Cables - Adapters - Cables – how do I connect a 2013 iMac to a 2017 MacBook Pro?

Question

Level 2

380 points

Cables - Adapters - Cables – how do I connect a 2013 iMac to a 2017 MacBook Pro?

I have a late 2013 iMac with two Thunderbolt 1 sockets (I think). I want to connect it to a 2017 MacBook Pro (in Target mode) which has USB C sockets. Both a presently running Catalina, but I want to upgrade the MacBook to Ventura, and am having problems doing so. Thus, I want to be able to play around with the MacBook via the iMac.

Apple tells me: If either of the computers has macOS 11 or later installed, you must connect the two computers using a Thunderbolt cable.

Ques 1

Is a two-ended Thunderbolt cable different from a two-ended USB C cable?

Ques 2

How do I connect the two machines? Do I need…

Thunderbolt 1 to USB C cable?
Thunderbolt 1 to USB C adapter + USB C to USB C cable?

Further, I assume that if I upgrade the MacBook to Ventura, then no matter what the cable, the iMac won't see the MacBook because of the different disk structures. Is that correct?

MacBook Pro 13″

Posted on Nov 5, 2024 6:00 PM

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Answer 1

Nov 5, 2024 10:37 PM in response to Guy Burns

Guy Burns wrote:

But, this thread isn't about operating systems (that problem is for this thread). My question here is: what cables do I need to connect the two. From what I seen on eBay and Amazon, it is not possible to buy a Thunderbolt 1 to USB C cable.

Why I want that cable is not for this thread. Can such a cable be purchased, and if so, what do I look for?

Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter - Apple

This adapter translates Thunderbolt protocol in either direction. You can use it in connection with a Thunderbolt 1/2 cable to make a data connection between a Mac with an old-style Thunderbolt port, and a Mac with a current one.

It will not let you run the Ventura installer on a 2013 iMac – whether you are trying to install Ventura on that iMac itself, or on a 2017 MacBook Pro running in Target Disk Mode. You may not want to hear that, but given that you have made it pretty clear that this is why you want to buy the adapter, you need to hear it anyway.

If you buy this $49 adapter, and find that it works as advertised, but that you have no practical use for it, that will be on your head.

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Answer 2

Guy Burns Author

Level 2

380 points

Nov 5, 2024 10:00 PM in response to KiltedTim

Thanks for the replies.

I've got several SSDs with a variety of Mac OSes on them. That's the only way I got the Mac Mini working (given to me by a local club because the operator couldn't do a clean install). I can't do a clean install either, whether from various disk images I have (Mavericks through to Monterey), or via the internet. Nothing works to get a clean install, except when I clone from Catalina on an SSD to the internal SSD.

But, this thread isn't about operating systems (that problem is for this thread). My question here is: what cables do I need to connect the two. From what I seen on eBay and Amazon, it is not possible to buy a Thunderbolt 1 to USB C cable.

Why I want that cable is not for this thread. Can such a cable be purchased, and if so, what do I look for?

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Answer 3

Tesserax

Level 10

152,368 points

Nov 5, 2024 7:17 PM in response to Guy Burns

If you want to "play around" with different macOS versions, I suggest either of the following:

Create a bootable external drive with the version of macOS you are interested in.
Use a VM manager, like Parallels. You can then create VMs of a number of macOS versions to try out.

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Answer 4

Nov 5, 2024 9:01 PM in response to Guy Burns

Why not get an external SSD to use with the 2017 MacBook Pro? Either to hold some sort of temporary system to boot from (perhaps a clone of your current intstallation) while you try to install Ventura on the 2017 MacBook Pro … or to hold an installation of Ventura?

Then you won't need to mess around with the Late 2013 iMac, which won't be able to help you install Ventura on the 2017 MacBook Pro because it is too old to successfully run the Ventura installer itself.

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Answer 5

Guy Burns Author

Level 2

380 points

Nov 5, 2024 11:12 PM in response to Servant of Cats

Thanks for that – the adapter I want. I looked into it and it should work because Thunderbolt 1 and 2 have the same type of plug, and 2 is backward compatible with 1. Add a M-M Thunderbolt 2 cable and away I go.

Re "no practical use for it" – a Apple man can never have too many Apple cables. I've got a collection way back to Firewire 400, and still use most of them. Two of them are now selling on eBay for more than $150 each – not that I'm selling.

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