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What's the Key with using Presenter Notes

Avatar Rick Churchill
I want to show a KeyNote presentation on an external monitor and the presenter notes on my MacBook Pro.
I have connected the monitor via the HDMI port and it mirrors what is on screen and both showed the presentation. In System Preferences>Displays>Arrangement I then turned off Mirror Displays and now the external monitor is blank and the built-in shows the presenters screen.

The help instructions seem to imply that it should just work, the first line of which says
1. Connect an external display to your computer using a video adapter, or connect an Apple TV with AirPlay.

It worries me that the word “adapter” is used, surely it’s just a cable.

Where have I gone wrong?

Re: What's the Key with using Presenter Notes

Avatar Tony Still
This should indeed 'just work'. It may be a resolution issue with one or both displays.

Before showing your presentation, connect the external display and set the Mac NOT to mirror displays (Displays in System prefs and unselect 'Mirror Displays' in the Arrangement pane). Hopefully you now have two dissimilar desktops. If you don't, experiment with the Resolution settings in the Display pane (setting both to 'Default for display' is a good place to start.

If this doesn't work then suspect the cable. You may just be using a cable or you may have an adaptor from whatever (probably Thunderbolt) to HDMI. They usually just work too but I think you're supposed to connect the adaptor to the Mac before connecting the cable to the external device so try this too (there is a processor in at least some of the adaptors).

Once this is working , open Keynote and start the presentation. 'X' swaps the two displays so it's worth tapping that a few times too if all else fails.

Re: What's the Key with using Presenter Notes

Avatar Mick Burrell
Your cable is fine if it works when mirroring. Tony may be right about resolution but I think it's more likely you have the displays the wrong way round. In Display Preferences (System Preferences) you can choose which screen has the menu bar and (I think) the dock but also which screen is on the "left" and which is on the "right" which may help depending on which side of the laptop the monitor is positioned.

Once set up, the monitor will show the presentation and your laptop will show two screens - the presentation and the next slide or build - plus presenter notes if you've made any. Before you press "Play" you'll see the presentation as you were working on it on your laptop and the monitor will show a blank desktop. As soon as you press play, the displays change to the above.

Re: What's the Key with using Presenter Notes

Avatar Rick Churchill
Well it "just worked". It must be the order in which devices are connected/programmes are started.

I plugged in the display, checked that mirroring was off in System Preferences, noted that the displays were different, fired up Keynote and hey presto, the notes were on the built-in display and the presentation was on the external.

I experimented. I switched on mirroring first, then started Keynote and plugged in the external monitor, which mirrored the presenters notes, then turned off mirroring as I believed this was the original sequence which landed me with the problem but it all worked fine.

So I cannot reproduce the condition.

Nevertheless I think if it re-occurs then it is just a matter of unplugging the display or restarting Keynote. Thanks for your comments.

Re: What's the Key with using Presenter Notes

Avatar Mick Burrell
As you know, I’ve done the odd presentation here and there. I’ve never given any thought as to which order things were connected or when programs where started. Surely I can’t have been lucky every time!

Re: What's the Key with using Presenter Notes

Avatar Rick Churchill
I'll try and do more experimentation while I pad out my presentation.

Re: What's the Key with using Presenter Notes

Avatar Tony Still
We're after quality stuff Rick, no padding. You can't even include a slide on the problems of two screen working unless you can reproduce the fault 🤓
 
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