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Issues with connecting MacBook Pro to external display

I have a 2018 15" MacBook Pro with Touchbar and a 29" LG ultrawide monitor with USB-C and DisplayPort.

  1. When I connect the monitor using a USB-C cable to either of the 2 left-side USB-C ports on the MacBook, the display and sound work perfectly.
  2. When I connect both using the 2 right-side USB-C ports, the display is smaller with a 2" thick border on all 4 sides.
  3. When I connect both using a USB-C to DisplayPort cable, the display flickers a lot. The same cable works fine with my Pixel Slate and LG monitor though.

Please advise. Thank you.

MacBook Pro 15”, 10.15

Posted on Sep 23, 2020 4:48 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Sep 29, 2020 1:15 PM

Hello rushabhm,


Thank you for using Apple Support Communities!


We understand from your post that your 29" LG UltraWide Monitor works without issue when using the left-side USB-C ports on your 2018 15" MacBook Pro with TouchBar, but doesn't when using the right-side USB-C ports or the a USB-C to DisplayPort adapter.


MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018) - Technical Specifications


According to the technical specifications for the 2018 15" MacBook Pro with TouchBar, it "simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display at millions of colors and:


  • Up to two displays with 5120-by-2880 resolution at 60Hz at over a billion colors
  • Up to four displays with 4096-by-2304 resolution at 60Hz at over a billion colors

Thunderbolt 3 digital video output

  • Native DisplayPort output over USB‑C
  • VGA, HDMI, DVI, and Thunderbolt 2 output supported using adapters (sold separately)"


Resetting the System Management Controller and/or the NVRAM may help:


How to reset the SMC of your Mac - Apple Support


Reset NVRAM or PRAM on your Mac - Apple Support


The specifications for similar LG UltraWide Monitors show that they support Windows but do not mention macOS. You may want to contact LG to verify if their monitor supports being used on macOS.


Contact Us: Customer Service Phone Numbers | LG USA Support


Best Regards.

Similar questions

3 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Sep 29, 2020 1:15 PM in response to rushabhm

Hello rushabhm,


Thank you for using Apple Support Communities!


We understand from your post that your 29" LG UltraWide Monitor works without issue when using the left-side USB-C ports on your 2018 15" MacBook Pro with TouchBar, but doesn't when using the right-side USB-C ports or the a USB-C to DisplayPort adapter.


MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018) - Technical Specifications


According to the technical specifications for the 2018 15" MacBook Pro with TouchBar, it "simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display at millions of colors and:


  • Up to two displays with 5120-by-2880 resolution at 60Hz at over a billion colors
  • Up to four displays with 4096-by-2304 resolution at 60Hz at over a billion colors

Thunderbolt 3 digital video output

  • Native DisplayPort output over USB‑C
  • VGA, HDMI, DVI, and Thunderbolt 2 output supported using adapters (sold separately)"


Resetting the System Management Controller and/or the NVRAM may help:


How to reset the SMC of your Mac - Apple Support


Reset NVRAM or PRAM on your Mac - Apple Support


The specifications for similar LG UltraWide Monitors show that they support Windows but do not mention macOS. You may want to contact LG to verify if their monitor supports being used on macOS.


Contact Us: Customer Service Phone Numbers | LG USA Support


Best Regards.

Sep 30, 2020 6:28 AM in response to Alwayswantingtohelp1

Hello,


Thank you for your detailed reply.


My MacBook's MB was recently replaced by Apple. Before replacement, all 4 USB-C ports worked fine with the LG monitor. I checked the display and the MacBook is actually showing my monitor as 34" instead of 29". Could that be the issue? If yes, how can I address that?


I tried resetting the SMC and the NVRAM/PRAM, but it did not resolve the problem.


Thanks again!


-R

Issues with connecting MacBook Pro to external display

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