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M1 13" Macbook Pro loses external monitor connection

I was using an old Thunderbolt Display with my M1 MBP 13" and it started having issues and would pink screen periodically. Then I switched to another display, because I read here that those old Thunderbolt Displays were problematic for the M1 Macs (I had proper adapters).


Now I am using an LG display with an Anker dock and the problems are weirder. I have to restart my MBP multiple times per day to get through the issues. It does not matter if I plug the monitor directly into the Mac. It does not matter if I use the HDMI cable to the Anker Dock to the Mac.


If I am using the direct to monitor connection, the monitor speaker will randomly start a long beep when I come back to my desk or be pink and fuzzy background snow.


I get the pink fuzzy background snow or a dark screen when I go through the dock.


In both instances, the MBP still thinks the monitor is active, so everything has to be unplugged, rebooted, logged in, then plugged back in to work again. I suspect in some cases it is the energy settings on the power adapter, and I have modified those to not put the hard disk to sleep, and extended it to three hours.


The problem is that it also happens when I am actively using the computer. I'm grateful for suggestions. I have only had this for a few months and it is the worst Mac experience I have had.

Posted on Sep 24, 2021 10:44 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Sep 28, 2021 7:14 AM

Hi Soozie_J215,


I read your KB article, and it was irrelevant to my situation. The LG is the second monitor I have tried, and the LG monitor works fine with an Intel Mac and Windows machine. I narrowed the problem to the Anker Dock I was using. For some reason, the Mac was not able to negotiate both the monitor and the dock. I mainly need the dock for the RJ45 connection, power, and display. The old Apple Thunderbolt display had different issues, so I now think the problem was unrelated.


It looks like the problem is the Anker dock.


Thank you for your response, the KB article, and feedback.


Regards,

Similar questions

2 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Sep 28, 2021 7:14 AM in response to Soosie_J215

Hi Soozie_J215,


I read your KB article, and it was irrelevant to my situation. The LG is the second monitor I have tried, and the LG monitor works fine with an Intel Mac and Windows machine. I narrowed the problem to the Anker Dock I was using. For some reason, the Mac was not able to negotiate both the monitor and the dock. I mainly need the dock for the RJ45 connection, power, and display. The old Apple Thunderbolt display had different issues, so I now think the problem was unrelated.


It looks like the problem is the Anker dock.


Thank you for your response, the KB article, and feedback.


Regards,

Sep 25, 2021 6:46 PM in response to acreason

Hi there acreason,


Thanks for your post to Apple Support Communities. We understand you have an LG external display showing oddly while using. Let's make sure you've walked through all these steps:


If your external display isn't detected or appears blurry on your Mac


We'd also suggest testing that LG monitor with another computer, if you have access to one.


Let us know how it goes.


Warm regards.

M1 13" Macbook Pro loses external monitor connection

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