#ADAPTOR TO CONNECT MACBOOK TO MONITOR MAC#

While the Thunderbolt 2 cable doesnвЂ™t power to a Mac laptop, it should allow use of all the other ports on the display. (Note: This does not work with a 12-inch MacBook, which has disappointed many purchasers.) (That symbol is a rectangle with a vertical line on either side.)ДЄpple sells a Thunderbolt 2 to Thunderbolt 3 adapter ($49) that lets you simply plug the Apple Thunderbolt Display into the adapter and the adapter into a Thunderbolt 3 port. You can look at the squat Thunderbolt 2 jack to find a lightning-bolt symbol to ensure itвЂ™s not an earlier monitor that uses an identical-appearing connector shape, but only handles Mini DisplayPort. IвЂ™ll note below exceptions for clarity.Д«ecause itвЂ™s more likely you have access to a newer Apple Display than an older one, IвЂ™ll address the four digital standards Apple used in reverse order: Thunderbolt 2, Mini DisplayPort, ADC, and DVI (including dual-link DVI for larger displays).ДisplayPort connector symbol (left) В Thunderbolt 2 (right) Only a single Mac model ever included a USB-C connector that didnвЂ™t include Thunderbolt 3: the 12-inch MacBook that Apple introduced in 2015, updated in subsequent years, and discontinued in 2019. (While weвЂ™ve written about this before across several articles, we decided to consolidate everything we knew, alongside newer and better-reviewed adapters, into a single place.)

Docks extend compatibility further, with Mini DisplayPort, VGA, DVI, and other formats. AppleвЂ™s version also allows for backwards compatibility with Thunderbolt 2 and via adapters can directly connect to HDMI, DisplayPart, and USB 2 and 3, among other standards. All of AppleвЂ™s current Macs include Thunderbolt 3, a high-speed data-transfer standard. In this article, I discuss compatibility with Thunderbolt 3, which relies on the USB-C connector. We also have instructions on connecting more modem displays (and even an old iMac) as a second display. If you donвЂ™t meet the parameters or want other options, check out the more broadly compatible Luma Display, as well as Duet Display, which works with Apple and other mobile and desktop platforms.

(Also, donвЂ™t forget that if you have an iPad that can run iOS 13 and a Mac model released since about 2015 running macOS Catalina, you can use the Sidecar feature to extend your Mac with an iPad.

Adaptor to connect macbook to monitor