connect mac mini with imac

OK bear with me here.

I have a 2017 iMac with 5k retina display. I'm running Mojave 10.14.6 only because updating will break Photoshop on me. I have Affinity but I hate it. I cannot get it set up the way I need to work, so let's not go that route please. Not trying to be snotty, I just need some help with this idea...

If I purchase a mac mini, can I use that to run Mojave and photoshop and have it so I can switch from the iMac to that mini when I need to work on Photoshop? I would only need the device and no monitor if I can switch and view it on the current iMac screen. I need the full 27" screen for my stuff.

How would that work?

Can it be done (I'm sure it can)? How?

This way I can get the full features of the latest version of the OS without compromising anything.

iMac 27″, macOS 10.12

Posted on Jan 16, 2023 8:34 AM

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den.thed

Level 10

91,264 points

Posted on Jan 16, 2023 8:55 AM

No that will not work.

1) The 2017 iMac can not be used as a display for the Mac mini.

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

2) A new Mac mini can only run Monterey 12 if it was preinstalled from the factory and the latest Ventura 13.

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24 replies

den.thed

Level 10

91,264 points

Jan 17, 2023 8:26 AM in response to Twitchin Kitten

The native macOS app's really only take up a small amount of space and do nothing until they are used. Things like Notifications and iCloud can also be turned off and/or set to do very little.

Yeah' sometimes it is better to just blow out everything. ie erase, format, install macOS, then restore from backup and/or re-install third party apps.

Jan 21, 2023 8:05 AM in response to den.thed

So all of this was a lesson in futility. I put everything back the way it was. The new keyboard doesn't play nice with the partitioned drive and won't work on Mojave. What I really need is a virtual machine.

That will allow me to work more easily than having to shut down, grab the old keyboard and reboot and take my pick of which drive I want to use. So, back to square one and thank God for Time Machine!

Thank you so much for your time and help.

den.thed

Level 10

91,264 points

Jan 16, 2023 9:59 AM in response to Twitchin Kitten

Click on the little View box (top left corner) and select All, highlight the Fusion Drive and post another screenshot.

Jan 16, 2023 10:37 AM in response to Twitchin Kitten

ugh... they took away the ability to edit posts. here's a cleaner look at that thing. Let me know what you want highlighted.

Jan 16, 2023 11:53 AM in response to den.thed

so he didn't put in another fusion drive? He said he did and left the 120GB in there as a spare.

which one is supposed to be the main drive?

Jan 16, 2023 1:20 PM in response to den.thed

PS. trying to do anything other than a quick search or text on a phone is quite a challenge. lol

den.thed

Level 10

91,264 points

Jan 16, 2023 1:37 PM in response to Twitchin Kitten

Twitchin Kitten wrote:

PS. trying to do anything other than a quick search or text on a phone is quite a challenge. lol

I know, I was on my iPhone earlier.

den.thed

Level 10

91,264 points

Jan 16, 2023 5:01 PM in response to Twitchin Kitten

Good plan, because splitting up a disk is and has alway been risky.

den.thed

Level 10

91,264 points

Jan 21, 2023 8:19 AM in response to Twitchin Kitten

You're welcome.

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connect mac mini with imac