Macbook Air M2 to two LED Cinama Display 24" (Thunderbold 2)

The LED Cinema Display (24-inch) is a Mini DisplayPort monitor with 1920x1200 pixel resolution. You should be able to connect one of those displays to your new M2 MacBook Air with a USB-C to Mini DisplayPort adapter, or adapter cable.

As already noted, the M2 MacBook Air supports only one first-class external display, so to drive two displays, you would need to use some sort of workaround product (like a DisplayLink-based hub or adapter) that might invove some significant compromises.

Here's an example of an adapter that plugs into one port and that provides two "fake" DisplayPort outputs.

https://www.sonnettech.com/product/m1-mac-dual-displayport-adapter/overview.html

Note that in Sonnet's product line,

• Sonnet DisplayLink Dual DisplayPort Adapter is the one that can create two "fake" display outputs for a M1 or M2 Mac that has only one hardware video output.
• Sonnet Thunderbolt Dual DisplayPort Adapter consumes two hardware video signals to offer two real outputs. It would require something like a 14" or 16" MBP that supports two or more displays.

You may be able to find cheaper adapters on Amazon that consume one USB-C port and offer one "fake" display output. Or hubs that support DisplayLink or something like it.

Given that a M2 MacBook Air only has two USB-C (TB3) ports, you'd need to do some planning ahead on how to plug everything you need into them.

WheelieNick wrote:

If you have a thunderbolt 2 connector, you could try and use Apple's own thunderbolt 2 to thunderbolt 3 (USB C)

Apple never made a 24" Thunderbolt monitor, which tells us that these are not Thunderbolt monitors, and that using the TB3-to-2 adapter to directly connect one of them to a new Mac won't work.

Bobba_Fet wrote:

OK, thanks,

I belive I have mini display port (screens are from 2010).

So I have to find dockstation USB-C to 2 mini displayports and it should works, am I right?

It won't work as well as if you had two real hardware video outputs. There may be possible issues like:

• Display update lag
• DRMed video content refusing to play on any of your monitors (even the built-in screen)
• The possibility that updates to macOS could break your two-display setup (and you would be dependent on some third-party to update their Mac driver to restore functionality)

Note that DisplayLink is not the same thing as DisplayPort.

DisplayPort is a standard. DisplayLink is a workaround technology that just happens to have a similar name.

It was a bit trial and error here. First you have to make sure that you have a Cinema Display with thunderbolt 2. The led cinema display most likely had no thunderbolt 2 but mini display port. The connectors are looking the same, but the protocol surely differs.

If you have a thunderbolt 2 connector, you could try and use Apple's own thunderbolt 2 to thunderbolt 3 (USB C)

If it is a display with mini display port, I used a third party dock from a local company here. But that is a lot more difficult and trial and error

The MacBook Air only supports one external display.

For the connection: I used a thunderbolt 3 to thunderbolt 2 dock for the connection

Another option might be to replace the two 24" 1920x1200 LED Cinema Displays with one larger display. Say, a 27" 2560x1440 display, or a 27" – 32" 3840x2160 display.

Then you'd be working with the M2 MacBook Air, instead of fighting it.

It could work, in theory. But that is far more difficult than a simply connection, as mini display port could not use thunderbolt technology.

I connected a DVI cinema display to a thunderbolt 2 Mac, that was a lot of trial and error and experimenting, but I did not do that for the intention to get it to work, but for the experiment (In my working life I was an IT Professional)

If you want to simply set up your monitor and go, you would probably want to use a newer monitor