I use a macbook with a second monitor, which I use as the main monitor. Whenever I needed to use the menubar I had to move to my notebook because OSX offers no way to change the primary monitor or to move the menubar. So I searched for another solution.
And here it is, its a small application called DejaMenu
from the page:
DejaMenu will display the current application’s main menu as a context menu when a key combination is pressed.
This is particularly useful for people using multiple monitors. Since the Menubar only appears on a single monitor, it is awkward to use applications on a different monitor. DejaMenu solves this - just press the configured key combo, and a copy of the Menubar is right there for your to use.
It is a great help for me and maybe you’ll find it useful too.
March 6th, 2008 at 7:04 am
This is exactly what I’ve been looking for, will take a look at it tonight!
March 6th, 2008 at 7:12 am
“…or to move the menubar” -> That is not correct.
Open the System Preferences, go to “Displays”, then to “Arrengement” and drag the menubar just to the other monitor. It’s so easy…
“Arrangement” will only show up when the external monitor is pluged in.
March 6th, 2008 at 8:36 am
thank you
March 6th, 2008 at 11:24 am
Even Tiger had it already. On arrangement you you just drag the menubar across and it becomes your main monitor. Now after closing the laptop it will go to sleep. If you click on a mouse, the external monitor will light up and you can keep your macbook closed so it functions like a desktop.
Also you drag the windows in arrangement a little bit up and down or left and right so you place the 2 screens to go seemlessly one into another.
March 6th, 2008 at 11:34 am
wow…. WOW! next tip please….
March 6th, 2008 at 11:43 am
A link would be helpful. Yeah, I second what kent said. You can drag the menu bar to whichever screen in system prefs.
March 6th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
thank you kent and
zedman I didn’t knew that,
@Greg Sorry I don’t know what happened to the link: http://homepage.mac.com/khsu/DejaMenu/DejaMenu.html
March 6th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
It is also possible to drag and drop the menubar when you are in “spaces-space”
March 6th, 2008 at 10:41 pm
Hello to all,
I find most of the leopard tricks to be old, nothing new to me.
The menubar feature is arround since the begin of osx
The tricks can be helpfull for new apple users!
You should call it OSXtricks!
Greetings Jan
March 7th, 2008 at 6:56 am
I solved the problem without DejaMenu.
I have a MacBook Pro and Apple Cinema display, connected to each other.
Right after I turn my laptop on, I close it.
Then everything appears on my big monitor, including menu bar.
(it takes a little more time then usual)
And I open my laptop again so my laptop doesn’t get burnt from heat.
Hope this helps
March 7th, 2008 at 7:16 am
A note on the moving of the menu….this you have been able to do since Mac OS 9, at least. Perhaps even Mac OS 8 (did not have a laptop back then, though), Using “displays” control panel as mentioned above.
But the utility is very handy.
Cheers,
Sune / Denmark
March 7th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
The information was greatly appriciated, now I know a bunch of ways to move the menu bar on my MBP.
“waarisjan” I’m glad you think you are everything and a bag of chips because you know “everything” about all the mac tricks ever made. I guess it be best if you leave you comments else where and not with us “new” mac users who are apparently retarded…
KEEP THE TIPS COMING
March 9th, 2008 at 2:07 am
If you use mirror monior in the “Arrangement” you then can use the brightness control to “turn off” the laptop monitor and still be able to use the keyboard. Thanks for the new information about dual monitors. Any know how to mirror monitors in bootcamp? The option I see in XP is to “extend” to the monitor.
March 9th, 2008 at 11:47 pm
This worked in 7.5 for desktops.
March 14th, 2008 at 12:16 am
Stevemaccom i had read this somewhere else:
on my mbp with leopard, I close the lid until it sleeps,
plug in the 2nd monitor,
then plug in a usb mouse,
the mbp wakes up and uses the 2nd monitor as it’s primary (and only) monitor at full resolution,
then i can open the lid of the mbp and use the keyboard and touchpad, with the mbp display still switched off.
This is a good way to use an external monitor as the primary one without using the mirror function (which for me seems to allow no more than the mbp’s resolution on the external display).
March 26th, 2008 at 5:48 am
OK, so what about when I have always pluged in my external monitor to my MBP, and when I turn power ON on my MBP the external monitor coming to be primary but with default resolution for MBP screen (1440×900 pix) and its not able to change it to the higer resultion for my ext. monitor (1920×1200 pix), even if I plug it off and then plug it in. To have maximum res. on my ext. monitor I need to Power off my MBP plug it off my extr. monitor and then power ON my MBP after OSX is loaded in, then I can plug it on my exter. monitor and its works as primary monitor with maximum resulution. Is it always have to work this way ??
March 31st, 2008 at 9:39 am
I have my MBPro connected to my 1080p tv through DVI-HDMI cable. If I have the laptop running, and the tv on and connected, when I plug the DVI into my laptop it blinks and assigns the TV as the primary monitor at full resolution.
If not you can open system preferences and change the resolution, there will be a different “Displays” window on both the laptop and external screens.
April 3rd, 2008 at 4:03 am
I have a mbp and use an Acer LCD external monitor from time to time. Weird thing is that often the Acer shows a “no signal” message when plugged in even though the mbp seems to think it is connected (screen dims, returns. The monitor shows up in Displays and Spaces). Sometimes re-start or complete shut down/restart will correct, but not always. So do you think it’s my HDMI connection or the Acer that is at issue, or something else? I’d pony up for a mac external monitor if I knew for sure it wasn’t the laptop causing this. Appreciate help/suggestions.
November 23rd, 2008 at 5:31 am
Hey this was a great tip… thanks
April 20th, 2009 at 11:57 pm
The menubar dragging has been around as long as multiple monitor support (System 2.0). The first mac to support multiple monitors was the Macinhosh II released in 1987. It supported up to 6 monitors (using six nubus cards).