How do I connect multiple displays to my MacBook M1/M2?

How to connect multiple displays to MacBook M1 so that each displays a different image? See what DisplayLink is and what adapter to buy.

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How do I connect the display to my MacBook M1/M2?

You’ve probably bought a new Mac and are wondering how to connect a few monitors to your MacBook M1 or M2, because you’ve heard that there are some problems with it. Every new Mac with an M1/M2 processor has USB-C Thunderbolt / USB 4.0 ports, allowing you to connect an external monitor with a USB-C to DisplayPort cable at resolutions up to 6K 60Hz.

USB-C to DisplayPort 8K cable
USB-C -> DisplayPort cable

MacBook Pro and Mac mini with M1/M1 Pro/M1 Max processors have an additional HDMI 2.0 port that offers a maximum resolution of 4K 60Hz. The new MacBook Pro, M2 Pro and M2 Max now offer 8K 60Hz and 4k support up to 240Hz via HDMI 2.1

HDMI cable
Baseus HDMI 4K

Unfortunately, we also have some limitations, such as the fact that the MacBook Air M1 / M2 supports only 1 external display and in the Mac mini 2 displays (One via USB-C port and the other via HDMI connector). Although there are several USB-C ports, without special adapters we will not connect, for example, more displays to the MacBook Air M1 / M2.

MacBook I 2 External Displays

To make such a setup, where we have 2 independent 4K 60Hz screens and be able to connect a charger, we can use the I-TEC USB 3.0 – 2x Display Port 4K Ultra HD (U3DUAL4KDP) adapter. In this case, the adapter uses 1 USB-C port. The second port can be used for the charger (unless we have a MacBook Air M2 with MagSafe 3. In it we can connect a third monitor directly to the laptop).

I-TEC USB 3.0 – 2x Display Port 4K Ultra HD

Manufacturer’s designation: U3DUAL4KDP

Dual-display adapter for MacBook Air M1/m2
I-TEC USB 3.0 – 2x Display Port 4K Ultra HD (U3DUAL4KDP)
  • Powerful and versatile video adapter that can connect up to two monitors at the same time
  • The adapter supports resolutions up to 2x 4K/60Hz, regardless of the performance of the laptop’s graphics card
  • Dual DisplayPort (DP++) support
  • Two external monitors are also supported on Apple’s M1 and M2 platform
  • Connects to all USB ports: USB 3.0, USB-C, Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 4
  • The adapter is compatible with all major operating systems

OWC USB-C Dual HDMI 4K Display Adapter

Manufacturer’s designation: OWCCADPDL2HDMI

OWC USB-C Dual HDMI 4K Display Adapter
OWC USB-C Dual HDMI 4K Display Adapter

OWC is one of the better brands that make computer accessories. It is famous for its HUBs and disk bays. It is not the cheapest, but it repays with the quality of its products. Unlike the i-tec adapters mentioned above, this one is made of aluminum. It also offers a robust USB-C to dual HDMI adapter with DisplayLink technology.

  • Displays: Up to two 4K@60 Hz displays
  • Monitor output: 2x HDMI 2.0: up to 4K at 60Hz
  • Chipset: DL-6950
  • Certificates: CE, FCC
  • Max. Resolution: single and dual displays up to 4K@60 Hz (3840 x 2160)
  • Refresh rate: 60Hz
  • Compatible with Mac OS from macOS 10.15 Catalina onwards
  • Compatible with Windows 7 32-bit Edition or later
  • Compatible with Android 10.x or later

I-TEC Thunderbolt 3 Dual DP Video Adapter

Manufacturer’s designation: TB3DUAL4KDP

A sleek gray rectangular USB-C hub with an attached cable designed for M1 MacBook users who need to know how to connect multiple monitors to their M1 MacBook.
The hub has multiple ports, including USB, on one end.
The cable is marked with a Thunderbolt symbol near the connector.
The "L-TEC" brand logo is printed on the surface of the hub
I-TEC Thunderbolt 3 Dual DP Video Adapter (TB3DUAL4KDP)

A cheaper alternative may seem to be the Thunderbolt 3 adapter from i-tec, unfortunately it doesn’t have DisplayLink – so it won’t support two independent monitors in the case of Mac. He adds it as a curiosity, because it’s worth reading the specification.

