Can a m1 MacBook Pro run dual monitors?

Unfortunately Apple decided to rush out the Apple M1 silicon that only support a single external display on the laptop. Nice that Apple likes to take steps backwards without clearly informing users of this change.

The technical part of my response is the same, but I differ strongly.

The Apple-Silicon M1 MacBook Pro is an enormously-capable machine. It can run an External display as large as the Apple 6K HDR display, an amazing accomplishment.

That may differ from the way you have been used to working, because older Macs could not support a display that large, and those older Macs forced you to use multiple displays if you needed that much space.

But yes, only ONE at the level of the Apple standard for its built-in hardware-accelerated displays, which are suitable for production/display of cinema-quality video with NO dropped frames, and NO dropouts or partial-blank scan lines due to memory under-runs or other issues.

¿Do you have comparatively slow-to-change data (not Video) where you would you be willing to settle for less?

DisplayLink technology creates a "fake" display buffer in RAM, sends the data out over a slower interface to a stunt box with DisplayLink custom chips that put that data back onto a "legacy" interface. It is not a true "accelerated" display, and it can suffer from lagging. Just adding the DisplayLink Driver is not adequate to get a picture -- you need a DisplayLink "stunt-box" or a Dock that includes DisplayLink chips.

It may be acceptable for a second display showing slow-to-change data such as computer program listings, stock quotes, or spreadsheets, but NOT for full motion Video, not for Video editing, and absolutely not for gaming. Mouse-tracking on that display can lag, and can make you feel queasy.

In a pinch, it may even play Internet videos (as one user put it) “without too many dropped frames".

This is in stark contrast to the Apple standard for its built-in hardware-accelerated displays, which are suitable for production/display of cinema-quality video with NO dropped frames, and NO dropouts or partial-blank scan lines due to memory under-runs or other issues.

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It is really nice to know that you can use a DisplayLink display if you MUST have an additional display for some of the types of data I mentioned. But that is NOT the same as the computer supporting a second, built-in, Hardware-accelerated display.

These displays depend on DisplayLink software, and are at the whim of Apple when they make MacOS changes. There have been cases where MacOS changes completely Borked DisplayLink software, and it took some time for them to recover.

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I think the Big Surprise for a lot of Hub/Dock buyers is that they thought they were getting a "real" display, but actually got a DisplayLink "fake" Display. If you got what you expected in every case, I would not use such pejorative terms to describe DisplayLink.

kaotik1978 wrote:

The laptop can only support a single external display. I need to be able to run two or more monitors.

While the technical details are interesting, it doesn’t solve my problem of not being able to run two or more external monitors from a M1 powered MacBook.

You can't. Read the specifications for the computer.

kaotik1978 wrote:

Already got my answer from someone else but thanks for telling me to read the manual. Fish on Bob, fish on.

Sorry. I thought that by you posting again you were trying to dispute the already provided response or you were seeking additional input. Best of luck.

You never answered my question about whether you needed full motion Video support or slow-to-change data like stock quotes or program listings.

If all you need is slow-to-change data, you can add several additional displays using DisplayLink software and stunt-boxes/Docks.