arrangements tab missing in displays/settings

I had the arrangements tab and then I connected it one time and it stayed on for about 20 minutes then the screen went black and it stopped working. The tab hasn't appeared yet. I've done everything from unplugging to shutting the power off. Nothing is working.

Hey there Cutile,

It sounds like your computer does not seem to be detecting your TV as an external display. The Arrangements tab should appear when the TV is working properly with the computer, so I would use these steps from the following article to help isolate and resolve the issue:

Apple computers: Troubleshooting issues with video on internal or external displays

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1573

No video or no signal, image distortion, "snow," or flickering

Check connections

When using an external display be sure to check the following:

1. If you're using an Apple notebook, confirm the AC power cable or adapter is securely connected to the computer and the cable providing power to the display is also secure. It is always good to have your notebook connected to AC power when an external display is in use.
2. Confirm display adapters are fully seated in their respective connections and that they are supported models and for the computer and display. Refer to these articles to assist you with adapter compatibility and further configuration information:
   • Monitor and Display Adapter Table
   • About Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapters
   • Apple Mini DisplayPort adapters: Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
   • Thunderbolt ports and displays: Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
3. Remove all display cable extenders, KVM switches, or other like devices and retest to determine if the issue is resolved.
4. Try unplugging the video adapter or cable and then plug it back in.
5. If more than one video adapter is in use (or "daisy-chained"), troubleshoot by using only one adapter.

   Example: A mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter connected to a DVI to HDMI adapter is an unsupported configuration because there is a series of adapters in use.

6. If available, try using a different display and or adapter (or use a different connector by using DVI instead of VGA, for instance).

Reset the system
You can reset the Mac's parameter RAM and SMC.Reset the resolutionStart by resetting the Mac's parameter RAM. If the display does not come up, was previously set to an unsupported resolution, and still results in no video:

1. Start up in Safe Mode.
2. From the Apple () menu, choose System Preferences.
3. Choose Displaysfrom the View menu to open the preferences pane.
4. Select any resolution and refresh rate that your display supports.
5. Restart your computer.

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.

Regards,

Sterling

There is NO real solution for this. I have literally tried them all. Apple??? Anyone there??? Why is it the more updated the software, the more it stops working??? Extremely frustrated.

This happen to me as well and until now i still cannot find solution, at the beginning when i bought the cable it works fine.. then i don't know since when the TV cannot detect signal anymore,

another source said this is because the incompatibility (conflict) of resolution, but i cannot accepted that since it works at the first time.. I assume this happen because updating process of the OS,

But the point is this is really annoying and sorry to say that APPLE still no proper answer for this

I am having the same issue with not seeing an arrangement tab when trying to connect HDMI to my TV. Just since I updated to Capitan

no

AGREED! Very frustrating! It was working fine for months, then one day just stopped!

Not sure if this helps but this worked for me.

1. Have your computer and other monitor both on and connected.

2. If you're having the same problem I had, there is no arrangements tab in display.

3. Disconnect the display cord from your macbook.

4. Hopefully your macbook goes dark for a second before resuming display*

5. Now make sure Display is on your screen through system preferences. Then plug the display cord back into your macbook.

6. My experience: the screen went black again for a couple seconds, and when it resumed the arrangements tab was miraculously back!

Hope this helps.

* I don't think my screen went black every time I disconnected when it first started not working. Eventually it started going black and that's when it started working again.

I had the same problem as everybody else, as described above. I tried all the possible solutions and the only one that worked was this one. Thank you very much!

I had the same problem as everybody else, as described above. I tried all the possible solutions and the only one that worked was this one. Thank you very much!

Just today, I had the same thing (I'm using an iMac, purchased late 2014 )

I fixed it by resetting the SMC controller: Disconnect the power cord, wait 10-15 seconds and plug it back in, wait another 5-10 seconds and then turn the Mac back on.

I was having the same issue for months. I happened to be out of town and forgot my hdmi cable so I had to buy a new one. Randomly decided to try it because is was newer and different brand than the old cable and bam! It works and everything is back to normal. So I suggest a Belkin adapter with a GE HDMI cable!

This worked for me, thanks for the tip 🙂

Was having same issue and tried ThisCloseToPC suggestion and it worked. External monitor just kicked on without having to go into arrangements tab that just suddenly appeared.

Thank you.

The same here ... since a few days it isn't possible connecting an external display.

El Captan 10.11.6