Connect the two computers using the appropriate Mini DisplayPort or Thunderbolt cable.

Make sure that the other Mac is started up and logged in to a macOS user account.

If you have two Macs that meet those requirements, Apple says:

The cable connecting the two Mac computers must be a Mini DisplayPort cable.

The other Mac that you’re connecting it to must have been introduced in 2019 or earlier and have macOS Catalina or earlier installed.

Requirements for 2009-2010 models to use iMac as monitor:

The cable connecting the two Mac computers must be a Thunderbolt or Thunderbolt 2 cable.The other Mac that you’re connecting it to must have been introduced in 2019 or earlier and have macOS Catalina or earlier installed.iMac used as a display must have macOS High Sierra or earlier installed.Requirements per Apple for 2011-mid 2014 iMacs: Here’s what you’ll need to use iMac as monitor with the original solution. If you happen to have an old iMac, you may be able to use target display mode but it will also need to be running macOS High Sierra or earlier – same for the secondary Mac. This might seem obvious but another choice is to pair your iMac with an external monitor and choose which one you want to be the primary display and secondary display.įor a closer look at some of the best monitors on the market, check out our guides:Īnd one affordable 32-inch 4K monitor that matches the M1 iMac aesthetic is Samsung’s M8 Smart Monitor. How to AirPlay content to your Mac using macOS Monterey Pair iMac with an external monitor However, this does require a more recent Mac. This feature doesn’t work if you want to extend your iMac or iPad desktop space, but you can mirror from iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch directly to a newer iMac or any other compatible Mac. macOS: How to turn your iPad into a second display with Sidecar.If you haven’t tried Sidecar before, check out our full guide here:

Sidecar is built into Mac and iPad since macOS Catalina and iPadOS 13. Once connected, under System Preferences/Settings you can choose whether the Mac or iPad is the primary display.On macOS Monterey or Ventura, click Control Center (two pill icon) in the Menu Bar > Screen Mirroring > choose your iPad.This of course doesn’t offer Mac to Mac support, but if you want to use a newer iMac as a monitor with an iPad, Sidecar is a great free solution. We’ve used both here at 9to5Mac and have found them to be great products that see regular updates. Duet Display doesn’t require any hardware but goes from $25/year for Duet Air (to get Mac to Mac, PC to Mac, and iPad to Mac support).Luna Display does require a $119 Luna Display USB-C dongle but has no subscription cost.To get the same functionality that target display mode offers with Mac to Mac (and even get PC to Mac and iPad to Mac) support, Luna Display and Duet Display are two of the top options.

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