Connect Two Monitors To Macbook Air
It is possible to connect two monitors to a MacBook Air. You’ll need to purchase an adapter. Connect one monitor to the Thunderbolt port on your MacBook Air, and the other monitor to the HDMI port. Once connected, use the “Displays” control panel to adjust the resolution.
Assuming that you already connected a display to your MacBook Air using the Mini Display Port that is provided with the MacBook Air, this is how you add the second monitor. To connect two monitors to a MacBook Pro, you can either use its HDMI, Mini DisplayPort, or Thunderbolt (over USB-C) ports, and plug your MacBook Pro into the monitor using appropriate video cables and adapters. To connect two monitors at once, you will need to either plug it directly into USB-C monitors over individual cables, or use a few adapters.
Well, if your monitor does not have a USB-C port for connecting Thunderbolt cables, then we have to use some additional adapters. For instance, if your external monitor has an HDMI port, then you either need a USB-C to HDMI adapter (like this one) as well as an HDMI male-to-male cable (which is typically included with your external monitor). If using an adapter for monitors that do not connect USB-C, make sure that adapters are securely attached to each other and to your Mac.
Overall, connecting two monitors to the new MacBook is not supported natively, so you will need either adapters or a docking station, like we illustrated above. Since most MacBooks have just two Thunderbolt 3 ports, limiting your setup to two monitors can cause a few annoyances, such as cluttered cables or a finite number of ports available. Despite the presence of more USB-C ports on MacBook Pros, some are restricted to less monitors than they have ports. As a result, you will have to plug the second display into one of the USB-A ports of the adapter or dock.
| Ports | Ability |
| HDMI Port | HDMI port is used to transport a high bandwidth of data using a single cable |
| Thunderbolt Ports | Thunderbolt Port help to ensure a quality connection between the device and a PC |
| DisplayPort | Display Port is used to output to multiple displays through Multi-Stream Transport |
If using the DisplayLink USB adapter, be sure it is connected to the USB 3.0 port on the Hub or the dock (the blue one). A USB-C hub will give your MacBooks M1 the native HDMI out signal, as well as several USB-A ports for the USB DisplayPort adapter. The USB-C Laptop Dock has both DisplayPort and HDMI ports, giving you flexibility in connecting your displays to it as needed.
A USB DisplayLink adapter can add support for two or three displays on your M1 MacBook at a price far less than a full-size dock. Some USB-C Thunderbolt 3 docks come with built-in software called DisplayLink capabilities, which allows multiple external monitors to be connected to the MacBook without the need for additional dongles or adapters. If you choose not to purchase a DisplayLink docking station or adapter, consider using a laptop riser and USB-C hub with HDMI-out to create a temporary dual-monitor configuration.
The MacBook Pro supports up to four external monitors via cables, while you can plug in a few iPads and AirPlay displays as wireless external monitors for the MacBook. Apples line of MacBooks using the companys proprietary silicon M1 or M2 processors cannot connect to more than one external monitor natively, a significant limitation on previous generations of Intel-based Mac notebooks, which could handle up to two displays if connected to USB-C or Thunderbolt 3 docks or hubs. While Apples M1 or M2 chips only natively support a single monitor, the M1 Mac Mini does natively support up to two external monitors: one through its HDMI port, the other through USB-C.
While a single monitor is connected directly to a MacBook Air (M1), you can also plug in the UD-3900 (with the two external monitors attached to it) to a Mac, and both monitors work simultaneously. For the first monitor, you could plug it into a few HDMI or DisplayPort-enabled docks, and that would be handled by the MacBook Air natively. Once the MacBook is connected with Windows PCs via AirPlay, the MacBook will begin mirroring the display of the Mac on a larger display that the PC is connected to.
Video out will be USB-C, HDMI, or Mini DisplayPort (with or without Thunderbolt) on most MacBook Pros. Increasingly, you will find newer displays with USB-C inputs, but older displays are limited to DisplayPort, HDMI, DVI, or VGA.
MacBooks, though, have changed their connection to monitors over time, now requiring USB-C Thunderbolt cables for connecting monitors. New MacBooks do have Thunderbolt 3 ports for connecting displays, but all of them are USB-C. Not all USB-C ports are Thunderbolt 3, but Thunderbolt 3 for MacBook is USB-C ports. In the Mac Studio, you can plug up to five external displays into the Mac using Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports, as well as the HDMI ports at the rear of the machine. USB-C ports and Thunderbolt ports are universal, but they are not exactly the same.
In particular, trying to plug a USB-C cable into a DVI adapter — then the HDMI cable to your monitor — seems like it would break the Macs connection, and would almost certainly result in the Mac failing to recognise the HDMI external display. Unfortunately, there is only a single display port on my MacBook Air, and every adapter I looked up online could only produce displays to only a single monitor, despite having multiple ports. The good news is there are still ways to attach multiple external monitors to M2 MacBook Air, M1 MacBook Pro, M1 Mac Mini, and the first-generation M2 Macs using Docking Station, Hub, or Dual HDMI adaptors.
If you decide to use Option 2 (DisplayLink Docking Station/Hub) or Option 3 (Dual HDMI Adapter), you will also have to download a free DisplayLink driver in order to control the monitors your M1 or M2 Mac is connected to. Unfortunately, unlike Thunderbolt hubs, USB-C docking stations such as Plugable cannot charge the M1 MacBook when you are using it, so you will need your Mac connected to the power brick at all times. A secondary USB-C PD port lets you charge your connected laptop up to 100W – convenient since this compact, high-quality docking station is using one of the two Thunderbolt ports on your M1 or M2 laptops by itself.
It costs PS80, or US$80, so it needs to be taken into account when pricing your MacBook purchase, should you require more than a single monitor, and wish to use the USB-A port instead of a display port like HDMI or DisplayPort. With the USB-C Laptop Dock, you can convert your Tb3 or USB 3.1 Type-C (Type-C) notebooks to dual-monitor workstations, including 4K60Hz dual-monitor on Thunderbolt 3 notebooks. Some displays that have older connections need adapters to work with the Mac, sometimes more than one.
Can I connect 2 monitors to my MacBook Air M1?
The M1 Mac Mini can natively handle up to two external monitors, one via the HDMI connector and the other via USB-C, in contrast to the M1 and M2 MacBooks, which can only natively support one monitor. even so, the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro M1 versions only support one external monitor.
How do I add a second external monitor to my MacBook Air?
To add a second external monitor to your MacBook Air, you’ll need a compatible adapter or docking station that supports two monitors. Connect the adapter to your MacBook Air and then connect both external monitors. Finally, adjust the display settings in System Preferences to extend your desktop to the new monitor.
How do I split my Mac into two monitors?
To split your Mac into two monitors, you can use the built-in Split View feature. Click and hold the green full-screen button on the window you want to split and choose which side of the screen you want it to appear on. You can then choose another window to fill the other half.