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iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021), using iMac (27-inch, Intel Core i5, Late 2012) as a second monitor?

I have a new iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021), I would like to use my old iMac (27-inch, Intel Core i5, Late 2012) as a second monitor. Purchased an Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter and an Apple Thunderbolt Cable (2.0 m). Tried CMD F2, nothing. The 27" does not show up in the display settings. Is this possible?

Posted on Aug 28, 2022 8:49 AM

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Posted on Aug 28, 2022 9:24 AM

This:


Share the screen of another Mac - Apple Support


It will be laggy.


There are some third-party software solutions posed in this forum section but I have not used them and do not have links. I hear they are also laggy.


Basically NO new Mac you buy today will support Target Disk Mode. Even the few remaining Intel-powered Macs ship with too high an OS that cannot be downgraded to Catalina. Apple began the deprecation of Target Display Mode in late 2014 and threw the last shovel of drive in its lifeless face in early 2020.


If any employee, Apple or otherwise, told you this would work, you need to address that with the store manager. With a print-out of the TDM system requirements at hand,


If you bought the computer directly from Apple, either at an Apple retail store or the Apple online store, you have 14 days for a no-questions return. If you bought from a reseller, the reseller's return policy applies.




3 replies
Question marked as Best reply

Aug 28, 2022 9:24 AM in response to bschwatka

This:


Share the screen of another Mac - Apple Support


It will be laggy.


There are some third-party software solutions posed in this forum section but I have not used them and do not have links. I hear they are also laggy.


Basically NO new Mac you buy today will support Target Disk Mode. Even the few remaining Intel-powered Macs ship with too high an OS that cannot be downgraded to Catalina. Apple began the deprecation of Target Display Mode in late 2014 and threw the last shovel of drive in its lifeless face in early 2020.


If any employee, Apple or otherwise, told you this would work, you need to address that with the store manager. With a print-out of the TDM system requirements at hand,


If you bought the computer directly from Apple, either at an Apple retail store or the Apple online store, you have 14 days for a no-questions return. If you bought from a reseller, the reseller's return policy applies.




Aug 28, 2022 8:57 AM in response to bschwatka

Not with Target Display Mode. Although the 2012 iMac, if running no higher that OS 10.13 High Sierra, can be a monitor for pre-2020 Intel Macs running not higher than 10,15 Catalina, M1 Macs are not capable of sending a video signal to it.


The VERY limited hardware and software requirement for the now-deprecated Target Display Mode are laid out in this Apple support article:


Use your iMac as a display with target display mode

iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021), using iMac (27-inch, Intel Core i5, Late 2012) as a second monitor?

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