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User profile for user: Ben Waddington
Ben Waddington Author
User level: Level 1
58 points

Thunderbird 1 - USB 1 cables riddle

I'm tying myself in knots trying to work out which apple / compatible cable to buy. I'm trying to connect a 2016 imac with a Macbook bought around the same time to attempt a Target Disk mode transfer. iMac has the original Thunderbolt port and Macbook has just a USB c port. I have a few adapters including USB c to USB. What to use / buy to make this possible? Can't seem to search for the exact cable I need as other versions of USB and thunderbolt appear in the search... please help!

iMac 27″, macOS 10.13

Posted on Oct 25, 2021 11:03 AM

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User profile for user: Phil0124
Phil0124
Community+ 2024
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201,041 points

Posted on Oct 25, 2021 1:31 PM

The first thing I'd suggest is to identify both computers exactly so we know exactly what we are dealing with.


Start here: Identify your iMac model - Apple Support

and

here: Identify your MacBook model - Apple Support


With that said, you can likely use a Thunderbolt 2 to USB-C adapter: Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter - Apple

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User profile for user: Phil0124
Phil0124
Community+ 2024
User level: Level 10
201,041 points

Oct 25, 2021 1:31 PM in response to Ben Waddington

The first thing I'd suggest is to identify both computers exactly so we know exactly what we are dealing with.


Start here: Identify your iMac model - Apple Support

and

here: Identify your MacBook model - Apple Support


With that said, you can likely use a Thunderbolt 2 to USB-C adapter: Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter - Apple

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User profile for user: rkaufmann87
rkaufmann87
User level: Level 10
141,590 points

Oct 25, 2021 12:08 PM in response to Ben Waddington

As there is no such thing as a 2016 iMac please know that any model year iMac from 2015 on will not work in TDM. Please refer to Use your iMac as a display with target display mode - Apple Support and you will see Apple is clear about that. If you need an external display please buy one and please remember Macs are computers, they are NOT displays for other devices.


Also, for future reference please read Writing an effective Apple Support Commun… - Apple Community


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Thunderbird 1 - USB 1 cables riddle

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