Yep, it works. I heard that before too and it's funny as I think they want people buying their Studio Displays. Anyhow thanks for watching and supporting the channel.
Hi @muniqueRossoni how is your experience with this? I just bought a iMac base model M3, because my LG Ultrafine is dead, and I think I can use this workaround and a little os the iMac. I have the MacBook Pro 14" M1 Pro. Do noticed some latency? I work with Design and some video editing. I really curious. :)
Just fired up my Intel iMac 2020 (5k, 27”) that’s still on Ventura, found the AirPlay Receiver option, and got it working with my M3 MacBook. Wireless right now with very little lag, but I didn’t buy a cable to connect them. Thanks so much for posting this! I really wish more people knew about this option. I was going to sell my iMac but now have an awesome new reason for keeping it. YOU RULE!
I had the problem where I wouldn’t get the option to “Extend” the screen”, but simply mirror it. How I solved it was to open the window, where one can adjust the position of the screens. Press and hold Option to drag the displays apart. Then it should work
I'm Using a Macbook Pro M1 and did bought the Thunderbolt4 cable from Apple to connect to my Intel Imac 2020 (27 inch). At the begginning even connected with the thunderbolt cable it was working but still a bit laggy (note that the max resolution you can use is 4k) SOOOO, I discovered that changing my "sound options" killed the latency between the connection. I was outputing the sound to the Imac via Airplay, once I changed to use the sound from my macbook instead of airplay to the Imac, the connection Instantly killed the laggy. Thank you so much for your video, It changed my life 😅 My Setup is: Macbook Pro M1 Max 2021 Ethernet (internet cable) connected to the macbook Thunderbolt 4 (or 3 since imac only support the old version) connected to the iMac iMac Intel 27 2020 as an extended display 4k (you'll notice the anti-alias is not perfect) but still better to have a bigger monitor. I was trying to sell my iMac but I would pay the same for a new monitor, so being able to make that connection is AWESOME, and I still have a machine if I'm not working :-)
I've just seen this 5 hours ago and downloaded OpenCore Legacy Patcher and installed Ventura on an iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2015) and now I can use the iMac as extra screen for my Macbook Pro M2. IT WORKS :) No longer a theory :) Thank you :)
Welcome and I'm glad it helped you out. Might as well get use of of the screen. It's funny because Apple says it's not possible but I think we have proved them wrong.
I have a M2 Pro Mac mini hooked up to a Studio display and I also have a 24” M1 Imac .. when I’m doing color correction I use the 24 Imac as an extended monitor .. just go to Displays on the Mac mini and add the Imac .. change sound settings for preferable sound output .. no cables required, being doing this for more than 6 months with no problem .. for sound editing I look at the main monitor as there is a very slight delay on the Imac
Great video man, I'm from Brazil, I have an Imac 2017, with OLCP, and a Macbook Air M1, and it worked, the only thing it needs to work is for the accounts' iCloud to be synchronized on both devices, and that's it. Your channel is TOP, thank you.
This might help and be an alternative for your intel 27 inch iMac? I have used built in Screen Sharing over Ethernet or thunderbolt on a M1 Mac mini to 2011 iMac. A hdmi or USB C dummy can be used for gpu acceleration in the Mac mini. These help with applying different resolutions and as a second and extended screen, they cost around £5-10 on Amazon and has a frame rate of around 30fps. You can go full screen for me that is 1440p or have the screen in a window. It also shares mouse keyboard and clipboard for copy and paste. It’s accessible just the same as sharing a drive as long as it is ticked as active in system prefs -> Sharing. Hope that helps...
I never comment but I had to! You Sir just saved me returning my new M3 air because an Apple rep told me my iMac 2021 wouldn’t support an external display! Thank you so much!!
It will work with older iMacs before 2019/2020 using OpenCore. I have accomplished this using a Mac Mini M1 and my 2015 / 27" Retina using a wired network connection. Fiddle around with the graphic settings until your are satisfied and presto. I would assume if one was to installed OpenCore on an older MacBook / Mac mini that enables Airplay Receiver, it would work as well.
Can you explain or point me in direction to use OpenCore? Non tech guy here but just got a MacBook Pro M3 pro and I would so much want to utilize my 2017 27" iMac display. I looked at Luna but this sounds more what I need/want. thanks!
Thanks Craig, Definitely going to try this on my old 27" iMac that's sitting in a cupboard right now! I know I'll need to experiment with Opencore but the result I it works!
@@umityayla5051 Does it lag or something ? I have a 2020 MacBook Pro and a 2015 late IMac 27, and want to use the IMac as an extended monitor for the MacBook. I can only use it wirelessly because the IMac only have Thunderbolt 2 and not USB C or something.
Hey first of all great video! Two follow up questions: 1. In theory I could use the iMac as the primary computer and extend to the MacBook right? If I prefer the iMac’s internals over the MacBooks for example 2. Do you notice if the iMac provides enough power to keep the MacBook powered? My plan is to set my wife up with using an M3 iMac and an M2 MacBook Pro and a single wire would be great
I think #1 should work as long as they are both newer devices (unless you load Open Core). The iMac appears to have enough power to charge the MacBook.
I believe newer iMacs aren't compatible with ths technonlogy. I have a 2023 MBP and a 2021 iMac and it doesn't work it only lets me link the mouse and keyboard or use my MBP as the second display, which is the opposite if what i want to do.
thank you very much! i was looking for a video like this, i connected a Macbook M2 16“ with an Imac M1 27”, by airplay and had latency, i tried with the thunderbold cable, i felt it more fluid, i wanted to know that i was doing it right! with your video i checked it, thank you very much!
Just do the research first as it's great but you don't get the full 4.5K resolution (slightly less) etc. It's worth it for sure if you have one but I'm not sure it's worth changing the entire setup unless you need it and then that is fine.
What happens if I plug in something into the usb hubs of the iMac, while using it as display? Does the MacBook recognize for example a ssd I plugged into the iMac?
@@craigneidel I can use my Apple TV as a second monitor for my iPad so maybe. Yes, I do that sometimes but I'm thinking of leaving the MacBook and only going for the iMac and iPad in the future.
I think only if you have Open Core installed and have upgraded to newer OS. Others have tried it and said it works if you read the comments but I have not tried that.
