connecting MacBook to projector and keeping MacBook as the ‘main’ monitor

[Danjags]

Hi I have a MacBook and am starting to sometimes connect it to a projector (via hdmi or airplay with an apple tv) to use it as a second, separate display (not mirrored). It works well except that every time that i connect the projector via hdmi or airplay, it always moves all my windows from the MacBook to the monitor or projector and also moves all my basic system functionality (like my dock, volume indicators, login screen, new windows that i open, etc) to the projector.

I want to make it so that basically everything stays on my MacBook screen, including most of the windows and all of the basic system functionality. The only thing that i want to use on the projector is one or two browser windows in chrome or firefox so that i can watch videos on the projector while working on the MacBook.

How can i make it work like this?

Thanks,
Dan

 

[AHB]

I think that when this happens next time, you can drag the title bar back over to your main display and it will remember that setting with subsequent connections. This is all done in your Displays applet in system preferences. When you have more than one display detected and represented, the title bar will be represented also in one of the small model windows. Simply drag it back to the one you want it in, and things should go back where you want. Here, you can also move the displays around each other to position where you want them to be virtually with each other.