How To Close Your Laptop Lid And Use An External Monitor On Windows 11, 10

By default, when you close the laptop lid, it goes to sleep mode. If you have multiple screens connected, you cannot use external monitors exclusively with default Windows settings. The external monitor will also go blank as soon as you close your laptop’s lid.

If you want to keep using your external screen with the laptop’s lid closed, you will need to change a few settings.

In this article, we will discuss two things:

1. How to close a laptop and use an external monitor.
2. How to connect the laptop to an external monitor along with the audio output.

When we connect to an external display, we normally use the external display as an extension to the laptop screen. If it is not required and we only use an external display, it would be better to close the laptop lid to save power and extend the laptop battery.

Also, check how to fix the battery draining fast when the laptop lid is closed.

Why close your laptop and use an external monitor?

Before we dive into the action part, let’s discuss the benefits of using an external monitor as your primary display.

Better viewing experience

Usually laptop screens are smaller and cause eye strain and discomfort. If you connect a larger screen to your laptop, it will give you a larger screen estate to work with, and also improve the viewing experience, especially for gaming.

The average laptop’s screen size is around 14”, while mini laptops can measure anywhere between 11” and 13.3”. A larger external monitor can provide a much better viewing experience and reduce eye strain. External monitors typically range from 17” to 32” and are more affordable than ever. Additionally, they can be easier on the eyes due to their larger size and adjustable settings.

Save battery life

The screen is one of the biggest power consuming components of the laptop. Using an external monitor can help save battery life, as the laptop screen is turned off and not in use. This is especially useful when you focus on single tasks.

Keep your laptop cool

Although laptop processor and GPU are the most heat producing components of a laptop, not using the laptop screen will help produce less heat, ensuring the laptop works better and lasts longer.

Additionally, increasing laptop ventilation by propping the laptop up on a stand or cooling pad can help reduce the laptop’s temperature and increase its longevity.

There are multiple ways to configure laptop lid settings. We will discuss three ways here. Please note that all of the methods discussed below can be used for Windows 11, Windows 10, and even Windows 8.1 and Windows 7.

Use External Monitor with Laptop Lid Closed from Windows Power Options

You can configure the laptop lid close action settings from the “Power Options” applet. Here’s how to use an external monitor with your laptop closed:

1. Open the Control Panel by typing in “control” in the Run Command box.

   

2. Now go to “Hardware and Sound,” and then “Power Options.”

   Alternatively, you can also type in “powercfg.cpl” to open the Power Options applet directly.

3. Click “Choose what closing the lid does” from the left.

   

4. In both the drop-down menus for “When I close the lid,” select “Do nothing,” and then click “Save changes.”

   

Now you can close the lid, and the display on the external monitor won’t be disturbed, and the system will keep running. This is the easiest way to run a laptop with the lid closed.

Once this setting is configured, your monitor will not shut off when you close the laptop lid. The laptop will not go to sleep when you close its lid.

Use External Monitor with Laptop Lid Closed using Command Prompt

You can also set the lid close action to “do nothing” using Command Prompt. Here’s how:

1. Run an elevated Command Prompt.

2. Run the following command to set the lid action to “Do nothing” when the laptop is plugged in:

   powercfg /setacvalueindex scheme_current sub_buttons lidaction 0

   

3. Next, run the following command to set the lid action to “Do nothing” when the laptop is on battery power:

   powercfg /setdcvalueindex scheme_current sub_buttons lidaction 0

   

You may change the integer value at the end of the commands to the following for the associated action:

• 0 – Do nothing
• 1 – Sleep
• 2 – Hibernate
• 3 – Shut down

Configure Lid Close Settings using PowerShell

To configure laptop lid close settings using PowerShell, you can use the following steps:

1. Open PowerShell as an administrator.

2. Run the following command to list the current power plan settings:

   powercfg -list

3. Identify the GUID of the power plan you want to modify.

4. Run the following command to set the lid close action for the identified power plan:

   powercfg -setdcvalueindex <GUID> SUB_BUTTONS LIDACTION <value>

   Replace <GUID> with the GUID of the power plan, <value> with the desired lid close action value, which can be one of the following:

   • 0: Do nothing
   • 1: Sleep
   • 2: Hibernate
   • 3: Shut down

   For example, to set the lid close action for the current power plan to do nothing, run the following command:

   powercfg -setdcvalueindex SCHEME_CURRENT SUB_BUTTONS LIDACTION 1

5. Run the following command to apply the changes:

   powercfg -setactive <GUID>

   Replace with the GUID of the power plan you modified.

Configure Laptop Lid Close Settings using Group Policy Editor

If you are a sysadmin or power user and want to configure lid close action settings for multiple users, you can use the Group Policy Editor.

1. Open Group Policy Editor (Run > gpedit.msc)

2. Navigate to the following:

   Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Power Management > Button Settings.

3. In the right pane, double-click on the “Lid Switch Action” policy.

4. Select the “Enabled” option, then choose the desired action from the drop-down list:

   1. Do nothing
   2. Sleep
   3. Hibernate
   4. Shut down

5. Click “Apply” and then “OK” to save the changes.

6. Restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

Note: This setting applies to all power plans on the computer. If you want to apply different settings to different power plans, you will need to use Command Prompt, PowerShell or the Control Panel Power Options applet. You can also use the script discussed below for automation.