  • 1x Integrated Thunderbolt™3 cable for connecting to a device (27cm)
  • Adapter Technology: Thunderbolt™3
  • Video Ports: 2x Display Port
  • Resolution:
    • 1 monitor – 1x Display Port → up to 4K/60 Hz
    • 1 monitor – 2x Display Port → up to 5K/60 Hz
    • 1 monitor – 1x DisplayPort → up to QHD/144Hz
    • 2 monitors – 1x DisplayPort + 1x DisplayPort → up to 2x 4K/60Hz
    • 2 monitors – 1x DisplayPort + 1x DisplayPort → up to 2x QHD/144Hz
  • Compatible with G-Sync / Freesync, HDR 400-1000
  • OS: Windows 10/11, macOS X (Sierra and higher) with latest updates
  • Product dimensions: 100 x 60 x 15 mm
  • Product weight: 95 g
  • Package dimensions: 180 x 130 x 25 mm
  • Package weight: 155 g
  • The adapter is compatible with all major operating systems

MacBook Air M2 with MagSafe 3 connector

By charging the MacBook Air M2 via the MagSafe 3 connector, we can connect two DisplayLink adapters.

MacBook Air M2 MagSafe 3
MacBook Air with MagSafe 3 connector and two Thunderbolt 4 / USB 4 ports.

How many displays can I connect to an Apple computer?

If you’re not sure how many external displays you can connect to your Apple computer, it’s a simple way. To check this you need to go to the Apple menu  This Mac and double-click on the serial number, then CMD + C to copy it.

Then we go to the Technical Data page with the specifications of Apple equipment and paste through CMD + V our serial number. We can also find our computer on our own. If you find it, in the Video Support or Graphics section you will find the exact number and type of displays that a given mac supports.

How many displays will a Mac with an M1/M2 processor support?

  • MacBook Air and iMac with M1/M2 chip – 1 6K 60Hz display connected to the Thurberbolt port
  • Mac mini M1 – 1 x 6k display up to 60Hz connected to the Thunderbolt port, and 1 x 4K 60Hz display to the HDMI port.
  • MacBook Pro 14/16 M1 Pro – 2 x 60Hz displays connected to the Thunderbolt port (6K) and 1 HDMI display (4K).
  • MacBook Pro 14/16 M2 Pro – 2 x 4K 60Hz displays connected to the Thunderbolt port and 1 x 4K 240Hz or 8k HDMI display at 60Hz
  • MacBook Pro 14/16 M1 Max – 3 60Hz display connected to the Thunderbolt port (6k) and 1 connected to the HDMI port (4k), for a total of 4 displays.
  • MacBook Pro 14/16 M2 Max – 3 x 4K 60Hz displays connected to the Thunderbolt port and 1 x HDMI display 4K 240Hz or 8k at 60Hz
  • Mac Studio with M1 Pro chip supports up to 5 displays connected via Thunderbolt or HDMI

IMPORTANT – if you want to connect all screens through the docking station

Suggesting a specification that gives the number of displays that we can connect, we must take into account that we can connect 1 display to 1 port. If you connect a docking station with 2-3 HDMI/DisplayPort ports, it may turn out that all screens will display the same image (so-called mirroding).

This is because computers with MacOS and M1/M2 processors do not support MST – Multi-Stream Transport to divide one video signal into several separate ones. For this purpose, devices that operate on the principles of an external graphics card are required.

MST - Multi-Stream Transportation

What is Multi-Stream Transport (MST)

Multi-Stream Transport is a feature of DisplayPort 1.2 or later that allows you to transmit several video signals through one DisplayPort port (DisplayPort is one of the standards that is included in the Thunderbolt / [USB 4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB4) connector) Unfortunately, not every DP 1.2 port and later supports MST, so it is worth paying attention to it in the graphics card specifications

MST gives you two options:

  • work in HUB mode, where one DP cable can divide the signal into several more, also others such as HDMI
  • work in daisy-chain mode, which allows you to connect several screens in series, where one monitor transmits a video signal to the next and each displays something different.

