<p>I have a 13" MacBook aluminum, and will probably get a larger monitor for my dorm room to have for convenience. What I'm wondering is, will I only be able to use the larger monitor by itself, or can I use both my macbook screen and the monitor as a sort of dual monitor setup? I don't want to buy two monitors, I'm wondering if I can simultaneously use my macbook screen and the external display.</p>
<p>You can mirror or extend the desktop on a 2nd monitor.</p>
<p>after you hook up your external monitor and turn it on, go to system preferences > displays and make sure that “mirror” is unchecked.</p>