HT204450: About Thunderbolt Display Firmware Update 1.2

Learn about About Thunderbolt Display Firmware Update 1.2
Robert Lawrence

Q: Thunderbolt display either locks up or forces my 2016 13in Macbook Pro to reboot.

I have a new Macbook Pro 13 in and a 27 in Thunderbolt display. The display has the latest firmware 1.2 and the Macbook is running 10.11.6

 

No matter what I do, pluggin in the display either locks up the mac until I unplug the display or it crashes the computer all together and it reboots on its own.

 

I love this little mac and the display is beautiful when it finally works but all this freezing and rebooting is a pain in the butt!!

 

There should be a fix for this. These are all Apple products and they should play well together.

 

Any ideas?

Thunderbolt display

Posted on Aug 22, 2016 7:34 PM

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Q: Thunderbolt display either locks up or forces my 2016 13in Macbook Pro to reboot.

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  • by stuckboss,

    stuckboss stuckboss Aug 23, 2016 2:11 PM in response to Robert Lawrence
    Community Specialists
    Aug 23, 2016 2:11 PM in response to Robert Lawrence

    Hi there, Robert!

     

    Thanks for using the Apple Support Communities! After reading your post, I understand that when you connect your Thunderbolt display to your new MacBook Pro, the Mac will become unresponsive or will unexpectedly restart. I know how convenient having an additional display can be for a MacBook Pro, and am happy to help by providing some troubleshooting steps you can take!


    First, try resetting the computer's NVRAM while the display is connected. The following article will give you some more information on what the NVRAM is, and how to reset it: How to Reset NVRAM on your Mac


    After resetting the NVRAM, try using your Thunderbolt display with the MacBook Pro. If it's still causing the Mac to become unresponsive or to unexpectedly restart, test its performance in a new user account. You can get more information on why testing in a new user can be helpful, and instructions on how to set up a new account if you need it, in this article: How to test an issue in another user account on your Mac


    If the display and Mac still do not work as expected together while in a new user, the next recommendation I have would be to reinstall your OS X software. If you do not already have a backup of the content currently on your Mac, please create one using Time Machine first. Instructions on how to set up and use Time Machine can be found here: Use Time Machine to back up or restore your Mac

    Once your backup is complete, you can use the following article to help erase your Mac, and reinstall your OS X software: How to reinstall OS X

     

    After reinstalling OS X, test your Thunderbolt display. If you continue to have trouble with it, you can run an Apple Hardware Test to see if there's something physical going on to cause the issue. Instructions on how to do the hardware test can be found here: Using Apple Hardware Test

     

    You can also take a look over the following article, which will give some additional information and support regarding external displays: Get help with video issues on external displays connected to your Mac

     

    Cheers!