Hi Craig, this video is amazing, unfortunately, it doesn't work for me. I got iMac M1 24'' and macOS Sonoma 14,5. the iMac choice with airplay not appears. only able to use iPad or ATV. any idea? thank you!
Hi, as I recall, the sound came from an iMac. That was important to me. Anyway, you can switch the output from MacOS. If I find some time to play Riven today, I'll give you confirmation.
Thank you for your answer. Just to make sure we talk about iMac M1 (2021) right? :) And would be so nice if you let me know after you check the speakers. Really appreciated 🤍
@@RobertFinkei Yes Robert, we're talking about the iMac M1 (2021) and the MacBook Pro M2 (2023). I'm using a Thunderbolt 4 cable. I can absolutely confirm that the sound comes from the iMac by default. I can also confirm that you can switch between sound outputs if you'd like to.
Any tips if you got it to work 1-2 times and now it keeps telling me It cannot connect to iMac? It worked the first time I tried it. Then got it to work the 2nd time and it randomly stopped sharing. Now can't get it to reconnect. I have a 2021 M1 iMac and a 2022 M2 macbook air. Thanks for any tips in advance!
Thanks for making this great video! I connected my M1 macbook to a 27" LG monitor, and then airplay to the 2020 iMac 27" Ventura. It works! The only problem is the Imac is a little lag, and its resolution is different from the LG monitor when I had both set up as 1920x1080. Graphics on iMac looks bigger and more yellow. Is there any way to fix the lag? I connected the LG and imac with a USBC to HDMI cable, it didn't fix the lag. lol.😄
Normally you need to use a Thunderbolt 4 cable and it should fix the lag - not the HDMI. Just make sure it's not connecting via wi-fi or it could be more laggy. Thanks for watching.
Hello Craig! This is very useful as I was thinking of picking up a second-hand iMac as an external monitor. I'm going to be editing high resolution (4K and up) videos and saw in this video that the resolution was best at lower than that. Should I just be looking at regular monitors then? Looking at some 4K ones. Thank you!
Yeah, this is good for people that already have them but it might be best to pick up a standard monitor if you would be buying this for that specific reason.
Excellent trick Craig! Just one question - can you easily switch the system between the macbook pro and the imac? For example, while using the imac as an external monitor most of the time, I still want to get back to the imac system now and then
How is the latency on this with the extension? When I do the other method of screen mirroring, I sometimes get a lag or a slight latency, which I don't like. I am thinking about trying this method you posted, Craig. Thanks! I wonder if this can be done via intel iMac 2020. Or through the Macbook Pro version, I wonder if you can do it with two monitors. I believe the air, it only allows one monitor.
The 2019 and 2020 5K imacs could work out of the box, but I know that on the older iMacs you might need to run that Legacy open core patcher but I haven't tested that. With wired connection the latency is super low and I really don't even think about it when using it (it's that good).
It will work with older iMacs before 2019/2020 using OpenCore. I have accomplished this using a Mac Mini M1 and my 2015 / 27" Retina using a wired network connection. Fiddle around with the graphic settings until your are satisfied and presto. I would assume if one was to installed OpenCore on an older MacBook / Mac mini that enables Airplay Receiver, it would work as well.
Thanks for this Craig - just one thing - how would one go about hooking my iMac (2020) to a new Mac Mini - and lastly would you be able to use a Thunderbolt 4 instead of 3 cable?
Yes, I think you would follow the same steps and Thunderbolt 4 should work. I would just test it out and see how it works for you. I know on early Macs you need to run Open Core for this to work but I think in the 2020 imacs it should work native as long as you have the settings I showed in the video.
Thanks for asking about the TB4 cable. I was wondering the same thing. It looks like they should be interchangeable so I’m going to go with 4 instead of 3. I’ll report back!
it would be interesting to see a video where you can provide solution to use 2016-17 imac as monitor for Windows PC, as I want to use my imac as monitor for work PC. Any tricks, seen alot on youtube but none are worth.
Can the iMac be used on a daisy chain with another 4k display (I have a Dell U2723QE that supports daisy chaining)? I have an MBP, so it can support multiple displays (unlike MBA).
I have a Macbook Pro M1 2020 and I'm trying to connect to an iMac M1 2021, but the option to add displays (the plus icon with dropdown) doesn't show up in my display settings for the Macbook. Help?!
Make sure and turn on Airplay receiver and I hope this helps. It's hard for me to troubleshoot individual computers as I get hundreds of requests - support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/set-up-your-mac-to-be-an-airplay-receiver-mchleee00ec8/mac
Hi Craig. Thanks for giving me some hope lol. I've worked with an iMac for most of my time as a graphic designer and now the company is getting me a 15 inch Macbook Air M2. It's gonna be a big adjustment for me, but if I can get this to work with my existing iMac then it will be a big help. Will it work though? They haven't purchased the Macbook yet so I'm just doing my own research in the meantime. Will your method work for a 21.5 inch late 2013 iMac to a 15 inch Macbook Air M2?
No, in the example I'm using an M1 24" iMac. If you installed Open Core on the 2013 it might work but that is something others have tried but I have not tested. If you are not installing Open Core then it won't work on that old of a machine.
This is great. very helpful. One question from me. When I do this, and leave it unattended, both displays (Macbook Air and iMac) will not go to sleep, could be hours even. I've even played with the settings on the Macbook air, but no luck. Do you have the same issue, and do you know a way around it. So that both machines sleep when i step away, and then wake when i touch the keyboard or mouse?
I didn't notice that and will need to test it out. Right now I don't have it setup like this but will let you know when I do. If anybody else can test it then post here.
sir do you think Apple might try to Block this option in a future update somehow ? it seems like they are officially saying you can't use the iMac as a monitor
Thanks for sharing this. I searched online but everyone says that it isn’t possible with silicone macs as they dropped target display mode. It seems AirPlay over thunderbolt is possible and very usable.
Thanks for making the video Craig! Do you know what are the specs for charging a macbook pro with PD through the Thunderbolt connection? What power output is the iMac 24 capable of with PD?
Do you have to use the same Apple ID for this to work? One of my machines is a personal computer and one is for work and I have two separate Apple IDs for that reason.
