Displays settings on Mac (2024)

Arrange

Arrange the position of the displays, mirror their content, or relocate the position of the menu bar.

This option only appears when you have an external display connected to your Mac. See Extend or mirror your Mac desktop across multiple displays.

Displays settings on Mac (1) pop-up menu

Choose a display to mirror or extend your desktop.

Use as

Choose whether your display mirrors or extends your desktop, or acts as your main display.

This option only appears when you have an external display connected to your Mac.

Optimize for

Choose to optimize for the external display or your desktop. This option only appears when you have an external display connected to your Mac.

Resolution

Choose the amount of detail your display shows. Choose Default to automatically use the best resolution for the display, or choose another option to manually select a resolution. See Change your Mac display’s resolution.

Show all resolutions

View all available resolutions, including low-resolution modes.

Brightness

Adjust how light or dark your screen appears. Move the slider to the right to make the screen brighter or to the left to make it darker. See Change your Mac display’s brightness.

Automatically adjust brightness or Ambient light compensation (depending on your display)

Adjust the display brightness automatically based on current ambient lighting conditions.

This option is only available if your Mac has ambient light sensing.

True Tone

Automatically adjust the colors on the display based on current ambient lighting conditions.

Color profile

Change the color profile your display uses.

Detailed information about all of the color profiles installed on your Mac (and used by connected cameras, printers, and displays) is provided in ColorSync Utility (in the Applications > Utilities folder). See the ColorSync Utility User Guide.

You can also create your own custom color profile by calibrating your display.

Preset

Choose a built-in reference mode that matches your media workflow. See Use the Preset menu in Displays settings.

Customize Presets

Create custom reference modes. See Create custom reference modes.

Calibrate Display

Use the Pro Display Calibrator for in-field recalibration for specific color workflows that may require custom calibration. See Customize the calibration using the Pro Display Calibrator.

Rotate or Rotation

(depending on your display)

Rotate the image shown on your display by the chosen amount. See Rotate the image on your Mac display. This button only appears if a supported external display is connected to your Mac.

Refresh rate

Adjust how frequently your screen is redrawn. If the rate is too low, your screen may appear to flicker. If the rate is too high, the screen may be black because it doesn’t support that rate. Check the documentation that came with your display for the best rate. If you have a supported display, you can set your display to dynamically adjust its refresh rate, using Adaptive Sync.

This option only appears if an external display that supports changing the refresh rate is connected to your Mac.

Show Sidebar

Choose whether the sidebar on your iPad appears on the left, the right, or not at all.

This option only appears if you’re using your iPad as a second display for your Mac.

Show Touch Bar

Choose whether the Touch Bar on your iPad appears on the top, the bottom, or not at all.

When you use an app that supports the Touch Bar on your iPad, the Touch Bar is shown in the location you specified. The buttons available in the Touch Bar vary depending on the current app and task.

This option only appears if you’re using your iPad as a second display for your Mac.

Enable double tap on Apple Pencil

Select the checkbox if you want to be able to double-tap the lower section of Apple Pencil to switch drawing tools in some apps (if your Apple Pencil supports it).

See the Apple Support article Pair Apple Pencil with your iPad.

This option only appears if you’re using your iPad as a second display for your Mac.

Overscan

Select this option if you are using a TV as a display and you can’t see the menu bar.

This option only appears on supported TVs.

Underscan

Select this option if you’re using a TV as a display and you don’t want black bars to appear around a movie or show.

This option only appears on supported TVs.

Dynamic resolution

Enable to allow the resolution of a virtual display to automatically match the size of its screen share viewer window.

This option only appears when a Screen Sharing Virtual Display is connected.

High dynamic range

Enable to allow remote ultra-high-definition video production workflows up to 1000 nits by supporting the High Dynamic Range (HDR) Video (P3-ST 2084) reference preset.

This option only appears when a Screen Sharing Virtual Display is connected.

Advanced

Set options for viewing resolutions and connecting to a nearby Mac or iPad.

  • Show resolutions as list: Enable to always see available resolutions as a list.

  • Link to Mac or iPad: See Use one keyboard and mouse to control Mac and iPad.

Night Shift

Shift your display to the warmer end of the color spectrum. Warmer screen colors are easier on your eyes when you use your Mac at night or in low-light conditions. See Use Night Shift.

Detect Displays

Scan for all the displays connected to your Mac. Press and hold the Option key to make this button appear in place of the Night Shift button, then click Detect Displays if your Mac doesn’t recognize a display you just connected.

Displays settings on Mac (2024)

FAQs

Displays settings on Mac? ›

To open these settings, choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Displays in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.) Arrange the position of the displays, mirror their content, or relocate the position of the menu bar. This option only appears when you have an external display connected to your Mac.

