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Hi,
I have a MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015) with a Thunderbolt-2 port and a newer iMac with a Thunderbolt-3 port.
I got the Thunderbolt-2 cable and the adapter, following all the instructions, but it's not working.
Is this due to one of the monitors being a retina display? Isn't that the case for all recent Macs? Is there a workaround?
Appreciate any insight.
iMac 21.5″ 4K, macOS 10.14
see > Use your iMac as a display - Apple Support
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.
see > Use your iMac as a display - Apple Support
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.
Your software versions are fine,10.11.6 on the iMac, 10.15.3 on the MacBook Pro, but what year (and size) is the iMac?
That cable is Mini DisplayPort, not Thunderbolt. It should work for a 2009 or 2010 27" iMac.
For 2011, 2012, 2013, and mid 2014 iMacs you need a Thunderbolt 3 adapter
https://www.apple.com/ca/shop/product/MMEL2AM/A/thunderbolt-3-usb-c-to-thunderbolt-2-adapter
and a real Thunderbolt cable (with lightning bolt icons on the plugs).
Hi, I am facing a similar issue, i ordered a thunderbolt wire (picture below) because i thought this was the issue, but i guess it's the ios version that i have. My iMac has version 10.11.6, i haven't used it in a long time. Would it work if i downloaded an earlier ios version on my macbook pro (currently version 10.15.3)
Yes, sadly, you are 100% correct. According to Apple, only the following models/years of iMac will work: 27 inch, late 2009, 27 inch mid 2010, and iMac Mid 20111 to Mid 2014 support Target Display mode. If it's not one of these models or it's an iMac with Retina display, then no. You might be able to try with a MiniDisplayPort Cable betwen the two, but it doesn't look good. and you also need High Sierra 10.13.6 or earlier, you can't use Target DisplayMode with later versions of macOS or with Boot Camp and Windows. for the MacBook Pro early 2015, it might work over USB-C, which would be supported bv thunderbolt 3 , but again, there's the OS "gotcha". I don't know what year your imac might be, though. If you go to the large apple icon at the top left of the imac's screen and then click on "About this Mac" it'll tell you. Otherwise some software/hardware addon like AirServer , which has a 30 day trial then it's $26. It's not much to go on, I'm sure you can do better than I did.....
john b
Thank you John. It's a fairly new iMac, so it definitely falls outside the Target Display mode allowance. I wanted to try anyway but now I'll continue using them separately. Though it feels like this should be addressed somehow by Apple. A lot of people have been thrown into a work from home environment, and making the best use of your existing equipment is a no-brainer... Best regards!
iMac as 2nd monitor to macbook - got the cable and adapter, but it's just not working...
