User profile for user: Dpawel
Dpawel Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

How to fix HDMI connectivity issues on MacBook Pro M2?

Hi everyone,


I’m experiencing an issue with external display connectivity and would appreciate some help.


I have two MacBook Pro laptops — one with an M1 chip and the other with an M2 chip. I’m using a docking station that includes an HDMI port.


When I connect the docking station to the MacBook with the M1 chip, everything works perfectly — the external monitor receives the signal via HDMI without any issues.


However, when I try the same setup with the MacBook Pro with the M2 chip, the external monitor doesn’t receive any signal through the HDMI port on the docking station. The only way I can get an external display to work is by connecting an HDMI cable directly to the built-in HDMI port on the laptop.


I’ve tested this with two different docking stations and the result is the same — works on M1, doesn’t work on M2 (unless using the built-in port).


Has anyone else encountered this? Any suggestions or known fixes?


Thanks in advance!



[Re-Titled by Moderator]

MacBook Pro 14″, macOS 15.4

Posted on Apr 19, 2025 1:15 PM

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User profile for user: Dpawel
Dpawel Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

Apr 20, 2025 8:05 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Thanks for the follow-up! Here are the details:


  • Docking station make & model: Dell D6000 with its built-in cable (about 50 cm long).


  • Cable type: It’s a USB-C docking station that uses DisplayLink to support up to 3 external monitors.


  • MacBook Pro M1: Running the latest macOS Sequoia. With the D6000, I can connect 3 external displays successfully, all through the dock.


  • MacBook Pro M2: Also running the latest macOS Sequoia. With the D6000, only 2 external displays work via the dock — for the third one, I have to use the built-in HDMI port on the MacBook.


  • I also tested with a second, simpler docking station (an iBox USB-C port extender with LAN and HDMI). It works fine on the M1 MacBook, but on the M2 model, the HDMI output doesn’t send any signal to the monitor.
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User profile for user: Grant Bennet-Alder
Grant Bennet-Alder
User level: Level 10
136,369 points

Apr 20, 2025 10:10 AM in response to Dpawel

On a Mac, the Apple standard for its built-in hardware-accelerated displays, makes them suitable for full-motion video for production/display of cinema-quality video with NO dropped frames, and NO dropouts or partial-blank scan lines due to memory under-runs or other issues. 


the Dell D6000 is a USB-C docking station it supports three displays ONLY when powered By a Windows computer.


On a Mac, only ONE display is directly supported on a USB-C port. To support TWO, a Thunderbolt

port and Thunderbolt cables and Docks are required.


additional displays can be supported by that Dock, in an inferior way, but adding DisplayLink SOFTWARE or the Dell equivalent.


DisplayLink technology creates a "fake" display buffer in RAM, sends the data out over a slower interface to a stunt box with DisplayLink custom chips that put that data back onto a "legacy" interface. It is not a true "accelerated" display, and it can suffer from lagging. Just adding the DisplayLink Driver is not adequate to get a picture -- you need a DisplayLink "stunt-box" or a Dock that includes DisplayLink chips.


————

It may be acceptable for a second display showing slow-to-change data such as computer program listings, stock quotes, or spreadsheets, but NOT for full motion Video, not for Video editing, and absolutely not for gaming. Mouse-tracking on that display can lag, and can make you feel queasy.


In a pinch, it may even play Internet videos (as one user put it) “without too many dropped frames".

If you are only doing program listings spreadsheets, stock quotes, and other slow to change data, DisplayLink can work for you, but requires you to make some strong compromises.


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User profile for user: Dpawel
Dpawel Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

Apr 21, 2025 2:03 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Thanks for the detailed explanation.




I’m aware of how DisplayLink works and its limitations. For my workflow, it’s perfectly sufficient — I’m not doing any video editing or gaming. On my MacBook Pro with the M1 chip, everything works fine: I can run three external monitors through the Dell D6000 docking station without any issues.




The problem only appears when I switch to the MacBook Pro with the M2 chip. In that case, I have to physically move the HDMI cable from the dock to the built-in HDMI port on the MacBook — otherwise, the third display doesn’t work at all.




I’m just wondering if there’s a fundamental difference in how external displays are handled between the M1 and M2 Macs, or if I might be dealing with some kind of hardware or configuration issue on the M2 machine.




Any insights would be greatly appreciated.

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How to fix HDMI connectivity issues on MacBook Pro M2?

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