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User profile for user: rexarus
rexarus Author
User level: Level 1
8 points

Time machine visibility issue with multiple monitors

I have a 6 monitor Mac Studio setup with 6 Studio Displays on a M2 Ultra Studio. When I have all six monitors up running, and I select Time Machine, one screen blacks out, and the Time Machine does not appear. In order to make it appear, I have to unplug one of the monitors. I've tried various things in the display settings. I've reinstalled the OS. I've tried resetting the SMC. Nothing works. I've seen a few people encountering the same problem with as little as 2 monitors, so it appears to be a bug in the Mac OS that has been around for a while when people use multiple monitors with Time Machine. It would be nice to see Apple correct this bug.


[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Mac Studio

Posted on Feb 9, 2024 7:52 PM

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User profile for user: rexarus
rexarus Author
User level: Level 1
8 points

Feb 10, 2024 1:02 PM in response to den.thed

Well, if that's true, they (Apple) have a problem. I have an M2 Ultra with the most memory and highest GPU available. I have 6 Studio displays that are well within the specifications for an M2 Ultra machine. If the bus is overloaded with this configuration, then Apple has misrepresented their machine's capabilities. This is a brand new system. I should not have to think that 6 monitors are not fully supported. I add that there is an additional problem with the 6th display (any one of the 6) being hooked up that doesn't allow the 6 monitors to map correctly. What I mean by "map" is that the monitors do not number correctly. I can get them into the display properties to the right locations for mouse movement and desktop position, yet the OS still has them numbered incorrectly, and as such, keeps me from being able to move the windows around using the drop down menu. They map to the following incorrect locations with monitor 1, being the only correct one. 1-1, 2-6, 3-2, 4-3, 5-4, 6-5. I can unplug any one of the monitors, and I am able to get 5 to number correctly, but put that 6th monitor on, and the mapping gets jumbled up to that exact mis-mapping. Apple says they are working on this problem - it has been elevated to senior techs to try to figure it out. Clearly, Apple did not properly test their own OS/computer with 6 5k studio displays as these two bugs are quite apparent and annoying for a system that cost me nearly $20k.

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User profile for user: den.thed
den.thed
User level: Level 10
82,570 points

Feb 10, 2024 3:07 PM in response to rexarus

rexarus wrote:

Well, if that's true, they (Apple) have a problem. I have an M2 Ultra with the most memory and highest GPU available. I have 6 Studio displays that are well within the specifications for an M2 Ultra machine. If the bus is overloaded with this configuration, then Apple has misrepresented their machine's capabilities. This is a brand new system. I should not have to think that 6 monitors are not fully supported. I add that there is an additional problem with the 6th display (any one of the 6) being hooked up that doesn't allow the 6 monitors to map correctly. What I mean by "map" is that the monitors do not number correctly. I can get them into the display properties to the right locations for mouse movement and desktop position, yet the OS still has them numbered incorrectly, and as such, keeps me from being able to move the windows around using the drop down menu. They map to the following incorrect locations with monitor 1, being the only correct one. 1-1, 2-6, 3-2, 4-3, 5-4, 6-5. I can unplug any one of the monitors, and I am able to get 5 to number correctly, but put that 6th monitor on, and the mapping gets jumbled up to that exact mis-mapping. Apple says they are working on this problem - it has been elevated to senior techs to try to figure it out. Clearly, Apple did not properly test their own OS/computer with 6 5k studio displays as these two bugs are quite apparent and annoying for a system that cost me nearly $20k.

This is Apple's User to User forum and there is nothing that anyone here can do to help.


At this point, you will need to keep pressing the Apple Senior Tech's for a solution.

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User profile for user: rexarus
rexarus Author
User level: Level 1
8 points

Feb 10, 2024 10:04 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

If I unplug any one of the six, I can get the time machine control window to open. Otherwise it isn't there at all. Obviously, that's a workaround, but it's not pretty solution for a brand new system with latest software and hardware all from Apple. But to answer your question, time machine works okay with a monitor unplugged. When finished with Time Machine I can plug back in the monitor.

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Time machine visibility issue with multiple monitors

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