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Want to use your new MacBook in clamshell mode, but don’t have an external keyboard and mouse?I figured this out last night. Don’t know if this is a known thing or not, but I was pretty psyched about it.

If you want to use an external monitor with your MacBook in “clamshell” mode, but don’t have the peripherals, here’s what to do:

1. With your MacBook on and running, plug in your external monitor and turn it on (if the monitor isn’t already on).

2. Depending on the way you have your display prefs set, you’ll either be in mirror mode or extended desktop mode. If in extended desktop mode, change to mirror mode. If in mirror mode, keep it that way.

3. Close your MacBook. The whole system (including external display will go to sleep).

4. Take any kind of USB device and plug it into the MacBook (I used an external media card reader).

5. This will wake up the external monitor and the MacBook. You should have your desktop displayed on your external monitor at it’s full resolution (as long as it’s equal to or less than the MacBook’s highest achievable resolution – I think).

6. Now, you don’t have an external keyboard and mouse, so how do you control the MacBook?

7. Well, just open the MacBook up now. The screen will stay off (and it is off, not just dimmed), but the MacBook’s keyboard and trackpad will be fully functional, controlling the pointer on the external monitor’s desktop!