How do I connect multiple displays to my MacBook M1 Pro and M1 Max via the docking station?

The new MacBook Pro with M1 Pro and M1 Max processors has no problem connecting several screens. However, when we start looking for a docking station that has 2-3 video outputs, in the description we often find a note or graphics that in the case of Mac OS and M1 / M2 processors the image on all displays will be the same, because MST (Multi-Stream Transport).

Fortunately, there is a way to take advantage of multiple screens regardless of how much our Mac supports.

Interestingly, if we have an older MacBook and we do Boot Camp with Windows on it, MST will work in extended mode. Puki co, for MacOS the salvation are solutions such as DisplayLink, which acts like an external graphics card.

DisplayLink – external graphics card for MacBook M1/M2

Macs with M1 / M2 have a limitation on external displays and despite the fact that such a MacBook Air M1 has only two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports, using special adapters or docking stations to connect up to 3 displays to it. They must be devices with a DisplayLink chip that acts as an external graphics card whose software we must install in the system. This gives you the ability to connect and manage several displays.

DisplayLink Dual Monitor Adapter

One of the simpler adapters that allow you to connect 2 independent displays is the U3Dual4kDP or U3Dual4kHDMI, which can be connected with a USB-A or USB-C cable (using the included adapter). Such an adapter acts as an external graphics card, which we install using special DisplayLink drivers and an application that integrates with the system. Monitors added in this way can be managed in the system settings, as if they were supported by default.

A full list of adapters and docking stations can be found on the website of Synaptics, the creator of DisplayLink – at this link.

6 external eye monitor for MacBook Air M1? It’s possible!

Interestingly, DisplayLink allows you to connect up to 6 displays to MacBook Air M1 or Mac mini. This can be done using several DisplayLink drives/adapters that act as external graphics cards.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq_FyjcAULAt=369s

Unlock Apple Watch using DisplayLink screens

The only problem with this type of displays is the lack of the function unlocked Apple computers using apple Watch. At the moment, only in the beta version of the DisplayLink Manager 1.5 driver, such an option was introduced as a test. It is worth checking what version of the controller the adapter works with, because they may differ between individual manufacturers or models.

The best docking station for MacBook Pro M1/M2 that supports multiple displays?

The first 2 docking stations available on the Polish market that caught my eye are i-tec products that support up to 3 external monitors for Apple computers, and for PC up to 4. Both support Power Delivery up to 85W, so they can easily handle the power supply of MacBook Air M1 / M2, or the basic version of MacBook Pro M1 Pro with 8 core CPU. You will get both stations at a price of about 1000 PLN.

i-tec USB 3.0 / USB-C / Thunderbolt 3, 3x 4K Docking Station + Power Delivery 85W

Manufacturer part number: CATRIPLE4KDOCKPD

CATRIPLE4KDOCKPD - i-tec USB 3.0 / USB-C / Thunderbolt 3, 3x 4K Docking Station + Power Delivery 85W
  • Video ports: *2x DisplayPort,1x HDMI
  • Max. number of external screens (Intel): 3
  • Max. number of external screens (M1): 3
  • USB-C data ports: 1
  • USB 3.0 ports: 5
  • RJ-45 LAN port: 1
  • Sound/Microphone: Yes
  • USB-C power supply power: 85W
  • Material: ABS

i-tec USB-C Quattro Display Docking Station Power Delivery 85W

Manufacturer part number: C31QUATTRODOCKPD

i-tec USB-C Quattro Display Docking Station Power Delivery 85W
  • Video Ports: *2x DisplayPort,2x HDMI
  • Max. number of external screens (Intel): 3
  • Max. number of external screens (M1): 3
  • USB-C data ports: 1
  • USB 3.0 ports: 5
  • RJ-45 LAN port: 1
  • Sound/Microphone: Yes
  • USB-C power supply power: 85W
  • Material: ABS

CalDigit TS3 Plus / TS4 docking stations support 2 screens only on M1 Pro, M1 Max and M1 Ultra processors

If you want to connect 2 external monitors and you have a MacBook Pro or Mac Studio, and you want a high-end product, then a great solution is the CalDigit TS4 docking station. If you don’t need to charge your laptop, or you have a MacBook Pro M1 Pro in the 8-core version, you can check out the cheaper CalDigit TS3 station.

