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Q: Thunderbolt cable does not fit in Thunderbolt ports in my iMac Mid-2011

I have a Mac Mini (bought in early 2015) that I want to fix up to use at work. I need to reformat it at home using my iMac (Mid 2011) as a display and then copy all the files and apps over from the iMac to the Mac Mini. Both have Thunderbolt ports. So I bought a Thunderbolt cable from a third party (!!) and I am flummoxed... the cable, both ends, fits in the Mac Mini but doesn't fit (either end, either port, there's 2) in the iMac, no matter how hard I jiggle it. So it's not the cable... but I am confused as to how BOTH ports on my iMac could be messed up. Believe it or not I have never tried to use them before. PS. they are definitely Thunderbolt ports, with the little lightning bolt symbol.

 

1. Has anybody ever encountered this? All my other ports work fine.

2. Is there any other way to do target display mode besides Thunderbolt for these two machines? I found this article: Use your iMac as a display with Target Display Mode - Apple Support and it seems that I can only use Thunderbolt but I wanted to make sure.

iMac, OS X El Capitan (10.11.4)

Posted on Apr 5, 2016 5:30 PM

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Q: Thunderbolt cable does not fit in Thunderbolt ports in my iMac Mid-2011

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Mike Sombrio,

    Mike Sombrio Mike Sombrio Apr 5, 2016 5:48 PM in response to semidivine+
    Level 6 (17,233 points)
    Apple Watch
    Apr 5, 2016 5:48 PM in response to semidivine+

    Have you tried flipping the cable end over? Don't be offended, it's happened.

  • by semidivine+,

    semidivine+ semidivine+ Apr 5, 2016 5:56 PM in response to Mike Sombrio
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Desktops
    Apr 5, 2016 5:56 PM in response to Mike Sombrio

    Ha, not offended, I would love this to be a stupid reason and an easy fix. I have been lining up the curved side with the curved side and I did try flipping it over, just in case.


    I think the little male part in the port is offset slightly, both are, and I just never found out until now since I never tried a Thunderbolt peripheral. I almost want to take a little sharp object to try and nudge it over a bit. Without breaking the iMac or electrocuting myself, of course.

  • by Duane,

    Duane Duane Apr 5, 2016 6:08 PM in response to semidivine+
    Level 10 (124,018 points)
    Apr 5, 2016 6:08 PM in response to semidivine+

    Are you putting in the FireWire port by chance?

  • by dialabrain,

    dialabrain dialabrain Apr 5, 2016 6:56 PM in response to semidivine+
    Level 5 (6,216 points)
    Mac App Store
    Apr 5, 2016 6:56 PM in response to semidivine+

    Just in case…

    SP623_imac-21inch-en.jpg

  • by kostby,Helpful

    kostby kostby Apr 6, 2016 11:23 AM in response to semidivine+
    Level 4 (2,799 points)
    Apr 6, 2016 11:23 AM in response to semidivine+

    Prying directly on the Thunderbolt connectors is never a good idea.


    You must have a 27" mid-2011 iMac if you have two Thunderbolt ports. The mid-2011 21.5" screen models have just one Thunderbolt port, as illustrated in the image posted by dialabrain above.

     

    If you're extremely, uh, adventurous, macsales.com (Other World Computing) has great step-by-step videos posted on YouTube that show how to disassemble the iMac for adding an SSD to the existing hard drive*.


    You don't need to REMOVE the motherboard, just wiggle it around a bit, but that still entails removing front cover, screen, DVD drive, and DVD fan first

    .

    At about 5:13 of the video they show the eight screws that need to be (removed or) in this case, loosened to adjust the logic board, and recommend plugging cables in to the back to assist with properly locating the connectors.

     

    This video show how to remove the motherboard to install the extra power and data cable.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFHvIrdm9So


    I won't minimize the complexity, it's definitely NOT a task a complete novice will want to tackle on their own.

     

    *Of course the videos feature macsales.com OWC toolkits and upgrade products.

    Disclaimer: I've used macsales.com videos and products purchased from them and elsewhere to successfully complete an HDD replacement, an SSD installation, and a DVD replacement on my own mid-2011 21.5" iMac. I receive no compensation for recommending them. Their videos are detailed and very helpful, and their products work precisely as designed when correctly installed.

  • by Mike Sombrio,

    Mike Sombrio Mike Sombrio Apr 6, 2016 3:08 AM in response to semidivine+
    Level 6 (17,233 points)
    Apple Watch
    Apr 6, 2016 3:08 AM in response to semidivine+

    I wouldn't try to pry anything. I would try a different Thunderbolt cable (yes I know it fits in the mini) from a different manufacturer. If that doesn't do it I'd haul the whole thing off to the nearest Genius Bar for a look.

  • by semidivine+,

    semidivine+ semidivine+ Apr 6, 2016 11:17 AM in response to kostby
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Desktops
    Apr 6, 2016 11:17 AM in response to kostby

    Sorry I didn't mention that. It is 27". I am very clear what a thunderbolt port looks like and that my machine has them.

     

    I didn't end up prying anything but I did look inside and see that the male center part in the port is slightly off-centered vertically. So I pushed the cord in at a slight angle (gently, of course) and I got it in.

     

    So it is the fault of my machine, but it's out of my 3 year warranty so I'm going to have to live with it.

     

    Thanks everybody who responded!

  • by semidivine+,

    semidivine+ semidivine+ Apr 6, 2016 11:19 AM in response to Duane
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Desktops
    Apr 6, 2016 11:19 AM in response to Duane

    @Duane

     

    Ha no.

  • by semidivine+,

    semidivine+ semidivine+ Apr 6, 2016 11:25 AM in response to dialabrain
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Desktops
    Apr 6, 2016 11:25 AM in response to dialabrain

    @dialbrain

     

    Hey yeah that picture is close but the iMac Mid 2011 has two thunderbolt ports. But thanks for this.

  • by Old Toad,

    Old Toad Old Toad Apr 6, 2016 11:29 AM in response to semidivine+
    Level 10 (141,115 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 6, 2016 11:29 AM in response to semidivine+
    So I bought a Thunderbolt cable from a third party

    Have you tried an Apple Thunderbolt cable?

    OTsig.png

  • by semidivine+,

    semidivine+ semidivine+ Apr 15, 2016 10:49 AM in response to Old Toad
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Desktops
    Apr 15, 2016 10:49 AM in response to Old Toad

    I'm not sure how to mark this as resolved but it is. Thanks everyone who contributed!