You can make a difference in the Apple Support Community!
When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.
When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.
I've connected 2 monitors to my MacBook Air M2 via a port. Both monitors work, however the image in the same on both. In the display settings, only 1 monitor is detected. How do I detect both monitors so that I can extend the across all screens. Thanks
MacBook Air, macOS 13.0
A DisplayLink adaptor is not a dock. It essentially creates a virtual displays which will allow for two external monitors. In fact on my M2 MacBook Air, I have run 3 external monitors, two from the DisplayLink adaptor, and the third from a USB C hub. The adaptor I have is a Plugable USBC-6950U, available on Amazon
A DisplayLink adaptor is not a dock. It essentially creates a virtual displays which will allow for two external monitors. In fact on my M2 MacBook Air, I have run 3 external monitors, two from the DisplayLink adaptor, and the third from a USB C hub. The adaptor I have is a Plugable USBC-6950U, available on Amazon
I utilize a 4k USB-C dock alongside two external monitors while keeping my MacBook Air M2 closed. I employ software to optimize the display settings. While the USB-C dock came at a significant cost, I don't believe that's the root cause of the issues I encountered. Attempting to use both ports simultaneously posed challenges, and certain USB-C to HDMI adapters resulted in suboptimal resolutions, which seemed peculiar.
Despite not facing any current problems, I find it perplexing why Apple restricts the newer MacBook Air M2 to only one external monitor. It's amusing considering my 2019 MacBook Pro effortlessly supports three USB-C to HDMI connections. Even though I utilize a hub for convenience, the fact remains that they all function seamlessly.
This disparity in monitor support raises questions. Even a Raspberry Pi, which was designed with a modest budget, supports dual monitors without issue. Is Apple intentionally imposing such limitations to incentivize purchasing pricier models? If so, it's an exasperating strategy, especially considering the already steep price tags on their base models.
Before resolving the issue, I resorted to utilizing a visual display for one of the external monitors, leveraging both a hub and specialized software primarily for enhanced monitor quality and readability.
Understanding the rationale behind this limitation is crucial. While I hold a deep appreciation for Apple's products, if this restriction is indeed a deliberate choice, I'm compelled to reconsider my future investments. It prompts concerns about what other features Apple might restrict in their pursuit of upselling more expensive models, particularly when their base offerings are already quite costly.
Hello Rob, I actually read your comment and got the USBC 6950U, it was working the first day, now the monitors are not getting any signal, do you have an idea what could happen?
Thanks!
E71-21 wrote:
I don't think M2 Airs support two monitors but you can screen mirror/extend to an iPad.
M1 and M2 MacBook Airs only support a single first-class external display. Closing their lids does not free the video output connected to the built-in display, or increase the maximum number of external displays.
M3 MacBook Airs have a limit of two active first-class displays – but they're a bit more flexible. You can have
In Retina scaling modes, I believe the maximum resolution (6K or 5K) refers to the internal canvas resolution. If you had two 4K displays, the "lid closed" one could run either in native 4K mode, or in Retina "like 2560x1440" mode – but it couldn't run in Retina "like 3008x1692" mode (which would require a >5K canvas).
To drive two external displays, at the same time as the built-in screen, you need a Pro or Max chip, such as the ones found in most (but not all) variants of the 14" and 16" Apple Silicon MacBook Pros.
So question... I have a Dell Thunderbolt dock and then I have a Hiearcool USB C Hub, USB C Adapter, 7 in 1 USB C Dongle USB-C to HDMI Multi-Port Adapter Compatible for Thunderbolt 3 4 MacBook Pro Air Dell Lenovo HP Laptops and Other Type C Devices. When I plug in the dock, I get one monitor. Then I plug in the Hiearcool USB Hub into the other port on the machine and no matter what I use (HDMI, USB, USB-C) it won't see the other monitor.
I can plug both monitors into the Dell dock but it won't recognize them as being different it just sees both as one dock
mmiller140 wrote:
Would you please advise which Plugable DisplayLink adaptor you purchased on Amazon.
Using docks does not increase the number of external displays supported.
The 13" and 15" M2 MacBook Airs support a single external display.
