Can I use a iMac(2017) as a secondary monitor for my MacBook(2022)?

Target Display Mode was a feature on some 2009 – Mid 2014 iMacs.

When the first 27" 5K Retina iMac came out in Late 2014, Target Display Mode disappeared, never to appear again. Apple then added restrictions so that newer Macs don't support using any iMac as a Target Display.

You can use 3rd party software like Luna Display or Duet Display to have your iMac function as a monitor. It is software/hardware combination. My second monitor is a 2012 iMac 27" works best if they are connected via Ethernet (wired) network.

Hope this helps.

Paul

Your 2017 iMac is too old to support being an AirPlay Receiver for AirPlay to Mac.

Continuity features and requirements on Apple devices - Apple Support

No, iMacs made since 2020 all have SSDs for storage. Your 2017 iMac may have a Fusion Drive which is a combination of a small SSD and a traditional HD. However none of this has any bearing on your original question, NO your iMac cannot be used as an external display for any other device. If you want an external display for your MBP, please buy one. Why, simple:

• Inexpensive, external displays start at less than $100. (Look on Amazon, your local office supply, Costco, Best Buy etc.....)
• Dead simple to setup
• No maintenance necessary
• Dead reliable
• No expensive cabling needed

In short this is the easiest, least expensive and most reliable method.

It is unfortunate that no Retina iMac supports Target Display Mode.

There are very few standalone 27" 5K and 24" 4K monitors out there. The few that exist are very expensive. By the time that you buy an 27" Apple 5K Studio Display, a Magic Keyboard, and a Magic Mouse, you have spent an amount of money that would have bought you a 27" 5K Retina Intel iMac in the old days.

Except that you still don't have a computer …

No, iMacs are computers they are NOT external displays for other devices.

According to the OP there is no drive installed, this means Luna will not work.

Apple sold 2017 iMacs with mechanical hard drives, Fusion Drives, and pure SSDs.

Removing the internal drive completely wouldn't let you use the Mac as a monitor – it would just give you a Mac that had no internal drive to boot from.