How to use an old imac as an secondary monitor for macbook. At this point, your imac should recognise the digital video signal, and enter target display mode automatically. This wikihow teaches you how to use your imac as a monitor for a macbook, as well as how to share. Use your imac as a display with target display mode system requirements. If an airplay passcode appears on your tv screen, enter the passcode on your mac. Target display mode iswas a macos and osx system function that allowed an imac to become a display for another mac.
Turn off your imac and pc and plug the cable into the thunderbolt, hdmi, or display port on your windows laptop or desktop. Pushed by apple, this lg monitor is being endorsed as the preferred companion to your macbook pro and for good reason. And with that, some users are asking if they can use imac as a monitor for pc. How to use an imac as a monitor for pc tech junkie. Ive had the aluminum imac for a while in the home office and recently upgraded to the aluminum macbook 2.
How to add a second screen to your mac or macbook macworld. If you want to see the content on your macbook on a large imac screen, or work on some file stored in your imac while on the go, you might want to connect your imac to your macbook pro. To use imac as second monitor for pc, first you should make sure that your imac can be used as a display. After connecting the computers and turning on target display mode, the external display mac acts like any other external display. For example, a macbook pro could use a 27inch imac as the display and play its audio on the imac as well.
The processes shown in activity monitor can be user apps, system apps used by macos, or invisible background processes. If you want the imac to play audio as well as video from. I have read so many forum pages with conflicting views that i am now pretty confused on hopefully a simple matter. The same mini displayport or thunderbolt port can be used as a video input that allows your imac to serve as a monitor for another mac. With target monitor mode you can connect two macs together and use one as a second display. Is it possible to use macbook as a display for mac pro. If your mac has thunderbolt 3 usbc ports, you can connect it using the apple thunderbolt 3 usbc to thunderb. I need to use a dell laptop work purposes and i would really like to reduce my. Step 2 plug one end of the compatible cable into the hdmi, display port. Apple doesnt make a usbc to mini displayport adapter, so you wont be able to connect a 2016 or later macbook pro to the apple cinema display, or any other monitor that uses a mini display port.
How to use an inexpensive tv set as a monitor for your mac. If you have both a macbook and an imac, you can use the imac as a display for the macbook, or use an imac as a display for another imac. It can be annoying to use flash drives to transfer content, so youll be pleased to know mac has provided an inbuilt feature to connect devices that are on. Target display mode can turn your 2009 or later imac into a monitor for use with other macs. If you have an imac made in mid2011 or later, then one thing you can do with it is to use it as an external monitor. Here are the imacs that can be used as a second monitor. Some newer imac models cannot be used as external monitor for another mac. The best usbc monitor for macbook pro and windows laptops. My 11 year old enjoys his monitor he used to play on tv so this monitor is kind of a upgrade. Click and hold on a display to show a red outline on the corresponding monitor. Target display mode is a feature thats designed specifically for those who own two or more macs, as it allows you to use your imac as the. A quick and easy way on how to use imac as monitor for pc. If your laptop is a current macbook pro or macbook air then this isnt a problem because you have two usbc ports on your computer. If it doesnt enter this mode automatically, theres a few fixes you can try.
This wikihow teaches you how to use your imac as a monitor for a macbook, as well as how to share files and printers between both computers. When it comes time to purchase an external monitor for your macbook air, there are several things to keep in mind, including display performance, size, and price. Connect my 2015 macbook pro to my 2019 imac as an external. This gives you a bigger screen without needing to buy. How to use my imac as a display monitor for my ps4 quora. How to use a second screen with a mac, connect a monitor.
Ive got a 15 macbook pro 2018 and i want to use an old 21. There are several options but none as good as target d. Use a 27inch imac with a mini displayport as an external display connect the mini displayport cable to the ports on each mac. Each year at imore, we look at the newest monitors and put them through the paces.
