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21.5 inch iMac Late 2012 use as External Display

I have a Macbook Pro Mid 2012 that I'm trying to connect to my 21.5 inch iMac Late 2012 as an external display. I did some research and saw that I could use a HDMI to DisplayPort as a connector, but it does not work. Tried target display mode as well with it.


Im thinking I need thunderbolt to thunderbolt? Or would DisplayPort to DisplayPort work? Please let me know! Thanks.

Posted on Jul 1, 2020 4:24 PM

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Posted on Jul 1, 2020 5:07 PM

This was called Target Display Mode and was discontinued. However you can try assuming you are using a version of Mac OS prior to 10.14.x. You will need to connect the 2 computers using Thunderbolt cable. I would recommend reviewing Target Display Mode FAQ


I would recommend buying an external display, why....iMacs are computers and not external displays for other computers.

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Jul 1, 2020 5:07 PM in response to ahmed6789

This was called Target Display Mode and was discontinued. However you can try assuming you are using a version of Mac OS prior to 10.14.x. You will need to connect the 2 computers using Thunderbolt cable. I would recommend reviewing Target Display Mode FAQ


I would recommend buying an external display, why....iMacs are computers and not external displays for other computers.

Jul 4, 2020 11:24 AM in response to rkaufmann87

This iMac is compatible with TDM. It's no longer being used which is why I want to turn it into an external monitor. It's also running MacOS Sierra which meets the requirements.


I bought the Thunderbolt cable and after multiple attempts, it worked. I had to log out, restart the computer, and in the log-in menu, it worked once hitting Cmd+F2. When I unplugged it and tried the same steps again, it no longer worked. Not sure if it's an issue with the Thunderbolt ports in the computers, or a bug. Any ideas? Thanks!

21.5 inch iMac Late 2012 use as External Display

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