MacBook Air (M2, 2022) - Technical Specifications
MacBook Air (15-inch, M2, 2023) - Technical Specifications
Yup! Used the Plugable USBC-6950U with a 2023 M2 Macbook Air 13 inch, and it worked perfectly. Worked both plugged directly into the laptop and plugged into a Thunderbolt port on my Caldigit T3 Plus hub. And it is an old monitor, a Dell E1910, so it was a DVI to HDMI connection and still worked.
After reading this thread I bought the Plugable USBC-6950U. Hooked it up in 5 minutes and am now connected to two monitors. Works great so far. If you need more than 2 additional monitors, Plugable has other options.
Note, you also need to download the Displaylink driver to allow this to work. But once installed the Plugable does the trick.
I'm using a Belkin Thunderbolt 3 Dock pro with my MacBook Air M2 (2022). My external HP 27"-4k screen is using the DisplayPort of the Dock. I've just bought Elgato's Prompter and thought that I need to buy a better MacBook Pro M3 to use it as a 2nd external screen (so to have three screens in sum with the internal one). But, hey, it works just fine and without any mirroring. It's just fun that the small prompter-display has the same size as the much larger HP-screen in macOS' settings (see screenshot). So, I'm pretty happy about this configuration.
After doing a lot of research and taking a chance, I purchased the Kwumsy H1 HUB and this is supporting 2 external displays in addition to my primary built in display. After ordering online directly, I got the product delivered within a week to Canada. I am using this for the last few days only and so far no issues including no fan noise, but definitely too early to give a verdict on reliability / longevity. However this product DOES work with my MacBook Air M2 , currently running Sonoma 14.61.
The product link is here https://kwumsy.com/products/kwumsy-h1-hub. The cost was US $152 including shipping.
Here are a few things to consider ,
If you are ok with this, it definitely solves the problem of supporting multiple displays (upto 3 external + Main) either as Mirror or extended. I am using the external monitors it in extended format and in 1920 x1080 resolution.
This has more details
Hope this helps the community.
nicstevens80 wrote:
So question... I have a Dell Thunderbolt dock and then I have a Hiearcool USB C Hub, USB C Adapter, 7 in 1 USB C Dongle USB-C to HDMI Multi-Port Adapter Compatible for Thunderbolt 3 4 MacBook Pro Air Dell Lenovo HP Laptops and Other Type C Devices. When I plug in the dock, I get one monitor. Then I plug in the Hiearcool USB Hub into the other port on the machine and no matter what I use (HDMI, USB, USB-C) it won't see the other monitor.
I can plug both monitors into the Dell dock but it won't recognize them as being different it just sees both as one dock
Do the Dell Thunderbolt dock, and the Hiearcool USB-C hub, both depend upon the computer's native display support? If they do, and you're attaching them to a M1 or M2 MacBook Air, there would only be a single native, hardware-supported video signal to go around.
This Hiearcool hub, for instance, appears to rely on a computer's native USB-C (DisplayPort) output.
Rob, can you tell me if you can do this with the laptop closed? Can you view two displays of a mac air m2 laptop while it is set aside and docked? My goal is to have a usb hub with mouse, printer, keyboard, webcam etc., and work from two 27 inch monitors. I don't really want to use my laptop screen unless I'm mobile and only have the laptop with me. Thank you
There's nothing to 'beware' about. It doesn't record anything. It just needs this level of access to the OS to be able to create a virtual display. Many tools need the same access to be able to manipulate the screen. And yes, they explain why it needs this access in the manual. Don't panic over nothing.
ZeroByOne wrote:
Despite not facing any current problems, I find it perplexing why Apple restricts the newer MacBook Air M2 to only one external monitor.
Why? All of the evidence suggests that
So the M2 MacBook Air can drive at most one external display. It can be a very high-resolution one, but there can be only one. That's the way the hardware is arranged.
If you want support for more displays, you need a higher-end chip (M2 Pro, M2 Max) that has circuitry to support more displays built in. Those chips are found in the 14" and 16" M2 {Pro/Max} notebooks, in the M2 Pro Mac mini, and in the M2 Max Mac Studio.
Of all of those machines, 14" MacBook Pros with M2 Pro or M2 Max chips are the closest to 13" and 15" M2 Airs, when it comes to portability.
2 Monitors attached to MacBook Air M2