Mac pro using 2007 imac as secondary display macrumors. Hi i have a 20 imac and im wondering if i can use it as a monitor to my macbook pro 2017 inch. The cost of a macbook pro and a nice display is pretty comparable to a. Now that target display mode is no more, are there. Examine the video ports on the imac and the mac computer you plan to use as. You can, but you may be underwhelmed by the results. Using an imac late 2012 as a monitor fo apple community. Similar to target disk mode, where one macs internal hard drives can be. I want to use my imac 2017 running mojave as a second monitor for my macbook pro mid 2012 running yosemite. Is there an accessory which can connect my macbook to my imac in target display mode. Use an imac as an external monitor or extended display for your macbook pro. I just answered by a verified mac support specialist. If you want to try and maintain the same level of definition as your current display, here are the best 4k monitors for your mac. You can use it as a secondary monitor for your mac with apples.
Use the five category tabs at the top of the activity monitor window to see how processes are affecting your mac in each category. You have an old imac that has a perfectly good display. Well, its the biggest cousin that lets you use a macs hard drive like an external drive on. Hi all, new imac user here, spec as per my signature. Its not well known, but, for example, a macbook proair can connect to and drive a 27inch imac display either as an additional display or mirror mode using whats called target display mode tdm. I like the portability of the macbook pro but love the display of the imac 5k. Target monitor mode to use an imac as an external monitor target monitor mode is a feature introduced by apple in the latest versions of the operating system. How to use an imac as an external monitor for a macbook. Using imac as an external monitor to my macbook pro. You can use one to charge the laptop and the other, with an. Does that mean there is a way to use an imac retina 5k as an external, secondary monitor for a recent macbook pro. I know this is really many months after the original post question, but i. If you have an imac made in mid2011 or later, here is how you can use it as an external monitor.
If your imac has a mini displayport or thunderbolt port, you can use it as an external display for another computer. Note that on most macs, the fkeys are assigned to a system function by default, so you will either have to revert this in the keyboard system. I have an macbook pro that i am running most of my programs on and wondered if i can hook it up to my 24 inch imac. With target display mode you can use the imac as a display for the macbook, or use an imac as a display for another imac. As i said, the easiest way to hook up an external monitor or a tv to your macbook would be to run an hdmi cable from either a monitor or tv directly to your mac.
Based on this, we consider the lg 27uk850w the best monitor you can currently buy for the apple. You can view the desktop of your mac on the display of some imac models using target display mode. However, before we begin, you need to make sure that the imac is compatible with your pc. Connecting another mac to your imac the 27inch imac has a bidirectional mini displayport or a thunderbolt port depending on the model that can be used to drive a second monitor. It still works on preretina imacs with thunderbolt. Wouldnt it be great if you could use it as a second monitor with your new macbook air. With your external display s connected, launch system preferences displays. Learn how to use target display mode to make your imac into a second monitor for your macbook, in a stepbystep process. It has a smaller, 29 inch screen, and a simpler 2560x1080 resolution, so it isnt as wellsuited as the lg 32ud99w or dell u3818dw for multitasking. For example, if you have a macbook pro you could use an imac as the display and for playing audio.
I remember when thunderbolt came out there was a lot of discussion of how it had interesting magical bidirectional capabilities. In some cases, you can also use target display mode to play the sound from your mac called the primary mac on the speakers of the external imac. Step 3 plug the other end of the cable to mini displayport or thunderbolt connector on your imac. The 27inch imac has a bidirectional mini displayport or a thunderbolt port depending on the model that can be used to drive a second monitor. Use an imac as a monitor or extended display for your macbook pro. It is simple to connect an imac monitor to a macbook, but you will need to get some things ready before you can use imac as monitor for pc. Connect a macbook to an imacs display with target display. How to turn your imac into a secondary display the mac. System requirements a mac notebook or desktop with a mini displayport or thunderbolt port. Hey guys, im a designer looking to get a new setup. Press commandf2 on the keyboard of the external display imac. How to use my imac 2017 as a second monitor for my macbook.
Simple ways to connect a macbook to an imac with pictures. Your mac or macbooks display is already gorgeous, but if youre in the market for a second display or even something larger than what you have, a 4k monitor is a massive step in the right direction. Aside from that, you can also make use of the target display mode for you to be able to connect your macbook to some other versions of mac such as the ones that are in late 2009 or a version that is in the mid2010. Use imac monitor for macbook display by alma3000 dec 28, 2010 11. Still, it can be quite compelling to see your mac mini making use of your older 27inch imac as a display, or for troubleshooting an imac having display issues. We use cookies to give you the best possible experience on our website.
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