Macbook Air M1. Is there a way to support two external monitors? Currently supports one external but want another identical screen connected.

There's no way to do it using first-class hardware-supported video connections. That Mac supports one of those, and there's nothing that an external device can do to add more.

There are workaround products using DisplayLink and similar technologies. These may have drawbacks such as artifacts, lags, and inability to play DRM-encumbered video from streaming video services. They are not a good choice for high-end gaming, but may be OK for running productivity applications.

Three such workaround products are:

Other World Computing – OWC USB-C Dual HDMI 4K Display Adapter with DisplayLink

SonnetTech – DisplayLink Dual HDMI Adapter for M Series Macs

SonnetTech – DisplayLink Dual DisplayPort Adapter for M Series Macs

For these three examples, the technology supplier is Synaptics, so you might find the software that you need to drive these adapters on the Synaptics Web site. (If macOS updates break this software, you will be dependent upon the adapter vendors – or more likely, upon Synaptics – to update the software.)

Synaptics – DisplayLink Graphics

No. Your M1 MacBook Air can only simultaneously support the Mac's display, and ONE external monitor.

Ref: MacBook Air (M1, 2020) - Technical Specifications

etak3704 wrote:

I have this Universal mini-dock:

https://www.jbhifi.com.au/products/alogic-universal-12-in-1-triple-display-mini-dock

Does it have the 'Display Link' tech in it or best to try one of the ones you suggested?

Thanks for your great help too.

K

One user comment on the JBHiFi site said that "For the dual monitor setup to work, you'l need to download the DisplayLink manager …"

I could be missing something, but is this dock on the ALOGIC site the same as the one on the JBHiFi site? The dock on the JBHiFi site is $229 and the one on the ALOGIC site is $119 (suggesting they're different) – yet the photos and port counts seem to match.

https://alogic.co/products/dv3-universal-triple-display-docking-station

[EDIT: Just noticed that the JBHiFi site is an .au (Australian) site; the ALOGIC site presumably lists U.S. prices. A currency converter says that $229 AUD == $153.38 USD, so that makes it more plausible that it is the same dock.]

The online user manual for the one on the ALOGIC site says that it uses DisplayLink technology and tells you to install the appropriate DisplayLink driver (from www.displaylink.com/downloads). That link redirects you to the Synaptics site, where you can download DisplayLink drivers for various operating systems.

With respect to the triple-display dock, there are notes on the description page saying

Only one HDMI port supports DisplayLink technology, the other requires a DP-Alt Mode connection to function.

HDMI 1 port output (requires DP-Alt Mode): FHD (1920 x1080) @60 Hz | HDMI 2 port output (requires DisplayLink): FHD (1920 x1080) @60 Hz | VGA port output (requires DisplayLink): FHD (1920 x1080) @60 Hz

https://alogic.co/products/dv3-universal-triple-display-docking-station

If this is, in fact, the dock that you have, then I would suggest connecting your main monitor to the "HDMI 1 port" so that it is driven by your Mac's first-class hardware-supported video output. The monitor whose display quality is less important can be connected to the "HDMI 2 port" (or to the VGA one).

In any case, it does not sound like this dock is up to driving 1920x1200, 2560x1440, or 3840x2160 pixel displays. 1920x1080 @ 60 Hz (a common resolution for non-Retina 24" monitors) is the limit on all three of its video ports. Your Mac may have a native limit of one monitor, but it can drive a 4K monitor over USB-C – or a 6K monitor over Thunderbolt.