Hey Craig- thanks for this, very helpful. I tried my 2019 iMAC 27" as extended display to my MacBook Pro M1. Unfortunately, I'm not getting the option for 5K resolution and only the lower resolution options that are fuzzy in comparison. Any suggestions on how to get the native 5K resolution for the extended display. Apologies if this has been tried and answered prior. Please point me to the answer if that's the case. Thanks
thank you so much for showing this changes everything, i will no longer sell my imac if this is the case, first this saves me a ton of money, no need to buy keyboard or another external monitor from apple, i had no clue it worked on m1 devices, yes i seen previously imac showing on bluetooth when i was reseting my airpods max daily but when i click on it just did nothing, im gonna buy an thunderbolt 4 cable then since it is the lastest cable and imac supports both 3 and 4, i do have 3 questions though, first is will minisopuru nvme and docks work?, second can still imac ports charge devices and can it charge macbook device? , and lastly can you use external trackpad or keyboard on both macs at same time or you have to wire connect?
The dock won't work since you are now viewing the MacBook and not the imac but you can connect that to the MacBook if you want to. The MacBook will be charged when connected this way. Thanks.
Can you connect 2 external displays? For my old macbook I used one VGA and one HDMI and it worked fine. I'm having some trouble connecting my 3rd display excluding my 2024 imac and my other acer monitor. I really need 3 monitors for work so is there any work around this?
I don't think you can do that using this method. You can get a dock like the Wavlink dock in one of my recent videos but keep in mind that then it won't work with the iMac.
As soon as they ship Imac M3 with USB C accessories I plan on buying one. This will complete my transition to Apple ECO system from Windows/Android. Do you think it will work with a Windows laptop? My work laptop is windows based. Thanks, looking forward to more videos!
It's using Airplay so not sure. I'll need to do some more fooling around with all this but I wanted to showcase this first since it's fixed the issue of getting the 24" to work as a monitor. Thanks for watching.
Do you know why my M3 MacBook doesn’t have the plus sign when I go to display? The iMac has it and is able to use the MacBook as the second monitor, but not the other way around
Does the camera on the iMac work when an extended display? Can you close your laptop? I have a work MacBook and an old personal MacBook that I just swap onto an old Apple display. But I'd rather just swap the personal MacBook and old display to an iMac if I can continue to connect my work MacBook to it.
I don't think the camera will work but I still need to test that more closely and I don't think it will work in clamshell. Also, when you say old if the Mac is too old you would need to run open core to get this to work.
Make sure airplay receiver is working and that you are not using wifi. Make sure using a real thunderbolt cable. It's hard for me to troubleshoot beyond that.
I want to try on my 2015 5k iMac. I just upgraded to a M2 15in MacBook Air. I got a cheap 4k screen at the moment and it's ok but the IPS in the 5k iMac would be so much better. It does not have thunderbolt 3 ( USB-C) so do I need a Thunderbolt 3 to MiniDisplay Port Cable? Will that work? I really need the fast connection
What I showcase in the video is not a perfect solution as the resolutions are slightly less but it works good. But with a 2015 imac you would need to install Open Core and upgrade the OS to a newer version to get that to work. I'm not sure it's worth all that work etc. if you already have a 4K monitor.
Im trying to use my 27" 2020 iMac to work. First attempt i didnt get the little plus icon but after turning some sharing stuff on I now get the option :) doing it wireless at moment got a cable coming today! I will post back if the cable helps.
Hey Craig! Two follow up questions - Is there a way to use imac's camera when it's used as an external monitor? It seems that there is some lag when using as an external display. Do you know any hack to bring up the refresh rate? Thanks a lot!
I'm not sure you can use the camera using this method and if I find a way then I'll let you know. Do you have the two connected using a Thunderbolt cable or are you using a wireless connection?
@@craigneidel I'm using a Thunderbolt 4 cable - hopefully there is a way! On the refresh rate, I feel like it's a system config issue since the cable we use definitely should support 60 Hertz but there is no config for the imac screen in the "display" settings😕
I have an iMac 2017 and im planning to buy the macbook pro 2024 if I want to use the iMac as a monitor because of it size then wich cable will I need to connect? thank you : )
I would read the comments on people that did that but the 2017 won't work unless you have Open Core loaded on it. It's too old and I tried on my 2017 and it won't work. But for people running Open Core for their OS it appears to work.
Can anybody help me? I have a 2021 imac and 2021 macbook. I would love to be able to use my imac as a secondary monitor for my macbook. Is this possible? When I go to the "displays" tab in my settings I don't have the + button to select.
I have a Macbook Pro M1 Max and used Open Core Legacy Patcher (had to buy a USB stick) to successfully get my iMac 2017 retina 5K to have airplay receiver mode. But.... the resolutions are not good. It looks like airplay can only send out a 1920x1080 signal and scale that up or down. I disabled all internet and used a thunderbolt 4 cable to see if there was any lag and there is a slight lag, enough that it's bothersome going from screen to screen. Last I think the refresh rate is also at a low setting that looks like 30hz, definitely not 60hz. Overall, this was pretty disappointing. I was hoping this would work for my needs in motion graphics, but it unfortunately did not. I may have to go the route of gutting the iMac to turn it into a display with HDMI. If anyone has any other ideas let me know. I was trying to see if there is a way to hack the airplay to do 2560x1440 60hz but found none.
I'm guessing it should but I have not tested the iMacs since I run a 2017 without Open Core. But some people have got it to work. Make sure you have the settings turned on to allow for this.
Wondering if you could post a video how to hook up a windows pc to use 24” Mac as a display . I have the thunderbolt tried those options on Mac but got nothing
What am I doing wrong? I'm using my 2023 iMac, and a MacBook Pro 2021. Apple has told me this is not possible to do. I got a Thunderbolt 3 cable but when I click into the Macbook's Display settings, there isn't a plus icon. Help! :(
You might not have turned on the Airplay receiver maybe: On your Mac, choose Apple menu > System Settings, click General in the sidebar, then click AirDrop & Handoff on the right. (You may need to scroll down.) Turn on Airplay Receiver.
You can do it within quicktime using a lightning cable. In quicktime go to make a new movie in the file drop down. You can choose where to record from in a small drop down next to the record button. This will bring up your ipad screen. You can also use it as extended in apps that support it. I used it for pro create.
I'm trying this on a new mac studio. I do not see the plus dropdown on the mac studio. I'm trying to use a USB C cable. I'm on Sonoma 14.5 on both computers. The other computer is a 24" imac M1 2021. Could it be just the cable? I'm using an LG UltraFine as the main monitor. I cannot get that plus (add display) to show up. What am I doing wrong?
