My MacBook Air M3 doesn't recognize my monitors

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My MacBook Air M3 doesn't recognize my monitors

I have a new MacBook Air with M3 chip. I bought it because it states it can support 2 external monitors.

I have a HP Universal Dock with 1 HDMI and 2 Display Ports (I have 3 monitors, but will manage with 2) The dock connects to the Mac's USB-C. When connected to my Mac the external monitors show the same image of what I see on the Mac, so they are currently mirrored, when going into Systems Settings, with the Mac lid closed only one external monitor is seen, yet two are being mirrored and there are no options to change anything

If I open the Mac, I see only the screensaver on the externals and on the laptop there is one monitor and the Mac with the only option being rearrange or mirror, yet I can't remove the mirroring.

I'd rather keep my laptop closed and work from my two external monitors and a keyboard.

The HP dock is supposed to be compatible with Mac so not sure why all both or even all three monitors when connected, display the Mac screen but none can be made to work independently of the other and only 1 is recognized when trying to arrange displays.

There are 2 Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports available - do I need to buy a different dock or cables for this to work?

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 15.2

Posted on Jan 11, 2025 12:00 PM

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Answer 1

Jan 11, 2025 9:46 PM in response to brit152

Macs do not support DisplayPort MST daisy-chaining or the equivalent, the way that Windows PC sometimes do.

Provided that it is able to drive the displays, a Mac can drive

One display with up to 4K resolution using a "plain" USB-C dock
Two displays with up to 4K resolution using a Thunderbolt dock

If you use a dock that uses MST to provide more display outputs, the typical symptom is that displays connected to some combinations of outputs will mirror each other, no matter what you do.

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Answer 2

Jan 11, 2025 6:04 PM in response to brit152

You likely need a Thunderbolt Display or two USB-C docks.

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Answer 3

samtenor

Level 4

2,032 points

Jan 11, 2025 6:54 PM in response to brit152

Not all the dock are made equally. USB Dock and Thunderbolt Dock are quite different under Mac machines (further more, TB 3 dock is different from TB 4 dock).

You best bet will be "Thunderbolt 4 Dock" which can offer multiple displays support (of course, the Mac needs to have the capability first).

OWC and Caldigit are reputable vendors - check them out.

Best

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Answer 4

Jan 12, 2025 10:17 PM in response to brit152

I think the HP doc you have is for Windows PCs. You will need one that supports Macs.

I have had success with Belkin docks designed for Macs. They may be a better value.

Since you have a Thunderbolt 4 port, look for a Thunderbolt 4 dock for a Mac.

Alternatively, just drive two monitors directly with the two USBC ports on the laptop.

This may work if the monitors themselves have USBA ports that can be used.

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My MacBook Air M3 doesn't recognize my monitors