Can a 2017 iMac running Catalina work in Target Display Mode?

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Can a 2017 iMac running Catalina work in Target Display Mode?

Since I'm now having to work from home, I'd like to connect my work mid-2015 MacBook Pro to my home 27" 2017 5K iMac so I can use the iMac as a monitor, but still retain the functionality of the iMac. The 2017 iMac models previously didn't support TDM, but I spoke with an Apple rep over the phone today who said that if both machines are running Catalina, it should work. Does anyone have experience with this or can anyone confirm this is true before I upgrade?

Thanks!

iMac 27" 5K, macOS 10.14

Posted on Mar 22, 2020 4:12 PM

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Answer 1

Mar 22, 2020 5:16 PM in response to ksgould

Hello, ksgould.

The short answer is no.

Apple does not support that iMac as an external (target) display.

Some things to know about Target Display mode:

Apple has not supported Target Display mode out of the box on any iMac since 2014, nor on any macOS newer than 10.13 High Sierra.

Only a small handful of iMacs were ever supported to target display mode:

"Note: Target Display Mode isn’t supported on iMac models with Retina display. Only iMac (27-inch, Late 2009), iMac (27-inch, Mid 2010), and iMac (Mid 2011 to Mid 2014) support Target Display Mode.”

For the intended target (the iMac being used AS a display):

"Target display mode requires macOS High Sierra or earlier. It does not work with macOS Mojave or later.“ (Catalina)

Use your iMac as a display with target display mode - Apple Support

Use your iMac as a display - Apple Support

If you search the internet, however, you might find some unsupported third-party solutions. For example:

Turn any Mac or iPad into a second display - lunadisplay

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