@@craigneidel Thank you. I did have it turned on but I had to change "Allow Airplay for" to "anyone on the same network" - also I had the airplay receiver on on both machines. I turned it off on the mac studio and now it's not using wifi - now it's working like you show in the video. Thanks again, this is awesome.
I'm really not sure but just found that the connection limits the latency on the use of the Monitor. I'll need to research how it's being done internally.
I'm not sure if it would work on something that old. As a few others have said if you can load Open Core patcher and update the OS to at least Ventura it could work for you. But I have not tested that.
I went to the Apple Store and they told me it couldn’t be done in a recent iMac, but I tried your method and it worked 🎉 🙌 thanks a lot!!!
Yep, it works. I heard that before too and it's funny as I think they want people buying their Studio Displays. Anyhow thanks for watching and supporting the channel.
Hi @muniqueRossoni how is your experience with this? I just bought a iMac base model M3, because my LG Ultrafine is dead, and I think I can use this workaround and a little os the iMac.
I have the MacBook Pro 14" M1 Pro. Do noticed some latency?
I work with Design and some video editing. I really curious. :)
Does it possible to connect imac display to tv
Just fired up my Intel iMac 2020 (5k, 27”) that’s still on Ventura, found the AirPlay Receiver option, and got it working with my M3 MacBook.
Wireless right now with very little lag, but I didn’t buy a cable to connect them.
Thanks so much for posting this! I really wish more people knew about this option. I was going to sell my iMac but now have an awesome new reason for keeping it. YOU RULE!
Glad it helped you out and thanks for the post and for watching the channel. Appreciate that.
hey @danwoolsey6411 - did you get the full 5K resolution on using your iMac as extended display? Thanks
Sir... You're the best...hours long searches and a lot of reddit posts reading i found this.. thank you so much for posting this video 😍
Thanks and your welcome. Hope you can sub to channel.
Searched for an hour online for this solution, this is amazing!
Thanks for watching the channel.
I had the problem where I wouldn’t get the option to “Extend” the screen”, but simply mirror it. How I solved it was to open the window, where one can adjust the position of the screens. Press and hold Option to drag the displays apart. Then it should work
Thanks for posting the resolution.
Which cable do u used
I'm Using a Macbook Pro M1 and did bought the Thunderbolt4 cable from Apple to connect to my Intel Imac 2020 (27 inch). At the begginning even connected with the thunderbolt cable it was working but still a bit laggy (note that the max resolution you can use is 4k) SOOOO, I discovered that changing my "sound options" killed the latency between the connection.
I was outputing the sound to the Imac via Airplay, once I changed to use the sound from my macbook instead of airplay to the Imac, the connection Instantly killed the laggy. Thank you so much for your video, It changed my life 😅
My Setup is:
Macbook Pro M1 Max 2021
Ethernet (internet cable) connected to the macbook
Thunderbolt 4 (or 3 since imac only support the old version) connected to the iMac
iMac Intel 27 2020 as an extended display 4k (you'll notice the anti-alias is not perfect) but still better to have a bigger monitor.
I was trying to sell my iMac but I would pay the same for a new monitor, so being able to make that connection is AWESOME, and I still have a machine if I'm not working :-)
Thanks for the data and I'm glad I was able to help. And Apple said that this wasn't possible - you can't always trust what they say.
I've just seen this 5 hours ago and downloaded OpenCore Legacy Patcher and installed Ventura on an iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2015) and now I can use the iMac as extra screen for my Macbook Pro M2. IT WORKS :) No longer a theory :) Thank you :)
Welcome and I'm glad it helped you out. Might as well get use of of the screen. It's funny because Apple says it's not possible but I think we have proved them wrong.
Did you connect them using Thunderbolt 2 to Thunderbolt 3 cable?
@@volimsebee No
@@larsmorch What did you use to connect them?
@@volimsebee Wireless only - only wire is the network ethernet connection thru router - it may be faster using a cable - haven't tested
I have a M2 Pro Mac mini hooked up to a Studio display and I also have a 24” M1 Imac .. when I’m doing color correction I use the 24 Imac as an extended monitor .. just go to Displays on the Mac mini and add the Imac .. change sound settings for preferable sound output .. no cables required, being doing this for more than 6 months with no problem .. for sound editing I look at the main monitor as there is a very slight delay on the Imac
Yes, but that it the reason for the cable at it reduces latency etc. So it helps with that where you can use it more for main tasks.
Excellent info Craig, thanks! My wife has a 27" iMac ( 2017 ), so will keep OCLP in mind.
Yes, I think that is the key but I didn't test it. But in the comments a few others did and claim it works.
Work fine?
Will the speakers, webcam and USB Ports on the iMac work when using it as external monitor like with the studio display? Thanks!!
I think think the speakers work but will need to try the webcam. If you have a iMac then just give it a try but I'll see if I can test it.
Great video man, I'm from Brazil, I have an Imac 2017, with OLCP, and a Macbook Air M1, and it worked, the only thing it needs to work is for the accounts' iCloud to be synchronized on both devices, and that's it.
Your channel is TOP, thank you.
Appreciate that for sure and thanks for the follow up and information. It helps others trying to do this. Thank you.
@@craigneidel Dang. I don't have an iCloud account.
Did you connect them using Thunderbolt 2 to Thunderbolt 3 cable?
This might help and be an alternative for your intel 27 inch iMac?
I have used built in Screen Sharing over Ethernet or thunderbolt on a M1 Mac mini to 2011 iMac. A hdmi or USB C dummy can be used for gpu acceleration in the Mac mini. These help with applying different resolutions and as a second and extended screen, they cost around £5-10 on Amazon and has a frame rate of around 30fps. You can go full screen for me that is 1440p or have the screen in a window. It also shares mouse keyboard and clipboard for copy and paste. It’s accessible just the same as sharing a drive as long as it is ticked as active in system prefs -> Sharing. Hope that helps...
Thanks for the info and for watching. I appreciate that for sure.
How responsive is Screen Sharing?
You deserve a subscription!
Appreciate that for sure.
You are my Man!!!!!!!! You solved such a big problem!! You can call yourself a superhero!
Thanks for watching the channel and I'm glad the monitor fix worked.
I never comment but I had to! You Sir just saved me returning my new M3 air because an Apple rep told me my iMac 2021 wouldn’t support an external display! Thank you so much!!