How do I change the display settings on my Mac for two monitors? ›

Choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Displays in the sidebar to see your displays' settings, including resolution, brightness, and color profile. You can also decide whether to extend or mirror your Mac desktop across multiple displays across your external displays.

How do I configure external displays on my Mac? ›

Configure display settings

From the Apple menu  in the corner of the screen, choose System Settings (or System Preferences), then click Displays. In display settings you can change display resolution, choose a refresh rate, arrange your displays and more.

How do you reset the display settings on a Mac? ›

Reset the resolution in safe mode
  1. Start up your Mac in safe mode. ...
  2. After your Mac starts up, choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Displays in the sidebar. ...
  3. Click Default on the right to use the best resolution for your display.
  4. Restart your Mac normally.

How do I turn on display mode on my Mac? ›

Log into your account on your primary Mac and press ⌘ Command + F2 to open Target Display Mode and mirror your screens.

How to adjust display settings on Mac? ›

On your Mac, choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Displays in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.) Select the display you want to adjust, then select the resolution you want to use. You may be able to turn on “Show all resolutions” to see additional resolutions for the display.

How do I change my display settings on two monitors? ›

Set up dual monitors on Windows
  1. Select Start , then open Settings .
  2. Under System , select Display . ...
  3. Use the dropdown list next to the image of your desktop to choose how your screen will project across your displays.
  4. Once you've chosen your setup, select Apply.

Why is my Mac not detecting two external monitors? ›

Cause of Why a Mac Is Not Detecting an External Display

Faulty cables (or the wrong cables). Power-saving options in a MacBook preventing it from running an external monitor. Outdated drivers or software for docks. Incorrect settings in your Mac's Display settings, including brightness and resolution.

Why are my two monitors showing the same thing on my Mac? ›

Adjust the display settings

Click the Apple menu > System Settings > Displays. Scroll down and select the display you want to adjust. Arrange your display icons to match the physical setup of your monitors. Uncheck the 'Mirror Displays' option unless you want both screens to show the same content.

How do I make dual monitors not mirror each other on my Mac? ›

Mac:
  1. Open System Preferences.
  2. Select Displays.
  3. Select Arrangement.
  4. Uncheck Mirror Displays.
Aug 9, 2022

How do I change my display settings? ›

View display settings in Windows
  1. Select Start > Settings > System > Display.
  2. If you want to change the size of your text and apps, choose an option from the drop-down menu next to Scale. ...
  3. To change your screen resolution, use the drop-down menu next to Display resolution.

How do I fix the display on my Mac monitor? ›

How to fix MacBook external display not detected
  1. Check the cables and adapters. Make sure you're using the correct cables and adapters for your Mac and monitor. ...
  2. Check the hardware ports. ...
  3. Make sure the cable connection is secure. ...
  4. Adjust the display settings. ...
  5. Update the macOS.

How to set up multiple monitors on a MacBook? ›

How to setup multiple monitors
  1. Select the Mac icon (in the top left corner)
  2. Select System Preferences.
  3. Click on Displays.
  4. Select the Arrangement tab (Only available when second monitor is connected)
  5. Move the monitors around to properly orient them and select "Mirror Displays" if you want them to show the same thing.
May 31, 2021

How do I access displays on Mac? ›

From the Apple menu  in the corner of the screen, choose System Settings (or System Preferences), then click Displays. In display settings you can change display resolution, choose a refresh rate, arrange your displays, and more.

How do I change the default display on my Mac? ›

You can change your primary monitor settings by opening System Preferences > Displays > Arrangement. Then click and drag the small white menu bar to your preferred display. OS X will remember this setting for your display configuration.

How do I set my external monitor as primary on Mac? ›

Click on Apple mark and select "System Preferences..." Right-click the monitor you want to set as the main monitor and select "Main Display" from the list. Select the monitor you want to set as the main display, and select "Main display" from "Use as".

How to set different display scaling level for multiple monitors in Mac? ›

If you need to adjust the scaling on a Mac, open System Settings > Displays, then hit the Advanced button in the bottom right of the popup window. In the advanced settings, look to the top and toggle the Show resolutions as list option, then click done.

How do I display different things on two monitors? ›

To change what shows on your displays, press Windows logo key + P. Here's what you can choose. See things on one display only. See the same thing on all your displays. See your desktop across multiple screens.

How do I edit dual screen on Mac? ›

Adjust Multiple Displays - Mac
  1. Go to System Preferences.
  2. Click on Displays.
  3. Click on Arrangement. To show different windows on the displays, make sure the box next to Mirror Displays is not checked. To change the order of the displays: Click on a screen. A red border appears on the selected display.

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