CalDigit 3 Plus
CalDigit 3 Plus

Complete docking station for MacBook Pro M1

Going beyond the topic of the monitors themselves, the CalDigit TS4 station is really solidly equipped. We will find in it a 2.5GB Ethernet connector, SD / micro SD 4.0 UHS-II card reader, 3 Thunderbolt ports, 3 USB-C 10Gb/ s ports, 3 audio outputs, a total of 18 ports in it, so there are no compromises here. Also in terms of workmanship, you can feel the quality here thanks to the aluminum housing, which is prepared for a heavy load. In my opinion, this is the most complete Thunderbolt 4 docking station I’ve seen so far.

CalDigit 4 Thunderbolt 4 Dock - Ports

Only it may not suit people who want to connect 3 monitors or more, but also nothing stands in the way of connecting a DisplayLink adapter to one of the ports, or a little less aesthetically, you can plug directly into the complain Flour, which will handle the additional display.

There are plenty of USB-C 10 in 1 stations and the like, but often their specifications do not knock you to your knees. Especially after the adventures at the beginning of M1 processors, where cheap docking stations were able to brick our MacBook. (The issue has already been resolved by system updates.)

CalDigit TS4 Best MacBook Pro Docking Station for Creators

This station supports Power Delivery up to 98W for our laptop, and at the same time has its own power supply with a power of 230W. In addition to the laptop, we can have 2 more Thunderbolt 4 ports that charge with 15W of power, and a USB-C charging port with 20W. Not to mention 4 USB-A ports, 2 of which also charge with 7.5W.

How to connect multiple displays to MacBook M1 so that each displays a different image? See what DisplayLink is and what adapter to buy.

Docking station supporting 2 4k 60Hz monitors

Docking stations supporting 1 or 2 4k monitors can be found a lot, but if we look at the specifications, most of them I offer in 4K only 30Hz, which is an unfunny joke for me. 30Hz I would survive in the projector, but even browsing the Internet or working in Excel we will notice that something is wrong and the image jerks.

CalDigit TS4 with support for DisplayPort 1.4 supports two 4k 60Hz displays (and even 5k 60Hz if it’s Apple Studio Display) connected to Macs with M1 Pro, M1 Max and M1 Ultra processors at the same time.

Cheap and good docking station

However, if you don’t care about connecting several external monitors, 4k resolution at 60Hz and super connectivity, you may be interested in Baseus or D-Link docking stations.

D-Link DUB-M810

DUB-M810 D-Link hub USB-C

I’m currently working on a MacBook Pro 14 and a 27-inch NEC 27 MultiSync PA271Q monitor in QHD resolution, so until I get a second 4k monitor to my setup (which I’m planning) I’m using the D-Link DUB-M810 HUB, which costs about 300 PLN.

At the moment it has everything you need:

  • Power Delivery up to 100W
  • Port Ethernet
  • HDMI connector
  • 3 USB-A ports

Thanks to this, I can hide it behind the monitor (it lies loose) and an Ethernet cable is permanently plugged into it to work with the NAS. I also have a Lighting cable connected to it, because sometimes I make a router from the phone (oh these internet limits), and the second USB port I plugged into the monitor, which has a more convenient HUB on the side of the case. I power the whole thing with a USB-C to USB-C cable, which is plugged into the original charger. From the HUB to Mąka I had to exit through the USB-C extension, because the built-in cable is only 15 cm. Puki what is enough.

Dell Universal Dock D6000

Dell Universal Dock D6000 Dock with DisplayLink

Another station for which we will pay about PLN 1200, but it is quite a popular model and for half this price or less, sometimes even with a VAT invoice (probably post-leasing) we will get a used piece in good condition. It has a USB-C socket with up to 65W, which allows you to charge the M1 MacBook Air, as the station has its own power adapter. On top of that, it supports 2 x 4k 60Hz displays. According to the specifications, it is dedicated to a Dell laptop, but in many places on the web we can read that it also works with M1/M2 MacBooks.