Wow, thanks for the post and for the feedback.
This is awesome! Thank you for sharing this. When I originally bought my iMac I was really disappointed when I thought this couldn't be done.
It's not perfect but it works.
Neat trick Craig. I knew how to extend the display to a monitor or TV, but not to an iMac.
Yes, it works well for what it is. Nice to have that ability if you need it. Thanks
I used your video with A 2012 Macbook Pro & 2013 IMac both running Opencore & it worked perfectly after a few clicks
Nice and thanks for the data point on this. It's nice to see people are able to use it and get some use out of the screen.
It will work with older iMacs before 2019/2020 using OpenCore. I have accomplished this using a Mac Mini M1 and my 2015 / 27" Retina using a wired network connection. Fiddle around with the graphic settings until your are satisfied and presto. I would assume if one was to installed OpenCore on an older MacBook / Mac mini that enables Airplay Receiver, it would work as well.
Thanks for the test Euardo. I suspected that but didn't know for sure. I think this could help quite a few people. Thank you.
Can you explain or point me in direction to use OpenCore? Non tech guy here but just got a MacBook Pro M3 pro and I would so much want to utilize my 2017 27" iMac display. I looked at Luna but this sounds more what I need/want. thanks!
So no need for a Thunderbolt cable? Only ethernet?
Hi Craig, thank you for your quick reply, I solved issue you have to restart the mba and everything works pretty good and fast. Have a great day!
@@jeety13 ok thanks.
Thanks Craig, Definitely going to try this on my old 27" iMac that's sitting in a cupboard right now! I know I'll need to experiment with Opencore but the result I it works!
Thanks, yes one person confirmed it works with Open Core and it could be a game changer for people looking to reuse the older 5K screens.
OCLP definitely works.
@@umityayla5051 thanks for verification
@@umityayla5051
Does it lag or something ? I have a 2020 MacBook Pro and a 2015 late IMac 27, and want to use the IMac as an extended monitor for the MacBook. I can only use it wirelessly because the IMac only have Thunderbolt 2 and not USB C or something.
Hey first of all great video!
Two follow up questions:
1. In theory I could use the iMac as the primary computer and extend to the MacBook right? If I prefer the iMac’s internals over the MacBooks for example
2. Do you notice if the iMac provides enough power to keep the MacBook powered? My plan is to set my wife up with using an M3 iMac and an M2 MacBook Pro and a single wire would be great
I think #1 should work as long as they are both newer devices (unless you load Open Core). The iMac appears to have enough power to charge the MacBook.
This is awesome! Can't believe it was that easy!
Yep and they said it wasn't possible... It is.
After watching this I come to the conclusion Apple takes something that should be so simple and make it more complicated 😂
This is something they didn't want to allow but it's kind of a workaround.
I have an IMAC M3 2023, can I then use an M1 2021 as a second display? The Apple representative told me that it was not possible, I have that doubt
It should work based on our testing. I only tested it as I did in the video though since I don't have the M3.
I believe newer iMacs aren't compatible with ths technonlogy. I have a 2023 MBP and a 2021 iMac and it doesn't work it only lets me link the mouse and keyboard or use my MBP as the second display, which is the opposite if what i want to do.
thank you very much! i was looking for a video like this, i connected a Macbook M2 16“ with an Imac M1 27”, by airplay and had latency, i tried with the thunderbold cable, i felt it more fluid, i wanted to know that i was doing it right! with your video i checked it, thank you very much!
Welcome and thanks for watching the channel. Glad it's working.
You may have made me buy a new iMac and sell my MacBook Air just so I can do this with my work MacBook Pro 🎉 thank you for this!!! Amazing !!!
Just do the research first as it's great but you don't get the full 4.5K resolution (slightly less) etc. It's worth it for sure if you have one but I'm not sure it's worth changing the entire setup unless you need it and then that is fine.
What happens if I plug in something into the usb hubs of the iMac, while using it as display? Does the MacBook recognize for example a ssd I plugged into the iMac?
I'll need to test that and report back.
@@craigneidel Thanks! this would make the m1 Imac the perfect 24 inch studio display! in 2-3 years much cheapter than it.
Yes, but if you watch the video you need to use it at a slightly lower resolution.
thanks Craig, this helped a lot
Welcome for sure.
Great video. Any idea if its possible with an iPad instead of the MacBook?
I don't think so but you can use the iPad as a second screen for your Mac as I'm sure you know.
@@craigneidel I can use my Apple TV as a second monitor for my iPad so maybe. Yes, I do that sometimes but I'm thinking of leaving the MacBook and only going for the iMac and iPad in the future.
Ok, thanks and good luck with things.
Thank you! This is such a good tutorial video.
Thank you for watching the channel and the nice comment.
Thank you very much Craig 🙂
Two employees of Apple said to me it's not possible to use iMac 23 as external monitor 😠
Well, here is some proof it works at least this way. Thanks for watching.
Does this work on the iMac 27 inch 2017
I think only if you have Open Core installed and have upgraded to newer OS. Others have tried it and said it works if you read the comments but I have not tried that.
Hi Craig, this video is amazing, unfortunately, it doesn't work for me. I got iMac M1 24'' and macOS Sonoma 14,5. the iMac choice with airplay not appears. only able to use iPad or ATV. any idea? thank you!
Make sure you have turned on airplay receiver and you can find info on that on Google. Make sure you use quality thunderbolt 4 cable
Didnt know that! and other things! Craig...Thanks for posting this video.
Thanks, yes I just found out you can do this as well after some research.
Thank you for this video. It is exactly what I was looking for. By the way, clamshell mode is working perfectly.
Ok, thanks for the feedback.
Thank you, and I have a question - Does the sound come from an iMac speakers or from your Macbook? Thank you
Hi, as I recall, the sound came from an iMac. That was important to me. Anyway, you can switch the output from MacOS. If I find some time to play Riven today, I'll give you confirmation.
Thank you for your answer. Just to make sure we talk about iMac M1 (2021) right? :)
And would be so nice if you let me know after you check the speakers. Really appreciated 🤍
@@RobertFinkei Yes Robert, we're talking about the iMac M1 (2021) and the MacBook Pro M2 (2023). I'm using a Thunderbolt 4 cable. I can absolutely confirm that the sound comes from the iMac by default. I can also confirm that you can switch between sound outputs if you'd like to.
