:22 AM in response to Sebastian Kuhn

Press Command-F1.

This toggles between extending and mirroring displays. Your internal and external displays will then both show the same thing, and you can make any adjustments you need to System Settings.

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Answer 2

Nov 1, 2025 11:04 AM in response to den.thed

I would have done that if I could see any menu items or apps on my laptop screen - but they are all on the secondary one which wasn't visible to me. And of course when you disconnect the 2nd screen, there are no options in Display Settings to select which screen is the primary one (catch-22).

Anyway, I meanwhile had the lucky idea to just wait - and, sure enough, after being connected to the laptop for several minutes, the secondary screen finally figured out how to talk to it (or vice versa) and I finally COULD see the menu bar. From there on, it was indeed easy and as you described. I just wished that Apple would come up with a way to have a screen setup dialog pop up on whatever screen you like - and CERTAINLY on the built-in screen the Laptop came with!

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Answer 3

den.thed

Level 10

89,902 points

Nov 1, 2025 10:24 AM in response to Sebastian Kuhn

With the external display connected to the MacBook Pro > go to Apple > System Settings > Displays > click on the MacBook Pro's Display > go to Use as and set the MacBook Pro's display to Main display.

Displays settings on Mac - Apple Support

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