Macbook Pro 2020 Dual Monitor Setup

samkelly1999 Said:

"Macbook Pro 2020 Dual Monitor Setup: Trying to do a dual monitor set up with my Macbook Pro however only one monitor is being detected. Both monitors are plugged via seperate lightning ports and are detected if I pull either one out. i.e. Monitor A is detected when only monitor A is plugged in, Monitor B is deteced when only B is plugged in, but only Monitor A is detected when both monitors are plugged in. Does anyone know a way to fix this?"

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Based on personal experience...

Getting Multiple Displays:

The J5 USB-C Dual HDMI Docking Station allows for more than two extra monitors. How so? Well, plug in a display projector the Mac using the USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter and then plug the J5 hub with 2 HDMI displays (one 4K), and then you'll have 3 external screens. It all mirrors and extends. This works my Intel and Silicon Macs.

This is a HUGE product defect. If you are trying to use this macbook pro as a professional editing workstation with two large external monitors, which is the industry standard, then you are out of luck.

Apple-Silicon 2020 M1 13-in MacBook Pro and Air and 2022 Apple-Silicon M2 13-in MacBook Pro and Air and the 2023 MacBook Air 15-in model are extremely-capable entry-level computers. They can support the internal display AND an External display up to the previously unheard of size of the Apple 6K display at billions of colors. But only ONE in addition to the internal display.

This may not match the way older computers forced you to work, since older computers were not able to support a really large external display. But it is NOT a defect. The spec was available long before you could purchase the computer.

The Apple standard for its built-in hardware-accelerated displays, makes them suitable for full-motion video for production/display of cinema-quality video with NO dropped frames, and NO dropouts or partial-blank scan lines due to memory under-runs or other issues. This requires a hardware rasterizer/display-generator for each fully-accelerated display.

If you need more hardware-accelerated displays than the built-in and ONE external display, and an un-accelerated iPad if desired, you probably need a more capable computer.

If you are only doing program listings, spreadsheets, stock quotes and other slow to change data, there are some other solutions, but they require you to make some strong compromises.

Executive summary: More than ONE additional Hardware-accelerated display can NOT be added to the entry-level 13-in or 15-in M1 or M2 systems.

samkelly1999 wrote:

Trying to do a dual monitor set up with my Macbook Pro however only one monitor is being detected. Both monitors are plugged via seperate lightning ports and are detected if I pull either one out.

i.e. Monitor A is detected when only monitor A is plugged in, Monitor B is deteced when only B is plugged in, but only Monitor A is detected when both monitors are plugged in.

Does anyone know a way to fix this?

Exactly what make/model/year/chip is this Mac? Different models have different specifications for external display support.

<< If you are trying to use this macbook pro as a professional editing workstation with two large external monitors. >>

if that is your workflow, you did not buy enough computer to get the job done.

• Apple-silicon Macs with (plain) processor support the built-in display plus one external display. Some models can use the display-generator from the internal display for an external display when you disable the internal display.

• Apple-silicon Macs with PRO processors support exactly that [two external displays] setup, and each external display can be up to a 6K display.

• Apple-silicon Macs with MAX processor support what the Pro processor supports, plus an additional two more.

Note: the j5create box mentioned above and similar stunt-boxes based on DisplayLink technology provide a "fake" display with far lees than full-motion Video capabilities. Stock quotes and program listings and spreadsheets work fine, but NOT full-motion video or games.

jaskot wrote:

This is a HUGE product defect. If you are trying to use this macbook pro as a professional editing workstation with two large external monitors, which is the industry standard, then you are out of luck.

It's not a defect. The limitation of one external display was clearly stated in the Technical Specifications that were available for anyone to read before they bought the MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020).

There are Mac notebooks that support multiple external displays – MacBook Pros with M3 Pro and M3 Max chips. (The M3 MacBook Airs can also drive two monitors, but only when their lids are closed - and only with restrictions on the Retina modes that would be available for a second 4K display.)

If your work requires "two large external monitors", you might want to pick one of them.