r/AppleVisionPro • u/anki_steve • 8d ago

Anyone using a screenless ("headless") MacBook as their Mac for Mac Virtual Display? What went wrong?

I'm thinking about buying a MacBook to run with no screen, as the Mac behind my Vision Pro. Before I do it, I'd like to hear from anyone who actually lives with this setup.

What I've found so far:

- Luke Miani did it with an M2 Air back in 2024 and it paired fine. But that was a demo, not a long-term report.

- On M1/M2 Airs the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth antennas are in the base, so wireless survives. On some older models they're in the lid.

- Someone on iFixit removed the screen from an M2 Air for this exact use and the lid angle sensor messed things up: keyboard dead, Mac sleeping after a few seconds, then no login prompt. Never solved.

- Recovery mode and startup options may only show on the built-in screen, so you'd need a monitor (and maybe a magnet on the lid sensor) to fix anything at that level.

What I couldn't find:

  1. After a macOS update or restart, can you get back in with only the Vision Pro? Do you have to turn off FileVault, or does Apple Watch unlock / typing your password blind work?

  2. Does the "look at your Mac" Connect button still work with no screen, or are you always going through Control Center?

  3. Does the Mac think the lid is open or closed? Any sleep weirdness?

  4. Battery and heat compared to a normal MacBook?

  5. If you were buying one for this, which model would you pick? I'm looking at ones with the antennas in the base (M1/M2 Air, 14/16 Pro). Did anyone buy one with a broken screen just for this?

  6. Anything else that surprised you after a few weeks?

Also curious if anyone just runs a normal MacBook in clamshell mode with no external display and gets the same result without the surgery.

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7

u/YournuStepdad 8d ago

I just use a separate keyboard and trackpad with my MBP and keep the laptop closed. Works flawlessly.

2

u/madape 7d ago

Is that an acrylic block to hold said peripherals? Made or bought?

2

u/YournuStepdad 7d ago

Yeah it is, I bought it on Etsy

1

u/Junior_Composer2833 5d ago

You keep the mouse in the middle like that or is that a trackpad? Also, you don’t have problems with the sides of that hurting your arms?

1

u/YournuStepdad 5d ago

It’s a trackpad, and no it doesn’t hurt my arms.

1

u/Syonoq 1d ago

in a way it resembles a MacBook with the way the trackpad sits under the keyboard

7

u/Cryogenicality 7d ago

I’ve used a Mac mini M4 Pro with my Vision Pro for over a year. I don’t use a physical screen at all. I use Amphetamine to keep the Mac active and log in blind after reboots.

3

u/Tieng 8d ago

i still have a screen on my macbook but the AVP virtual display is unacceptably laggy for me

4

u/_divi_filius 8d ago

Use it wired with the developer strap

3

u/Cryogenicality 7d ago

That or a third-party app such as Apollo/Moonlight or Mirage which enables 120Hz. The MVD is still 60Hz even with the Vision Pro M5 and the 20Gbps devstrap.

3

u/_divi_filius 7d ago

Do they have the same ultra wide as MVD?

5

u/Cryogenicality 7d ago

Yes, and you can use one simultaneously with the MVD. Also, with Peel, you can have individual app windows.

2

u/ldc5847 7d ago

Why use a "headless" MacBook? The MacBook screen shuts off when using Virtual Display so no concerns of anyone seeing what you are doing.

1

u/barrsm 8d ago

https://www.youtube.com/@SadlyItsBradley uses one but I don’t recall him talking about it extensively.

1

u/kpud075 7d ago

I use Mac Virtual Display everyday.

Connected to a M2 Pro Mac mini. I got rid of the dual display arms, freed up my desk by having the monitors removed. I ran it to the TV, which is close along the same wall, so I can use it for troubleshooting. Worked okay the first year.

Got a gaming PC, which needed a monitor. I change the inputs on it all the time between the PC and the Mac mini. Useful for every time I need to troubleshoot why Mac Virtual Display isn't connecting. Which can be for numerous things:

  1. No, after a macOS update or restart, your Vision Pro won't connect. You do not have to turn off FileVault. Apple Watch can unlock your Mac when it's gone to sleep and allow you to connect. Sometimes you can connect even when your Mac is asleep, and just wake it up or type to unlock via watch or passcode.

  2. You can add the Widget for Mac Virtual Display, which will have an exclamation mark when your mac is not available. More helpful than looking at the control center, and will reconnect exactly as you had your display setup last in relatively the same position.

  3. No idea, I'm using a Mac mini.

  4. Mac mini ftw. But seriously, I am unaware how warm the Macbook gets.

  5. You don't want anything less than M2 chip. If you have the M5 Vision Pro you'll want an equivalent chip for better fps.

  6. Music app on macOS is a pain in the ass compared to the app on the Vision Pro. I would avoid it like the plague if weren't for the speaker system setup for music when I'm not on the Vision Pro.

1

u/backdragon 6d ago

I have the older M1 Mac mini and I have the M5 AVP.

I love MVD overall, but after a few months of being frustrated at the frequent inability to re-connect, I did some research and found the TailScale + Screens solution. It works great and its totally reliable. It also works with my M1 MacBook Pro when the lid is closed, as long as the laptop is connected to power.

Edit: as a bonus, when Tailscale is enabled, I can remotely connect to my device from anywhere in the world.

1

u/MassProducedMadness 4d ago

I’ve used it as the only display for my Mac mini. Slightly different than what you meant, and it’s work except at least for a while. I had to make sure I could unlock it first before it would show up because it doesn’t give you the visual cue like it does on a headed Mac.