It has connectors:

  • USB 3.0 – 4 pcs.
  • USB 3.1 Type C – 1 pc
  • HDMI – 1 pc.
  • RJ-45 (LAN) – 1 pc.
  • DisplayPort – 2 pcs.
  • Audio output – 1 pc.

Dell Universal Dock UD22

Dell Universal Dock UD22 DisplayLink
Dell Universal Dock UD22 DisplayLink

The successor to the D6000 is the UD22, which is very similar, but loses the audio jack on the front of the case, but in return already gives us USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports offering 10Gbit/s transfer instead of 510Gbit/s in the D6000 – there is power! It’s not a Thunderbolt 3/4 station, but a USB-C, but I think it’s worth considering because it costs about half as much as the CalDigit TS4.

By the way, Power Delivery increases from 65W to 96W , so you can easily power more powerful versions of MacBook Pro 14 with M1 Pro/M1 Max processors and very possibly also with fast charging. We will also connect the MacBook Pro M1 16″, but it will not provide us with fast charging, because this one uses a 140W charger connected via MagSafe 3 (USB4/TB4 supports up to 100W) and this Dock has a built-in USB-C cable.

In the case of Macs, we must install the DisplayLink drivers as usual to connect the 2 independent monitors.

In the case of Windows computers, we can use Alt Mode and connect 1 monitor to the DisplayPort connector and the other to HDMI or USB-C.

It has connectors:

Front

  • USB-A 3.2 Gen 2
  • 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 with PowerShare

Behind

  • Power Supply Input
  • HDMI 2.0
  • 2x DisplayPort 1.2 (2)
  • Gigabit Ethernet RJ45
  • 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2
  • USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C with DisplayPort 1.4 Alt Mode

On the Dell website at this link I also found information about docking stations that also support DisplayLink:

However, I haven’t found confirmation that they work with the new M1/M2 MacBooks on the latest OS. However, I came across mentions of the fact that at the beginning they worked, and after the updates there were problems. These are universal stations listed as compatible with MacOS, but the manufacturer mentions that they cannot provide technical support for Apple software. If you have any confirmed tests that (in 2023) they run on the latest MacOS, let me know in the comments. 🙂

What to look for when choosing a docking station for MacBook?

As you can see. When choosing a docking station, it is not worth suggesting only the number of ports, because even having several video outputs, but without DisplayLink, you will not connect several monitors at the same time. Well, unless you want everyone to display the same image, but we rarely buy an additional monitor for that. Another thing is to check the parameters of each of the connectors, because it may turn out that we will limit the capabilities of our equipment by a poor quality adapter.

A multiport USB-C hub equipped with various connectors: two Type-C ports, a USB 3.0 port, a USB 2.0 port, and a yellow 4K @ 30Hz HDMI port.
Ideal for users who want to connect multiple monitors to their M1 MacBook, cables and devices like USB sticks and HDMI connectors can be easily connected to the respective ports.
USB Hubs

Let’s start with the HDMI/Display Port ports, because here are the most disappointments with cheap adapters. Although often on the packaging there is a big 4K inscription, it is also worth checking the refresh, because you can be very disappointed after connecting our super laptop to a super monitor, which will either not be supported or will work with a refresh rate of 30Hz, which nowadays is a mockery.

HDMI and DisplayPort standard

Maximum Display Port resolutions depending on version:

  • DisplayPort 1.2/1.2a: 4K 60Hz
  • DisplayPort 1.3: 5K/60Hz or 4K/120Hz
  • DisplayPort 1.4: 8K/60Hz

DisplayPort++ (DisplayPort Dual-mode) – DP++ connectors do not differ physically, but differ in the support of additional adapters. The Dual-mode version allows you to work with (cheaper) passive adapters for other video signals (HDMI, DVI). Otherwise, you need active adapters that will change the signal from DP to HDMI, or from DP to DVI.

