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User profile for user: viv_17
viv_17 Author
User level: Level 1
8 points

Can my old IMac 27 inch (Mid 2011 MacOS High Sierra) display for my MacBook Air 2020? Tried everything - HELP!

Can my old IMac 27 inch (Mid 2011 MacOS High Sierra) display for my MacBook Air 2020?


Tried everything here:

https://www.lifewire.com/use-imac-as-monitor-with-target-display-mode-2260906

https://www.lifewire.com/set-up-dual-monitors-on-a-mac-5116847

to make my Thunderbolt cable work, but had no success with Command +F2 + Fn keys...


It was working before on a work MacBook Pro, but not on this 2020 MacBook Air - anything I may be missing?


Thanks!

MacBook Air 13″, OS X 10.10

Posted on Sep 3, 2021 6:59 AM

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User profile for user: Allan Jones
Allan Jones
User level: Level 9
72,284 points

Posted on Sep 3, 2021 8:36 AM

viv_17 wrote:

That's very unfortunate Apple keeps taking out simple things from us - darn!

Thanks, Dialbrain for confirming my suspicion

Cheers!

The problem is not Apple but a flood of incorrect web article about Target Display Mode. TDM was deprecated in Late 2014 and was a dead issue here—we saw maybe 1-2 questions a month before COVID. The final interment of TDM happened before COVID started.


Then COVID forced many people to work and study from home. It seems too many starving "writers," lacking editorial assistance and/or the ability to do simple research, started spewing out TDM articles with little regard for journalistic accuracy. Because of that, Target Display Mode has now been credited with things it NEVER supported.


The first article you linked was not updated to reflect new source computer information in this Apple support article:


Use your iMac as a display with target display mode - Apple Support


This part:









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Question marked as Top-ranking reply
User profile for user: Allan Jones
Allan Jones
User level: Level 9
72,284 points

Sep 3, 2021 8:36 AM in response to viv_17

viv_17 wrote:

That's very unfortunate Apple keeps taking out simple things from us - darn!

Thanks, Dialbrain for confirming my suspicion

Cheers!

The problem is not Apple but a flood of incorrect web article about Target Display Mode. TDM was deprecated in Late 2014 and was a dead issue here—we saw maybe 1-2 questions a month before COVID. The final interment of TDM happened before COVID started.


Then COVID forced many people to work and study from home. It seems too many starving "writers," lacking editorial assistance and/or the ability to do simple research, started spewing out TDM articles with little regard for journalistic accuracy. Because of that, Target Display Mode has now been credited with things it NEVER supported.


The first article you linked was not updated to reflect new source computer information in this Apple support article:


Use your iMac as a display with target display mode - Apple Support


This part:









Reply

Can my old IMac 27 inch (Mid 2011 MacOS High Sierra) display for my MacBook Air 2020? Tried everything - HELP!

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