Configure Laptop Lid Close Settings using Windows Registry

You can also configure the laptop lid close action settings using Windows Registry.

1. Open the Windows Registry Editor (Run > regedit)

2. Navigate to the following key:

   Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power\PowerSettings\4f971e89-eebd-4455-a8de-9e59040e7347\5ca83367-6e45-459f-a27b-476b1d01c936

3. Double-click on the “Attributes” value in the right pane.

4. Change the value data to one of the following:

   1. 0: Do nothing
   2. 1: Sleep
   3. 2: Hibernate
   4. 3: Shut down

5. Click “OK” to save the changes.

6. Restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

Note: This setting applies to all power plans on the computer. If you want to apply different settings to different power plans, you will need to use Command Prompt, PowerShell or the Control Panel Power Options applet. You can also use the script discussed below for automation.

Use External Monitor with Laptop Lid Closed using Command Prompt Script

You can also use a pre-configured script to change the actions for closing your laptop’s lid instantaneously. The script was created and then shared on Microsoft Technet Gallery for the public to use.

This is especially useful for people who frequently like to change between their settings, such as sometimes putting their computer to sleep by closing their lids and sometimes letting it run to use an external monitor.

Use the following steps to use the Command Prompt script to change what closing the lid does:

1. Download the script by clicking on the given file below.

     Lid.cmd (1.3 KiB, 361 hits)

2. Open the Command Prompt with administrative privileges and then use the “CD” cmdlet to switch to the directory where the script is stored.

   CD [PathToDirectory]

   

3. Now, enter either of the commands to change what closing the lid does:

   • To configure the action to “Do nothing” upon closing the lid, enter:

     Use this setting when you want to use the external monitor when the laptop lid is closed.

     lid on

     

   • To configure the PC to “Sleep” when the lid is closed, enter:

     lid off

     

Here are a few more settings/configurations that you should use an external monitor when the laptop’s lid is closed:

1. Connect the laptop to an external monitor.
2. Change the display settings to enable the 2nd display device.
3. Adjust audio settings according to the second screen monitor.

Connect Laptop to External Monitor

To connect your laptop to an external monitor, you need to have a compatible cable. We recommend using an HDMI or a Display cable that can carry both video and audio. While you can also use other cables to connect to an external display, like VGA or a DVI cable, HDMI is the most used digital port of all and is easily available.

Both the monitor and the laptop need HDMI ports for the connection. Just insert one side into your laptop and the other into the monitor and everything on your laptop will now be displayed on the external monitor as well.

Change Display Settings to Enable Second Monitor

Once the external display is physically connected, most modern PCs automatically detect it. If they don’t, you need to configure your display settings to “extend,” “duplicate,” or “mirror” your laptop’s screen.

To make changes to the display settings, press the Windows Key + P shortcut keys, which opens the Project menu. You will then see four options in the menu on the right side of the screen:

1. PC Screen only
2. Duplicate
3. Extend
4. Second screen only

All options are pretty self-explanatory. To connect to an external display and turn off the laptop’s proprietary screen, you will select the fourth option “Second screen only“.

The laptop screen is always the primary screen by default. It will be disabled when the “Second screen only” option is selected.

Set Your Default Monitor When Using an External Display with Your Laptop

If your laptop does not show the correct display on the external monitor, you may need to set it as your default monitor. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Right-click on your desktop and select “Display Settings” from the menu.

2. Click on the external display you want to set as your default monitor.

3. Scroll down to the “Multiple displays” section and select “Make this my main display”.

4. Click “Apply” and then “OK”.

Adjust the Audio Output Settings for External Monitor

The advantage of using HDMI is that you can also stream audio through the monitor device. For example, if you are connecting an LED TV, it will have the capability of streaming audio in addition to video from the laptop. Just follow the steps below to enable audio through an HDMI device.

1. Right-click the speaker icon on the taskbar and click “Sound Settings.”

   

2. Now scroll down inside the Settings app and click “More sound settings.”

   

3. Select “Digital Audio HDMI.”

4. Right-click “Digital Audio HDMI” and click on “Set as Default Device.”

   

You will get the sound from the external monitor, provided that it has a speaker or audio peripheral.

You can also extend and use the second laptop screen as a monitor in Windows.

For me, this option is useful, as I keep my laptop running all the time. I have selected to do nothing when I close the lid while the laptop is connected to the power source. This helps me save power, as well as use external monitors, speakers, keyboards, and mice.

One thing to note here is that if you restart your Windows computer, it will detect and activate the primary screen, which is the laptop screen. The secondary screen will automatically get activated and the laptop screen will be turned off on the logon screen.

If you have a broken laptop screen, it will be difficult to start the computer, as the laptop will always detect its own screen as the primary display, and will try to activate it until the system is fully booted.

What do you do when you want to run the laptop with the lid closed?

There are some questions users frequently ask, so I’m adding them here so everyone can benefit. If you have any questions, you can ask in the comments section below.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)