Big Sur 11.1 External Display Issues!

We have one MacBook Air M1 (2020) Big Sur 11.1 that is using a 27" Samsung UHD monitor for it's second display.

We used the fix of checking "prevent computer from sleeping when monitor sleeps" to correct the problem, but we decided to try a couple of other ideas to keep testing. Switching ports works for a day. Connecting both ports and letting the Mac and Display to auto handshake seems to work. Day two it is still going.

This is using Hyperdrive 2.0 port replicator with USB-c Connection to MacBook Air.

I agree. The Display Port does not work for me at all too. I have Big Sur installed on a M1 MBA and 2015 iMac and same thing - DP does not work on either one. In HDMI mode they work but the resolution is below the 5K ultra wide capacity. Using SwithcResX helps but still not at max resolution. I just don't know why Apple keeps reducing functionality (e.g M1 on one monitor now) and does not communicate clearly when a fix will be issued.

I'm having the same issue. I have the MacBook Air 2017. I have been working with Apple Support for the past week and a half to get this resolved. They are escalating it (hopefully) to an engineer with this next call.

Has anyone had any luck with this? I want to bring it up during the call to see what they have to say about it.

I, and I think many on this group, have tried to work with Apple to no avail. From my experience, Apple support will try to convince you this is not an endemic problem, that it is a specific situation that only you are having and they will get the engineers on it to fix your problem. After over a dozen conversations with Apple support, who all seemed to mean well and wanted to fix my problem, it became apparent they had no ability to do so. IMO, this won't get resolved until an avalanche of people complain about it to Apple.

The release of MacOS 11.2 on Monday February 1st has returned the use of my external display.

I have seen a several barely visible flickers and one much longer blackout that lasted for ~2 seconds, but it seems to be working.... at least for a few minutes. If the display was a TV, I'd guess the flickers last 1 or 2 TV frames, at 30 frames/s.

I have a late 2016 MBP connected to a CalDigit TS3+ Thunderbolt hub using an Active Displayport-to-DVI-D cable. The monitor is an HP ZR24w at a resolution of 1920x1200. This monitor is about 10 years old.

I applied the macOS 11.2 update as well. I powered everything down after the update (turned off all power strips), reset my monitor settings to factory (I use a 34" LG 5K2K display), reset the SMC and switched back to the Owens Corning optical Thunderbolt 3 cable. I'm back to full 5120 x 2160 resolution at 60Hz.

I have to test my other OS partition running 10.15.7 and will update this thread if I see problems there. This bug has been a HUGE pain, but 11.2 is promising so far.

I've been having the same issue - since downloading 11.1 my external display, which I connect to via USB-C to Display Port, stopped working. I downloaded 11.2 and it's still not working so I'm super disappointed. Is anyone else having the same experience?

Just upgraded to 11.2. Resolution seems to be fixed on M1 but still does not like a Ultrawide monitor being connected to a iMac. Getting full resolution on a UW 5k is impossible with the iMac. SwitchResX helps to 4K.

OK - more info from testing tonight. This is a firmware issue on the graphics adapter. Again, I have a Mac Pro Rack 2019. When I originally experienced this issue in late December, I got no display whatsoever with my previously-working Owens Corning optical Thunderbolt 3 cables to my current LG 5K2K monitor. As a troubleshooting measure, I took out my W5700X module and put the original 580MX back in but had the same problem. That 580MX was installed when I applied the 11.2 update earlier this evening that fixed the problem - full resolution @ 60Hz with the optical cable.

However, when I put the more powerful W5700X module back in the system, it went right back to the same problem - no video via the optical cable. Fortunately, I had backed up to an external Thunderbolt 3 flash drive before this whole mess started. Thinking that the 11.2 update must have applied firmware updates as a part of the process, I booted up my old 10.15.7 OS from December with the W5700X installed (used another cable to get lower res video given that the optical cables didn't work again) and re-applied the 11.2 update. After several PRAM and SMC resets, this all now works.

This doesn't apply to many of you - you don't have the option to switch out graphics cards with MacBook Pros. However, if you're in my situation, make sure you have the graphics card that you desire to permanently use installed when you apply the 11.2 update. The upgrade process updates the firmware on the card and the fix won't work if you do the update with a different card installed.

Crazy night - happy to be at full 5K2K resolution @ 60Hz once again. Very concerned by all this - no way this should have passed Apple QA processes....

2020 MacBook 16" (Intel) - Connected to (2) External 4k LG Monitors

Big Sur 11.0 - All worked w/no issues to report

Big Sur 11.1 & 11.2 - No longer able to connect DisplayPort through USB-C to external monitors

This is a major issue that has been going on for over a month. The focus has been all about the M1. I would like to return my MacBook.

Same here, been plagued by the lack of display stream compression support in MacOS 11.1 for months now.

I tried updating to 11.2 this morning in hope it would be fixed, but it wasn't. Even after creating a new APFS volume and doing a fresh install from internet recovery it did not help the issue.

Suuuuper disappointed, as @scottreder got my hopes up with firmware updates applied during the MacOS upgrade installation.

System: Macbook Pro 16" Radeon Pro 5500M

Display: Philips 346P1C connected via USB-C (DisplayPort)

This is just unacceptable. Over a month of waiting for a fix for the external display issues that has crippled my machine.

Talked to apple support yesterday and they said they were aware of the issue but there is no fix yet.

We are all sharing your frustration. Lesson Learned: wait at least 6 months after an upgrade to upgrade, which I did almost absentmindedly after receiving numerous requests from Apple to do so.

BTW, I am about to purchase a new iMac. Do you know if the issue is plaguing both laptops and iMacs? Also, can anyone recommend the best cable or cables I will need to connect the two Macs. I already have one 2-foot cable that has a lighting connector at one end and an HDMI connector at the other.

Thanks!

I have the exact same setup as you and this issue has been causing me so much frustration. Apple has lost so much of my faith with this. How on earth they haven't fixed this issue by now is beyond me. The most frustrating thing is that there isn't even a workaround. Has anyone had any luck with any other cable solution? Maybe usb-c to HDMI?

If you read through the thread you will find there are workarounds.

For me - Using 2020 MBP16 and TB3 to HDMI 4k 60hz (!) adapter from Satechi solved it. Lost HDR but dont care. its functioning reliably. Also pointing out it has to be the 60hz one, as the cheaper ones are 30hz only.