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What if my Mac doesn't recognize a separate display?
If your Mac doesn’t recognize that a separate display is connected, you can try to detect it in System Settings, or try one of the other troubleshooting tips below. On your Mac, choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Displays in the sidebar.
- Overview
- Check Your Display Preferences
- Adjust Display Resolution Settings
- Double-Check Display Cable Connections
- Make Sure You Have the Right Adapter
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This article offers tips on the display settings and cable specifications to check to fix an issue with a Mac not detecting an external display.
Regardless of your MacBook Pro or other Mac model, it's not uncommon to experience a display connectivity issue when hooking up an external monitor. If you’ve hooked up an external display to your Mac and nothing is happening (just a blank or black screen appears), your display preferences are the first place to look.
1.Click the Apple icon in the upper left corner of your Mac's menu bar and select System Preferences.
2.From System Preferences, choose Displays.
3.In the Resolution section, select the radio button next to Scaled and then press and hold down the Option key. This combination will reveal a hidden Detect Displays option at the bottom right. Click this button so that your Mac can scan for a connected display.
4.Alternatively, you can put your Mac to sleep briefly and repeat the above steps. Click the Apple icon and select Sleep.
5.Wake it a few seconds later to see if that was enough to locate the display. If not, try again to force the Detect Displays scan.
Another possible reason your external display isn’t detected (or you end up seeing a dreaded pink screen) could have to do with display resolution and brightness settings.
1.Go to System Preferences > Displays.
2.Next to Resolution, select the radio button next to Scaled and choose different resolutions other than the default option to see if this prompts a change.
3.Under Brightness, uncheck the box next to Automatically adjust brightness and manually brighten using the toggle. If the external display's brightness is too low to register, this could resolve that issue.
If your Mac still doesn’t recognize your display after prompting the Detect Displays scan and adjusting resolution and brightness, it can help make sure connecting cables are in order.
1.First, check to see that your cable is secure both to and from your monitor and your computer.
2.Even if the cable connections are secure, remove and reattach them to see if that makes a difference.
3.If possible, use the same cable with another port on your Mac.
4.If you don’t have another available port or cable, try using it to connect to another Mac-compatible external display to determine if it’s a cable issue.
If you’re attempting to connect two external displays, know that not all Macs support more than one additional monitor. You can check the supported number of displays by clicking the Apple icon in the upper left corner of your Mac’s menu bar and selecting About This Mac > Support > Specifications > Graphics and Video Support.
Depending on your particular Mac, chances are you’ll find yourself working with third-party hubs, adapters, or display software to extend your display. Before using, it's important to check for compatibility with your particular model.
1.Make sure that your monitor and cable combo is compatible with your Mac. Some Macs use only USB-C or both Thunderbolt and USB-C connections, while some Thunderbolt variations require a Thunderbolt-specific adapter.
Since USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 ports look virtually identical, it's important to ensure you can identify the ports on your Mac and that any third-party USB-C or Thunderbolt adapters and cables are compatible.
2.If you’re using a third-party connector or dock, make sure you’ve downloaded any relevant software or updates if applicable.
3.If you’re not having luck with software updates, the hub itself could be the issue. Try a direct connection with an Apple Thunderbolt or other compatible cable to determine if that’s the source of the problem.
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Aug 15, 2024 · It can be frustrating when you hook up an external monitor to your Mac and it doesn’t work. Here are six things you can try to fix the issue.
Oct 14, 2024 · Second Mac monitor is not displaying. If you've connected a second monitor to your Mac, but it's not displaying, there's no need to panic. In most cases, the issue is caused by a physical connection failure, a Mac software problem, incorrect display settings, or monitor connection issues.
- Mary Ivanova
- Disconnect and Reconnect. Let’s start with the simplest fix: turn it off and then back on again! There are a few different techniques you can try: Disconnect your adapter for 10 seconds.
- Check Your Cables. Just because a cable looks connected doesn’t mean that it is connected securely. Even a slightly loose connection can prevent your Mac from recognizing the attached display.
- Don’t Rely on Battery Power. If you’re running your MacBook from its internal battery, it may not have enough power to push pixels to an external monitor.
- Check Whether Your Operating System Is Up to Date. If your operating system is out of date, then you may be encountering an issue that’s already been addressed in a recent update.
Mar 18, 2022 · If you’re having problems with external monitors not working on your Mac after upgrading to macOS Sonoma, Ventura or Monterey or after buying an Apple Silicon Mac, here we show you how to get them working again.
Jun 15, 2023 · If your MacBook isn’t detecting an external display, we have outlined multiple troubleshooting methods. Any of them can resolve the issue and set you up nicely with a more productive...