Any tips if you got it to work 1-2 times and now it keeps telling me It cannot connect to iMac? It worked the first time I tried it. Then got it to work the 2nd time and it randomly stopped sharing. Now can't get it to reconnect. I have a 2021 M1 iMac and a 2022 M2 macbook air. Thanks for any tips in advance!
I have not seen that issue before. Maybe it's a bad cable. Make sure you have Airplay receiver enabled. If anybody else saw this please post here.
Thanks for making this great video! I connected my M1 macbook to a 27" LG monitor, and then airplay to the 2020 iMac 27" Ventura. It works! The only problem is the Imac is a little lag, and its resolution is different from the LG monitor when I had both set up as 1920x1080. Graphics on iMac looks bigger and more yellow. Is there any way to fix the lag? I connected the LG and imac with a USBC to HDMI cable, it didn't fix the lag. lol.😄
Normally you need to use a Thunderbolt 4 cable and it should fix the lag - not the HDMI. Just make sure it's not connecting via wi-fi or it could be more laggy. Thanks for watching.
The downside is I need to click the extend/mirror option from primary screen from display setting every time.
Is there any automatic way to connect?
Yeah, it's not perfect but it does the trick. I'll let you know if I find anything out on how to do that.
Hello Craig!
This is very useful as I was thinking of picking up a second-hand iMac as an external monitor. I'm going to be editing high resolution (4K and up) videos and saw in this video that the resolution was best at lower than that. Should I just be looking at regular monitors then? Looking at some 4K ones. Thank you!
Yeah, this is good for people that already have them but it might be best to pick up a standard monitor if you would be buying this for that specific reason.
@@craigneidel that makes sense, thank you!
Welcome.
Excellent trick Craig! Just one question - can you easily switch the system between the macbook pro and the imac? For example, while using the imac as an external monitor most of the time, I still want to get back to the imac system now and then
You would need to log into the settings and just stop the other mac as a second screen and it reverts right back.
I follow your method but the Airdrop on my IMac 2011 is not allowed me to untick. The Can you help me please?
Yes in the video I was on fairly newer Macs. 2011 is way to old for this method.
Thank you very much, Graig! Do you happen to know if this still works if both macs are signed in to different Apple IDs?
I do think you need to be on the same ID. Thanks for watching the channel.
How is the latency on this with the extension? When I do the other method of screen mirroring, I sometimes get a lag or a slight latency, which I don't like. I am thinking about trying this method you posted, Craig. Thanks!
I wonder if this can be done via intel iMac 2020.
Or through the Macbook Pro version, I wonder if you can do it with two monitors. I believe the air, it only allows one monitor.
The 2019 and 2020 5K imacs could work out of the box, but I know that on the older iMacs you might need to run that Legacy open core patcher but I haven't tested that. With wired connection the latency is super low and I really don't even think about it when using it (it's that good).
It will work with older iMacs before 2019/2020 using OpenCore. I have accomplished this using a Mac Mini M1 and my 2015 / 27" Retina using a wired network connection. Fiddle around with the graphic settings until your are satisfied and presto. I would assume if one was to installed OpenCore on an older MacBook / Mac mini that enables Airplay Receiver, it would work as well.
Thanks again Eduardo for checking that.
Thanks for this Craig - just one thing - how would one go about hooking my iMac (2020) to a new Mac Mini - and lastly would you be able to use a Thunderbolt 4 instead of 3 cable?
Yes, I think you would follow the same steps and Thunderbolt 4 should work. I would just test it out and see how it works for you. I know on early Macs you need to run Open Core for this to work but I think in the 2020 imacs it should work native as long as you have the settings I showed in the video.
One more thing - will I be able to run 5k on my imac screen hooked up as per your video?
I have not tested it with the 5K yet but I think the 2020 should work and any earlier iMacs might need Open Core installed.
Thanks for asking about the TB4 cable. I was wondering the same thing. It looks like they should be interchangeable so I’m going to go with 4 instead of 3. I’ll report back!
it would be interesting to see a video where you can provide solution to use 2016-17 imac as monitor for Windows PC, as I want to use my imac as monitor for work PC. Any tricks, seen alot on youtube but none are worth.
I'm more of a Mac Channel but I'll let you know if I do create a video like that. Thanks for watching.
Can the iMac be used on a daisy chain with another 4k display (I have a Dell U2723QE that supports daisy chaining)? I have an MBP, so it can support multiple displays (unlike MBA).
I don't think you can daisy chain it.
I have a Macbook Pro M1 2020 and I'm trying to connect to an iMac M1 2021, but the option to add displays (the plus icon with dropdown) doesn't show up in my display settings for the Macbook. Help?!
Make sure and turn on Airplay receiver and I hope this helps. It's hard for me to troubleshoot individual computers as I get hundreds of requests - support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/set-up-your-mac-to-be-an-airplay-receiver-mchleee00ec8/mac
@@craigneidel Oh my god, thank you! That worked! 🙏
Nice, thanks.
I want to use my work MacBook Air M1 on an iMac M3 which is for personal use (different Apple id’s) will it still work?
I'm not sure it will work with different Apple ids since I only have one and if anybody tests that please post here.
Hi Craig. Thanks for giving me some hope lol. I've worked with an iMac for most of my time as a graphic designer and now the company is getting me a 15 inch Macbook Air M2. It's gonna be a big adjustment for me, but if I can get this to work with my existing iMac then it will be a big help. Will it work though? They haven't purchased the Macbook yet so I'm just doing my own research in the meantime. Will your method work for a 21.5 inch late 2013 iMac to a 15 inch Macbook Air M2?
No, in the example I'm using an M1 24" iMac. If you installed Open Core on the 2013 it might work but that is something others have tried but I have not tested. If you are not installing Open Core then it won't work on that old of a machine.
@@craigneidel Thanks for your feedback Craig.
Thank you.
This is great. very helpful. One question from me. When I do this, and leave it unattended, both displays (Macbook Air and iMac) will not go to sleep, could be hours even. I've even played with the settings on the Macbook air, but no luck. Do you have the same issue, and do you know a way around it. So that both machines sleep when i step away, and then wake when i touch the keyboard or mouse?
I didn't notice that and will need to test it out. Right now I don't have it setup like this but will let you know when I do. If anybody else can test it then post here.
@@craigneidel thanks a million. If you can get a fix for that. That would be an awesome little addition to the video
I'll see what I can do.
