hi
Is it possible to run two portable monitors off a Mac Mini or Macbook Air/Pro ?
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
Original Title: Multiple Portable displays
Mac mini, macOS 15.5
Yes. Current Mac minis, MacBook Airs and Pros can support 2 external displays or more depending on CPU.
Older Apple Silicon Macs may not support 2 external displays.
Mac minis in general do support 2 displays, but M1 and M2 MacBook Airs and 13" MacBook Pros are limited to 1 external display.
M3 MacBook Airs and 14" MacBook Pros support 2 external displays when the lid is closed.
M4 Macbook Airs and 14" MacBook Pros support 2 external displays even with the lid open.
16" M2 Pro, M3 Pro or M4 Pro MacBook Pros support at least 2 displays.
Most Intel Macs will support at least 2 displays.
Yes. Current Mac minis, MacBook Airs and Pros can support 2 external displays or more depending on CPU.
Older Apple Silicon Macs may not support 2 external displays.
Mac minis in general do support 2 displays, but M1 and M2 MacBook Airs and 13" MacBook Pros are limited to 1 external display.
M3 MacBook Airs and 14" MacBook Pros support 2 external displays when the lid is closed.
M4 Macbook Airs and 14" MacBook Pros support 2 external displays even with the lid open.
16" M2 Pro, M3 Pro or M4 Pro MacBook Pros support at least 2 displays.
Most Intel Macs will support at least 2 displays.
On my Mac Mini m1 I have just connected the second screen via a mini HDMI cable and then connected that screen to a resonible powerful battery pack.
Mac mini can only handle two screens and one has to be HDMI.
So that works, without to much trouble, it would be good though to find a Mac that can power two portable screens via USB-c save having a battery pack.
Check video support under technical specifications on the product-ID page
Check video support under technical specifications on the product-ID page
MacBook Pro Identify your MacBook Pro model - Apple Support
MacBook Air Identify your MacBook Air model - Apple Support
Mac mini Identify your Mac mini model - Apple Support
wood1e1 wrote:
On my Mac Mini m1 I have just connected the second screen via a mini HDMI cable and then connected that screen to a resonible powerful battery pack.
Mac mini can only handle two screens and one has to be HDMI.
That is the case for a M1 Mac mini – but not for Mac minis in general. The M2 Mac mini also supports up to two external displays, but they can both be USB-C or Thunderbolt ones, so there is more flexibility as to the ways in which you can attach them. The M2 Pro, M4, and M4 Pro Mac minis support up to three displays.
As far as a Mac mini providing power to two portable screens, I don't know whether that's supported.
If you mean power 2 monitors, maybe, hard to say as it would depend on how much power they require.
You'd probably want a portable dock with its own power source that can power the Mac and at least one of the displays.
A lot of portable monitors can either operate in a bus-powered mode, or from a separate power supply.
Depending on the monitor, power needs may vary. With some portable monitors, the owner's manual may even recommend powering them off a separate wall adapter rather than off a computer.
Thanks for that.
I was thinking the more recent macs rather than older ones. But would that be two portable monitors?
I know older macs can handle one portable monitor, but just wondering if the newer ones have power enough to support two portable monitors?
no entirely sure, my monitor is not 4k so maybe between 10W and 15W, if I had two of those could any mac power them?
Is it possible to run two portable monitors off a Mac mini or MacBook Air/Pro?
