Device to switch two Macs on Apple Studio Display

Question

Device to switch two Macs on Apple Studio Display

I have an Apple Studio Display (2023) with only one Thunderbolt Display port and I need to connect 2 Macs (the new Neo and a Mac Book Air (2023). I use a logi wireless keyboard and a logi wireless mouse. My question is what devise do I need to put in between the Studio Display and the Mac's to allow for me to toggle between computers (one of the computers is for work, the other is my personal computer). I would like to know the specific product if possible or suggested products.

Thank you!

Posted on Mar 24, 2026 3:44 PM

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Answer 1

Mar 26, 2026 2:24 PM in response to SardonicGeorge

Thanks everyone - very helpful. In speaking with Apple directly, they said the following:

To connect two Macs to a single Apple Studio Display and toggle between them, you need a Thunderbolt 4 or USB4 switch. Note that standard USB-C or HDMI switches will not work because the Studio Display requires a native Thunderbolt connection to activate its 5K resolution, camera, and speakers so the most reliable way to achieve this is by using a specialized switch that maintains the Thunderbolt protocol like: Thunderbolt 4 KVM Switch (SB-TB4K)

It is one of the few consumer-grade devices specifically designed to switch between two Thunderbolt 4 host computers while supporting a single Thunderbolt display.

I tested my Neo and my Mac on the Apple Studio Display indivudually and they operate as normal. So, I'm assuming this device:

SABRENT Thunderbolt 4 Docking Station, TB4 Ports, 8K/4K, USB4 & TB3 Compatible, DP 1.4, HDMI 2.1, USB-C/USB-A Ports, Gigabit Ethernet, Audio Jack, SD/TF Card Reader, Windows/macOS/Linux (DS-T4MF)

Will work just fine.

Thanks again for everyone's assistance.

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Answer 2

tbirdvet

Level 6

17,819 points

Mar 24, 2026 4:25 PM in response to SardonicGeorge

You would need some sort of KVM switch. But may be tricky. Review this article for possible assistance:

https://www.tesmart.com/blogs/news/choosing-a-thunderbolt-kvm-for-apple-studio-display-amp-pro-display-xdr?srsltid=AfmBOorFlwKyeMtiD_hZ5KItVW7v45lFIqbnWKYWi7M3RuWnBXTTjb-E

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Answer 3

Mar 24, 2026 4:52 PM in response to SardonicGeorge

The MacBook Neo does not support that display for a number of reasons.

The most important is that the MacBook Neo, an entry-level device, does not have a ThunderBolt port, and the Apple Studio Display (2022) accepts Thunderbolt input, ONLY. There is no way to adapt into a Thunderbolt interface, or to add one to a device that did not leave the factory Thunderbolt-capable.

The MacBook Neo specs suggest it supports only up to a 4K at 60 Hz display off its high USB-C 3 port.

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Answer 4

tbirdvet

Level 6

17,819 points

Mar 25, 2026 12:41 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

I read where the Neo will work with the Studio display but at a limited resolution but I have not seen any demo showing that.

Update. It works. here is the demo but at reduced function

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrH37_d4WN4

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Answer 5

Mar 25, 2026 2:55 PM in response to tbirdvet

That is interesting.

Some notes on display support for the MacBook Neo suggest it supports HBR3, which includes up to 25.92 G bits/sec, and that could run 4K as high as 75 Hz at 10 bit color, without compression.

Inter-Switching that with ThunderBolt still sounds pretty dicey.

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Answer 6

Mar 26, 2026 2:40 PM in response to SardonicGeorge

Please let readers know what results you obtain.

You are breaking new ground in several directions at once.

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