External Monitor for Macbook Air 2014

The Early 2014 MacBook Airs have a Thunderbolt 1 port, with a Mini DisplayPort connector, that doubles as a Mini DisplayPort, and supports resolutions of up to 2560x1600 pixels.

You haven't told us what inputs your monitor has, but many modern monitors have one or more of the following:

• DisplayPort: Use a Mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort cable.
• Mini DisplayPort: Use a Mini DisplayPort to Mini DisplayPort cable.
• HDMI: Use a Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter or adapter cable.
• USB-C: I don't think you'll be able to make a connection to a USB-C port on a monitor with your current Mac. There are lots of USB-C to Mini DisplayPort adapter cables out there, but I think they're meant for use in the opposite direction (USB-C on computer to Mini DIsplayPort on monitor). From what I've seen, most monitors which have USB-C (DisplayPort) inputs also have (Mini) DisplayPort and/or HDMI inputs you could use.

marris wrote:

Hello all,

I just recently purchased an external monitor for my Macbook Air from early 2014 and seem to have difficulty connecting to it. My Macbook Air does not have a USB-C input. I purchased a USB-A to USB-C adapter and, of course, I discovered, it does not work. Is there an adapter in existence that will allow me to connect this external monitor to my Macbook?

I've looked on line for a docking station, adapters from USB-C to HDMI and from HDMI to Thunderbolt, but none of them seem to definitively say these connections work.

USB-A is pretty much a one-trick pony, whereas USB-C is like a "Swiss Army knife" that can have multiple blades – including DisplayPort.

I don't know of any "Thunderbolt to HDMI" adapters, other than the ones built into docking stations. There are, on the other hand, plenty of USB-C (DisplayPort) to HDMI adapters whose vendors might mention Thunderbolt in their descriptions because they're trying to reassure Mac owners that their USB-C adapter will work with a Mac that has Thunderbolt 3 or Thunderbolt 4 ports. (Thunderbolt 3 and 4 live on USB-C connectors.)

There used to be docks designed for Thunderbolt 1 and 2 (which live on Mini DisplayPort connectors), but all of the vendors discontinued those long ago. I believe it might be possible to connect a Thunderbolt 3 docks to your Mac, using the Apple Thunderbolt 3-to-2 adapter, but the "up to 10 Gbps" speed of Thunderbolt 1 could limit how much utility you got out of the dock.

And in this case, it's easier and cheaper to use the Thunderbolt 1 port directly, as a Mini DisplayPort.