Maximum HDMI resolution:

  • HDMI 1.4: 4K/30Hz
  • HDMI 2.0: 4K/60Hz
  • HDMI 2.1: 4K/120Hz, 8K/60Hz or 10K/30Hz

It is also worth paying attention to this when choosing DP and HDMI cables.

USB-C vs Thunderbolt 3/4

The issue of USB-C and Thunderbolt is a topic for a separate entry, but to put it simply, USB-C is the shape of the plug, and what specifications, transfers and capabilities it has depends on the transmission standard. There are so many USB transmission standards that it is difficult to count it, and without looking at the specification, we often do not get to whether it is USB 2.0 / 3.0 / 3.2 and whether you can connect a monitor there or not. Thunderbolt 3 and 4 use a USB-C connector, but it gives you more power and less confusion because it includes a PCI-E line, Ethernet, DisplayPort, USB and charging devices up to 100W using Power Delivery.

Thunderbolt 4 Specifications

If we choose a Thunderbolt 3 or 4th generation docking station, we can be sure that we get a transfer of 40Gbps (the minimum that TB4 can have is 32Gbps) and a minimum of 15W of power transmission. USB 4 is already available in 2 versions of 20 and 40Gbps, and a minimum power supply of 7.5W. And we still have a lot of USB-C 3.0/3.1/3.2 HUBs that can be 1st or 2nd generation, which in simple terms boils down to the fact that they have 5 or 10Gbps of transfer. USB-C HUBs in the USB 3.0/3.1 version will meet the most, because they are the cheapest and are enough to connect HDDs, mouse and keyboard.

Thunderbolt 4 vs USB-C Specification

Power Delivery

Power Delivery allows us to connect the charger of our MacBook to a docking station or adapter that has such a connector. As a result, our MacBook is connected with one USB-C cable to the docking station, which gives it a current of up to 100W.

If we want to connect our computer in this way, we must pay attention to the power given by the manufacturer of the accessory, because in the case of MacBook Pro M1 it is almost 100W. In the case of the MacBook Air M1, only 30W is enough for Power Delivery to make everything work smoothly and not damage our equipment. Of course, this is not necessary and you can connect the power supply and docking station separately, but then you have 2 cables plugged in instead of 1 one. A matter of aesthetics.

Monitors with Powery Delivery

An interesting solution are also monitors with Power Delivery, which allows you to send the image to such a screen, and it simultaneously powers our laptop. In this way, we can connect only one USB-C cable to the laptop for power supply and video transmission.

For some time I used such a solution while testing a very nice HP U32 4K monitor, which has a very good image, is beautifully made and at the same time has a USB HUB in it. I was using the D-Link HUB, which does not support 4k/60Hz and I had to connect this HP screen directly to the MacBook.

Monitor HP U32 4k HDR
On the right, the HP U32 4K Monitor with Power Delivery.


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3 thoughts on “How do I connect multiple displays to my MacBook M1/M2?”

  1. Dear Marcin,

    Thank you for your review. Complete, easy to understand and to digest… Excellent!

    I did purchase 2 Iiyama screens to Daisy Chain through DP-cable, and MST is activated. 1 Iiyama is connected through USBC cable with my MacBook Pro 13″ M1 2020.

    I am struggling to set both screens up in multiscreen. When I connect each Iiyama monitor separately to my MacBook Pro, is working.

    As 3rd monitor I would like to connect my TV Philips HDMI TV Philips model 43PUS6101/12 * year: September 2016 * resolution: 4K

    Connections TV: HDMI 1 ARC * HDMI 2 * HDMI 3 * HDMI MHL * USB 1 * USB 2 * USB 3

    Ps. When I connect the PHILIPS Television separately to the MacBook Pro, using a HAMA HDMI dockstation, the Philips works.

    Before I return 1 Iiyama monitor to Amazon, I want to make sure that I did everything right.

    I would highly appreciate to receive your advice

    Reply
    • Macos doesn’t support MST even if you have it in monitor. So you can have to connect them separately, or use docs station with Display Link or something like CalDigit TS3/4.

      Reply

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