After watching this, I know the perfect companion monitor to get for the 24” iMac.
Thanks for watching the channel.
sir do you think Apple might try to Block this option in a future update somehow ? it seems like they are officially saying you can't use the iMac as a monitor
Knowing them who knows but it's funny they say it doesn't work as many have got it to here in the comments.
Thanks for sharing this. I searched online but everyone says that it isn’t possible with silicone macs as they dropped target display mode. It seems AirPlay over thunderbolt is possible and very usable.
Yes, it worked for me and others.
Thanks for making the video Craig! Do you know what are the specs for charging a macbook pro with PD through the Thunderbolt connection? What power output is the iMac 24 capable of with PD?
I'm actually not sure on that but I'm guessing it's a reasonable power draw due to both being modern Macs.
Do you have to use the same Apple ID for this to work? One of my machines is a personal computer and one is for work and I have two separate Apple IDs for that reason.
I think it needs to be on same id.
Hey Craig- thanks for this, very helpful. I tried my 2019 iMAC 27" as extended display to my MacBook Pro M1. Unfortunately, I'm not getting the option for 5K resolution and only the lower resolution options that are fuzzy in comparison. Any suggestions on how to get the native 5K resolution for the extended display. Apologies if this has been tried and answered prior. Please point me to the answer if that's the case. Thanks
You won't get the full 5K resolution but I found some of the other options fine in most cases. Thanks for watching the channel.
Great! Many thanks!
Thank you for watching.
So if I'm grasping this right, are you able to use an M1 iMac as a display for a Mac Studio (M1 M2 or M3)? Great information btw!
Yes, that should work in the same manner as the video. Thanks for watching.
thank you so much for showing this changes everything, i will no longer sell my imac if this is the case, first this saves me a ton of money, no need to buy keyboard or another external monitor from apple, i had no clue it worked on m1 devices, yes i seen previously imac showing on bluetooth when i was reseting my airpods max daily but when i click on it just did nothing, im gonna buy an thunderbolt 4 cable then since it is the lastest cable and imac supports both 3 and 4, i do have 3 questions though, first is will minisopuru nvme and docks work?, second can still imac ports charge devices and can it charge macbook device? , and lastly can you use external trackpad or keyboard on both macs at same time or you have to wire connect?
The dock won't work since you are now viewing the MacBook and not the imac but you can connect that to the MacBook if you want to. The MacBook will be charged when connected this way. Thanks.
Can you connect 2 external displays? For my old macbook I used one VGA and one HDMI and it worked fine. I'm having some trouble connecting my 3rd display excluding my 2024 imac and my other acer monitor. I really need 3 monitors for work so is there any work around this?
I don't think you can do that using this method. You can get a dock like the Wavlink dock in one of my recent videos but keep in mind that then it won't work with the iMac.
As soon as they ship Imac M3 with USB C accessories I plan on buying one. This will complete my transition to Apple ECO system from Windows/Android. Do you think it will work with a Windows laptop? My work laptop is windows based. Thanks, looking forward to more videos!
It's using Airplay so not sure. I'll need to do some more fooling around with all this but I wanted to showcase this first since it's fixed the issue of getting the 24" to work as a monitor. Thanks for watching.
Thank Craig. Will you test the luna display connection? Airplay have big latency...
I didn't have much latency at all when connecting both with a cable.
Hey, can you set up 2 iMac 24” M1s to each for dual screen? If so how do you do it? Would be a great video.
You would set them up the same way in the video.
Do you know why my M3 MacBook doesn’t have the plus sign when I go to display? The iMac has it and is able to use the MacBook as the second monitor, but not the other way around
I got it. Make sure receiving on the iMac is opened to either anyone on the same network or to everyone
Yep, and thanks for the follow up. Good luck with everything.
Does the camera on the iMac work when an extended display? Can you close your laptop? I have a work MacBook and an old personal MacBook that I just swap onto an old Apple display. But I'd rather just swap the personal MacBook and old display to an iMac if I can continue to connect my work MacBook to it.
I don't think the camera will work but I still need to test that more closely and I don't think it will work in clamshell. Also, when you say old if the Mac is too old you would need to run open core to get this to work.
Have you gotten this to work on the 27-inch? I have a 2019 model and want to use it as an extra monitor
I don't have that model but if somebody else here has done it please post. Also, you might need to install Open Core. Thank you.
When I'm on display I don't have the + symbol. What do I do then?
Make sure and turn Airdrop receiver on etc. - you can search for that on Google. Also make sure you are using the Macs in the video.
But if we have two iMacs, can we connect our laptops to them both as dual monitors?!? 🙏🙏
I don't think that will work but didn't try that yet.
i have tried this but still have a lug and delay any help??
Make sure airplay receiver is working and that you are not using wifi. Make sure using a real thunderbolt cable. It's hard for me to troubleshoot beyond that.
Can you close the macbook and use the iMac exclusively as a screen?
I don't think so but I would need to try that later and if I do report back.
Hey Craig may I ask if u can use the iMac as a MAIN display with the native 4.5K resolution? Thanks
It's isn't the exact 4.5K display and I should show the resolutions in the video for that.
Man I would love to use 2017 iMac as a monitor… can’t beat the 5k res and sound on it
It's basically a studio display.
If it uses Airdrop, why the need for the Thunderbolt cable?
@@Ketoholic it removes latency as it uses wired connection and not wifi
I want to try on my 2015 5k iMac. I just upgraded to a M2 15in MacBook Air. I got a cheap 4k screen at the moment and it's ok but the IPS in the 5k iMac would be so much better. It does not have thunderbolt 3 ( USB-C) so do I need a Thunderbolt 3 to MiniDisplay Port Cable? Will that work? I really need the fast connection
What I showcase in the video is not a perfect solution as the resolutions are slightly less but it works good. But with a 2015 imac you would need to install Open Core and upgrade the OS to a newer version to get that to work. I'm not sure it's worth all that work etc. if you already have a 4K monitor.
Im trying to use my 27" 2020 iMac to work. First attempt i didnt get the little plus icon but after turning some sharing stuff on I now get the option :) doing it wireless at moment got a cable coming today! I will post back if the cable helps.
Thanks and good luck with everything.
Hey Craig! Two follow up questions -
Is there a way to use imac's camera when it's used as an external monitor?
It seems that there is some lag when using as an external display. Do you know any hack to bring up the refresh rate?
