Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter

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Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter

I have an external monitor that was connected to my previous MBP (Retina, 15 in, Mid 2014 OS 10.13.6). The monitor has VGA and this was connected to the MBP via an adapter that terminated in a Thunderbolt plug. The Thunderbolt plug went into the MBP.

Now I have a new MBP (MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019) - OS 11.2.3 (Big Sur) but as this has USB C ports I cannot use the old VGA adapter with its Thunderbolt plug.

However, can I use the Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter (as mentioned in subject line above) to get the external monitor working with my new MPB?

Thank you in advance.

MwM

MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 11.2

Posted on Mar 21, 2021 1:27 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Grant Bennet-Alder

Level 10

127,717 points

Mar 21, 2021 2:37 PM in response to Myrrh - what's myrrh

You can plug it in, but it will not work.

The Apple ThunderBolt-3 <-> ThunderBolt-2 adapter supports genuine Thunderbolt displays, ONLY. It does not support ANY OTHERS of any description. It is NOT the right tool for this job.

Go back to whatever store you like and buy an adapter than can adapt USB-C (a subset of ThunderBolt-3) to VGA in at most ONE adapter. You generally can not "stack" display adapters

Apple sells this one, but-its pricey:

USB-C VGA Multiport Adapter -- $69.00

.

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Answer 2

Mar 22, 2021 5:17 AM in response to Myrrh - what's myrrh

Further to my question about using an external monitor with my MBP Big Sur, do you think I can use an HDMI connection between the MBP and the monitor? I've always associated HDMI with television but would it work in my case?

In the past, with the old MBP, I would have Word open on the MBP and Safari open on the external monitor. Thus I could refer to a web page while writing something in Word. I can do this at the moment by splitting the screen but it would be nice to retain the option of displaying a webpage on the external monitor.

In addition to a VGA output, the Lenovo monitor also has an HDMI socket.

In any case, I plan to get a hub for use with the MBP - but if I get a hub that offers HDMI I guess that all I'd need would be a cable between the monitor and and the hub. This may work out cheaper than getting the special VGA adapter.

What do you think?

Many thanks in advance.

MwM

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Answer 3

Mar 22, 2021 8:53 AM in response to Myrrh - what's myrrh

HDMI would give better results than VGA, but going larger than HD TV sets, it drifts into the realm of "Black Magic".

The cables you want for HDMI-only Monitors (higher resolutions than 720p TV sets) are marked as Certified with an anti-counterfeiting tag and are labeled:

"Premium High Speed HDMI cable" or that + "with Ethernet" --OR--

"Ultra High Speed HDMI cable" or that + "48G"

Cables with No Certification tags are good for your standard TV set, and not much more.

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Answer 4

Mar 22, 2021 1:12 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Thank you very much.

I guess that's what I'll do.

I'll only ever want to read text from the internet via Safari.

One more query pse: is the plug the same size/shape at both ends of such a cable?

I've just looked at the rear of the monitor and can see a recessed socket with two pins.

I'll need to ensure that the hub has the correct socket.

Is there just the one kind of HDMI plug?

Thanks in advance.

MwM

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Answer 5

Mar 23, 2021 9:25 AM in response to Myrrh - what's myrrh

I've just looked at the spec for the monitor and for HDMI it states: 1 x HDMI 1.4

I've looked at your diagram and the socket at rear of the monitor and it does indeed look like the normal HDMI and not one of the less common mini ones.

There is a bewildering selection of cables on Amazon.

I only want text but don't want to quibble over a pound or so.

Do you think the following would be suitable?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/PREMIUM-ULTRAHD-CABLE-SPEED-2160p/dp/B08RCTG86Y/ref=sr_1_7_sspa?crid=19OLUMGLCOJ1M&dchild=1&keywords=hdmi+cables+%26+leads&qid=1616516434&sprefix=HDMI+cables%2Caps%2C162&sr=8-7-spons&psc=1&smid=A4PXDANZI2GI9&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExV0tFNVNIM1dMTzQyJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwOTgzMzEyM0pLUk0wNlVDQUpSNiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNTE0MjQ1MkNGWDhMSzlVMkhMSyZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX210ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

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Answer 6

Mar 23, 2021 10:45 AM in response to Myrrh - what's myrrh

The cables you cited appear to conform, but are not CERTIFIED for the intended use. If you can get a CERTIFIED cable for about the same price, I would choose the certified cable first.

The cables you want for HDMI-only Monitors (higher resolutions than 720p TV sets) are marked as Certified with an anti-counterfeiting tag and are labeled:

"Premium High Speed HDMI cable" or that + "with Ethernet" --OR--

"Ultra High Speed HDMI cable" or that + "48G"

Cables with No Certification tags are good for your standard TV set, and not much more.

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Answer 7

Mar 22, 2021 2:24 PM in response to Myrrh - what's myrrh

There is only one full-size HDMI port. The smaller one labelled mini HDMI was only used on certain Macs to save space), never on a Dock.

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Answer 8

Mar 21, 2021 2:56 PM in response to Myrrh - what's myrrh

OK and thanks for clarifying that.

All is clear.

MwM

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Answer 9

Mar 23, 2021 9:03 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

OK fine ... thanks very much for your help and the useful diagram.

MwM

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Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter

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