Thunderbolt Bridge speed is slow - help please

I have an M2 Mac Studio and an M4 MBP, for which I would like to directly connect to transfer large files. I read that a Thunderbolt Bridge was one way to do that. I bought one of these cables directly from Apple as I know from experience that some third-party cables don't work the way they claim:

https://www.apple.com/au/shop/product/HRGZ2ZM/A/caldigit-thunderbolt-4-usb%E2%80%91c-pro-cable-1m

When I connect the two Macs, I see a 'Self-assigned IP' connection with a yellow dot on both computers. The speed transfer seems to be limited to about 40 Mb/sec. Thunderbolt 4 should provide much faster speeds than that, right? Have I not set the network connection up correctly?


MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 15.5

Posted on Jul 29, 2025 7:39 PM

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Posted on Jul 30, 2025 8:18 AM

Network data will be preferentially sent to the TOPMOST interface in the list of available Networking media available.


IF Thunderbolt bridge is not TOPMOST, use the gear or [...] icon under the list to "set service order" and drag ThunderBolt Bridge TOPMOST.


Otherwise, you may be using Wi-Fi without meaning to be using Wi-Fi.

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jul 30, 2025 8:18 AM in response to PaulGS01

Network data will be preferentially sent to the TOPMOST interface in the list of available Networking media available.


IF Thunderbolt bridge is not TOPMOST, use the gear or [...] icon under the list to "set service order" and drag ThunderBolt Bridge TOPMOST.


Otherwise, you may be using Wi-Fi without meaning to be using Wi-Fi.

Jul 29, 2025 7:43 PM in response to PaulGS01

To maximize Thunderbolt Bridge speed between your Mac Studio and MacBook Pro, ensure both devices have Thunderbolt 4 ports and are set up correctly for Thunderbolt Bridge networking. Consider checking your network settings and making sure Thunderbolt Bridge is selected as the active network connection on both computers to achieve faster file transfer speeds.

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Thunderbolt Bridge speed is slow - help please

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