Thanks a lot!
I'm not sure you can use the camera using this method and if I find a way then I'll let you know. Do you have the two connected using a Thunderbolt cable or are you using a wireless connection?
@@craigneidel I'm using a Thunderbolt 4 cable - hopefully there is a way! On the refresh rate, I feel like it's a system config issue since the cable we use definitely should support 60 Hertz but there is no config for the imac screen in the "display" settings😕
Thanks.
I have an iMac 2017 and im planning to buy the macbook pro 2024 if I want to use the iMac as a monitor because of it size then wich cable will I need to connect? thank you : )
I would read the comments on people that did that but the 2017 won't work unless you have Open Core loaded on it. It's too old and I tried on my 2017 and it won't work. But for people running Open Core for their OS it appears to work.
Can anybody help me? I have a 2021 imac and 2021 macbook. I would love to be able to use my imac as a secondary monitor for my macbook. Is this possible?
When I go to the "displays" tab in my settings I don't have the + button to select.
Make sure you have setup the Airplay receiver on both and you can search for that in Google.
Mate,why maximum display resolution in Macbook is FHD ?
Yes, if you use this method the resolutions will be slightly different as shown in the video.
Does it work if one of the Mac’s is on a different iCloud account please?
I think both systems need to have the same apple id.
@@craigneidel ok thanks, then I can’t make it work as one of the Mac’s is on an employers Apple ID
Do I need a thunderbolt/usb c if I’m planning on doing screen sharing? Or can it work wirelessly
On the modern Macs it can work wirelessly but not as responsive.
I have a Macbook Pro M1 Max and used Open Core Legacy Patcher (had to buy a USB stick) to successfully get my iMac 2017 retina 5K to have airplay receiver mode. But.... the resolutions are not good. It looks like airplay can only send out a 1920x1080 signal and scale that up or down. I disabled all internet and used a thunderbolt 4 cable to see if there was any lag and there is a slight lag, enough that it's bothersome going from screen to screen. Last I think the refresh rate is also at a low setting that looks like 30hz, definitely not 60hz. Overall, this was pretty disappointing. I was hoping this would work for my needs in motion graphics, but it unfortunately did not. I may have to go the route of gutting the iMac to turn it into a display with HDMI. If anyone has any other ideas let me know. I was trying to see if there is a way to hack the airplay to do 2560x1440 60hz but found none.
You maybe connecting using wi-fi as the resolutions should be higher then 1920 for sure and it should have little to no lag in my testing.
CN-
Many thanks!
👍🏾🤑
Thanks for watching.
Question can I do this but instead of a MacBook i use another iMac? And also can i do this with 3 devices?
Not with 3 devices and the macs need to be running newer OS versions etc. and be newer M series Macs but it should work.
Thanks
Welcome
2020 27 inch iMac has Airdrop and Handoff settings.
Yes the 2020 will but not 2017 or 2015. Need to use open core.
does it work with a m1 MacBook Air and 2019 27" 5k iMac. I can't get the iMac to appear in the display drop down@@craigneidel
I'm guessing it should but I have not tested the iMacs since I run a 2017 without Open Core. But some people have got it to work. Make sure you have the settings turned on to allow for this.
Wondering if you could post a video how to hook up a windows pc to use 24” Mac as a display . I have the thunderbolt tried those options on Mac but got nothing
I'm more of a Mac channel so I have not tested a Win PC but will post if I do in the future.
Does this work with the 24” iMac M3 ?
I'm guessing but only tried it on the M1 but don't think much has changed.
Can it play uhd 4k bluray
I haven't tested that yet but if anybody has please post.
Will this work with a late 2012 iMac?
I think only if you load open core on it but can't test since I don't have a 2012. So maybe not a great idea for one that old.
What am I doing wrong? I'm using my 2023 iMac, and a MacBook Pro 2021. Apple has told me this is not possible to do. I got a Thunderbolt 3 cable but when I click into the Macbook's Display settings, there isn't a plus icon. Help! :(
You might not have turned on the Airplay receiver maybe:
On your Mac, choose Apple menu > System Settings, click General in the sidebar, then click AirDrop & Handoff on the right. (You may need to scroll down.) Turn on Airplay Receiver.
Can I use thunderbolt 4 cable instead thunerbolt 3 cable?
It should work
Thanks for this vid.
Do you think its possible to display the iPad m2 screen on this iMac ? Like when you plug it on a studio display.
If it has those setting it might be with AirPlay.
You can do it within quicktime using a lightning cable. In quicktime go to make a new movie in the file drop down. You can choose where to record from in a small drop down next to the record button. This will bring up your ipad screen. You can also use it as extended in apps that support it. I used it for pro create.
Ok, thank you. I'll need to try that.
So can you extend your monitor from one m1 iMac to another m1 iMac with the AirPlay?
Yes you should be able to do that.
I'm trying this on a new mac studio. I do not see the plus dropdown on the mac studio. I'm trying to use a USB C cable. I'm on Sonoma 14.5 on both computers. The other computer is a 24" imac M1 2021. Could it be just the cable? I'm using an LG UltraFine as the main monitor. I cannot get that plus (add display) to show up. What am I doing wrong?
Make sure you turn on airplay receiver in settings
@@craigneidel Thank you. I did have it turned on but I had to change "Allow Airplay for" to "anyone on the same network" - also I had the airplay receiver on on both machines. I turned it off on the mac studio and now it's not using wifi - now it's working like you show in the video. Thanks again, this is awesome.
Thanks for the feedback and for posting the follow up.
would that open core work for 27 inch iMac 2015 model, gutted I cant use the display on my m1 MacBook
Yes, it should. I have not tested it myself but people are saying it works on older Macs with Open Core upgraded to Ventura or later.
Thank You
It works and I can't believe it. Thanks
Is the iMac running its own OS, and its screen is just being "used" by the laptop?
I'm really not sure but just found that the connection limits the latency on the use of the Monitor. I'll need to research how it's being done internally.
Hi, I am not able to see my folders on the desktop after connecting to the secondary screen. can I know the reason and how to resolve it?
I'll need to set this back up and take a look.
Hi is this works with 2010 Mac Pro. So i could send the screen to the m- imac.?
I'm not sure if it would work on something that old. As a few others have said if you can load Open Core patcher and update the OS to at least Ventura it could work for you. But I have not tested that.