There are several reasons why you may encounter monitor detection issues on your Mac. First of all, it may be that you misidentified the usb ports second screen or your own Macbook Air or Macbook Pro computer and therefore misuse them. It can also be due to the condition of the cable used, of the state ofadapter or a wrong setting. In this article, you will find all the answers to your questions to solve this monitor detection problem on Mac. Good reading!

Mac monitor detection not working

Which ports should I choose for my Mac to correctly detect the monitor?

Of course, depending on the model and year of your Macbook Air or Macbook Pro computer, the ports will not be the same. Indeed, if your Macbook device was released in 2013, it will then be equipped with the port Thunderbolt 2. If your Mac is 2011, it will then simply have the port Thunderbolt. On the other hand, if your Macbook computer model is years 2008, it will then have a port called MiniDisplayPort. You should then be able to connect devices compatible with VGA, DVI et HDMI. For the most recent devices (after 2016), they will then have a port Thunderbolt 3 USB-C.

Now that you have been able to identify the ports on your Macbook Air or Macbook Pro computer, you should be able to identify the ports on the monitor, in other words, on the external display. You will thus find:

  • HDMI port: this is the most common and widely used port for connecting screens or televisions to a computer.
  • VGA port: a connection via this port will allow you to watch HD movies with an analog audio signal.
  • DVI output: for better quality than VGA, with optimal display quality.

What cables / adapters should I use so that my Mac can detect the monitor successfully?

To connect your Macbook Air or Macbook Pro computer to a monitor, you have a choice of six different cables. To avoid any problem ofincompatibility, we recommend that you use a apple cable. Indeed, the ports of Mac computers are female so make sure to use cables with male outputs.

Here is a list of adapters that you can use to connect a monitor to your Mac:

  • USB-C Digital AV Multiport
  • Mini DisplayPort to VGA
  • Mini DisplayPort to DVI
  • Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2
  • USB-C to HDMI

How do I set up a second screen on my Mac?

Here are the steps to follow in order to set up a monitor on your Macbook Air or Macbook Pro computer:

  • Plug the adapter into your Macbook device
  • Go to the menu Apple (the little black apple located at the top left of your screen)
  • Click on System Preferences
  • Select Moniteurs
  • Click on Disposal
  • Do not check the box Video copy, which, as the name suggests, will show you exactly the same content as your Macbook Air or Macbook Pro computer screen.
  • You just have to configure your monitors and determine which one will bemain screen.

We recommend these articles in the event that you encounter HDMI cables with your Macbook Air or Macbook Pro computer or problems related to theHDMI adapter.