10.15.6, external display problem

Readers here are other Apple Users like you, not Apple employees.

If you would like to work on this, please post the Make&Model of your display and its cables/adapters.

I just updated today to 10.15.6 (16 inch Macbook Pro) and now my external monitor will not work. When I plug the monitor in, both screens go blank. Tried rebooting and that did not work. Put the laptop in Sleep mode and then out of Sleep mode and that did not work either.

Monitor works fine on other laptops and no other updates are available.

Really need this fixed as working from home without an external monitor is less than stellar.

This is happening to me too! I've used the exact same laptop, HDMI cable and monitor for months with no problem, but this week after the update, when I plug in the external monitor, both screens go black, with occasional flickering where they show the display for a moment.

Update: The Safe Mode fix did not last; I still have the same problem. Will Apple be doing something about this? Especially at a time when so many people are working from home, not being able to use external monitors is a huge productivity problem.

Same problem here on my 3 months old 16", and nothing seems to fix it. I'm telling you: Apple is going down the drain. The accountants have taken over. My previous laptop was a 15" mid 2012 that is still running perfectly to this day although with an SSD upgrade. This 16" MacBook Pro keeps disappointing me day after day.

I think that this external display not working after the 10.15.6 update is actually a fix for another problem with the 16": when connecting an external display both fans just go wild and make this humongous, unbearable noise. No external display, no more noise. See???

Sure, we are all thrilled, and really look forward to pay 79 $ + tax and shipping for a piece of plastic with an Apple logo on it instead of a 15 $ knock off. And all this after paying 4000$+ for a loaded MacBook Pro that did not even come with a power cord extension. This is all getting ridiculous.

The good news is that, based on history, those Apple adaptors are likely to stop working as well when the ARM models come out. Or OS 10.17, or, basically, whenever this dictatorship decides.

Again, the whole set up was working absolutely fine prior to the 10.15.6 update. PRAM/SMC resets and all the usual tricks do not fix the issue. It is definitely related to the update. Problem is, downgrading to 15.5 is overly complicated and time-consuming.

When one pays a premium price for a computer, or any object or service for that matter, it must deliver a near perfect performance, period. Otherwise it feels like theft.

MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)

2,3 GHz 8-Core Intel Core i9

32 GB 2667 MHz DDR4

AMD Radeon Pro 5500M 8 GB

Intel UHD Graphics 630 1536 MB

I.T. Works model 4253132 USB-C to VGA, USB 3.0, USB-C

VGA cable

Dell P2314H 21 inches or Dell UltraSharp 2405FPW 24 inches, same result

My specs:

MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)

Processor: 2.6 GHz 6-Core Intel Core i7

Memory: 16 GB 2667 MHz DDR4

Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 630 1536 MB

Built-in display: 16-inch (3072 x 1920)

Monitor: Dell D3218HN. Native resolution: Full HD (1080p) 1920 x 1080 at 60 Hz

Cable: Supports Ultra-HD video resolution up to 4K (3840 x 2160) @60Hz. Backward compatibility with 4K@30Hz, 1080p, 1080i, 720p

I'm finding that if I restart my MBP, then usually I can successfully connect the external monitor. However, if the display goes to sleep at all, then when I wake the MBP, both displays will flicker until I disconnect the external monitor.

@Grant Bennet-Alder - thank you for your help so far. You mentioned that "If your cable is not certified for the high speed of the display, it could fail to light up." Looking at the numbers here, it seems that my cable should be sufficient for my monitor (I am no expert though). Do you have any thoughts about what might be wrong in my case?

Thanks for the info Grant. What you wrote seems to be geared towards a display that is unresponsive, or that can't be detected by the Mac.

However, I'm experiencing a different problem. As soon as I connect the external display, both the MBP display and the external display go into a dark flickering mode (meaning, both displays are mostly dark, but there are ongoing flickers on both screens showing what would be the correct display). This is also what others have been describing as a result of the 10.15.6 update. The display is connected to the Mac (during the flickers, I can see that it's listed in the Displays preferences) and it is sending data (because I see my MBP's desktop flickering on the external display).

Do you have any thoughts on what could be causing this?

This is my issue as well. It’s impossible to troubleshoot while the monitor is plugged in because you cannot see anything on either et screen I tried the clear ing of the NVRAM. Restarted in safe mode, tried every port on the laptop o could, to no avail.

I have a MacBook Pro 16 inch 2.6ghz 16 GB Ram system running 10.15.6

monitor is a viewsonic VA2431wm

Im also using a usbc to VGA converter so maybe Apple stopped support for VGA monitors?

We're getting served the (by far) most common answer on discussions.apple.com, which is: reset PRAM / NVRAM / SMC and the like. Of course this is not fixing the issue so we're being told: change the hardware. I haven't learned a single thing from this thread. The problem lies unresolved.

Read the thread again: PROBLEM OCCURRED RIGHT AFTER 10.15.6 UPDATE. Hence, there is a CLEAR cause and effect relationship between the update and the occurrence of the problem. AND YOU CAN'T EASILY DOWNGRADE so you're stuck in a dead end. The only way out is spending more money for a solution that *might* solve the issue, possibly for a little while.

Apple is one of those companies that REMOVE features as time go by. USB 2, Ethernet, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt, MemoryCard slot... Back in the days, Messages app connecting to other chat services and so on. The list goes on forever. Next iPhone won't even ship with an adaptor. Stunning. Be prepared for a mandatory subscription to Apple Services to be able to turn on your 5000$ MacBook Pro.

In between 2 workouts in the $ 120 million gym at Apple Cupertino, a very smart Apple PO has decided that nobody needs a non-USB-C external display after all. "Let's get rid of that feature, make adaptors useless so we'll boost USB-C display sales".

This is Apple, a dictatorship that can't possibly be wrong. Right? The best propagandists for it is the flock of those who *think* they know better.

• Karen

Apple is milking the cash cows (that's US, its customers!). Go get yourself an *Apple* 69$/79€ USB-C to DVI adaptor and everything will be working again... And please throw away that ugly incompatible, now useless external hardware in a landfill...

As I wrote earlier: be prepared for an upcoming mandatory 50$ monthly subscription to Apple Services to be able to power up your 5000$ MacBook.

The following quote applies quite well to Apple: "Revolutions are started by idealists, continued by destroyers and completed by a tyran" (Louis Latzarus).

I've downloaded and installed the DisplayLink driver but no solution so far. I'm not able to see the DisplayLink driver in the Screen Recordings section of System Preferences. Is this what you see?

Thanks!

I and most likely everyone here is aware that VGA is not a new standard. It is still found on projectors and monitors and I need it fairly often when there is no alternative. Im not talking about my daily setup. But when I need it I have to rely on the adapter to work. Especially when I pay 6k for a laptop and quite a bit for an adapter.

The adaptor works fine with competitors devices as well as other MacBooks.

No one is expecting a machine in 2019 to support VGA natively without an adapter, but if I buy a dedicated adapter from apple I expect it to work.

Suggesting that because of age this is a support problem is just short sighted.

Ever description of this issues leads to the conclusion of a software issue in the 10.15.6. release.

To be honest I don't see your comments helping to resolve this issue in any way.