Old imac as monitor for mac mini

Use a 27inch imac with a mini displayport as an external display connect the mini displayport cable to the ports on each mac. One for the mac mini and one to put the imac in target display mode. If you have a 27inch imac with a mini displayport, any other mac with a mini displayport or thunderbolt port can use it as a display. The imac features one of the best displays on the market, and if you are lucky to have a 4k retina monitor, the vibrant screen is likely to make your workflow more pleasant. In the past, to use it as a monitor you had to change the old mac, or use some network software, but now apple has met this need with an excellent feature called target monitor mode.

Feb 29, 2020 the 2012 mac mini held a special place in many hearts thanks to how easy it was to upgrade. How to use an old imac as an secondary monitor for macbook. Many mac professionals have transitioned to a workflow based around a more mobile flavor of mac, however, those with an older imac in the office. Use an imac as an external monitor or extended display for your macbook pro. You may also want an external monitor, at least temporarily, for your initial mac mini configuration. It is one of four desktop computers in the current macintosh lineup, serving as an alternative to the allinone imac, and sits below the performance range imac pro and mac pro. While the mac mini is clearly the best choice for those on a budget, the imac is a tempting option with its 4k display and the inclusion of a dedicated graphics card. I knew i wanted some 27 inches or so, the same size as an imac. The 5 best monitors for mac mini in 2020 by experts. The t2 security chip consolidates several controllers into one, and includes a secure enclave coprocessor that provides the foundation for encrypted storage and secure boot capabilities. Make sure you have a mini displayport to mini displayport cable. In some cases, you can also use target display mode to play the sound from your mac called the primary mac on the speakers of the external imac.

How to pick the best monitor for your new mac mini appleinsider. The new mac mini features a faster processor up to 2. The mac mini is apples tiny desktop computer and the cheapest mac you can buy, but it doesnt come with a monitor, mouse or keyboard, and hasnt. If in doubt, try disconnecting and then reattaching the cable. How to connect an old dvi monitor to newer usbc mac. Aptly named, the apple mac mini is an ultracompact computer featuring the same easytouse mac operating system as its larger imac and mac pro counterparts.

Your macbook will then see the imac as nothing more than another monitor, and you can use it as you see fit. How to turn your imac into a secondary display the mac. Comments computers operating systems software os x 10. And if you have an older apple monitor with a mini displayport, i recommend using this dongle for. The same mini displayport or thunderbolt port can be used as a video input that allows your imac to serve as a monitor for another mac. The computer has received several revisions over the years and the most recent version was released in 2014 with more features. It remains apples last properly upgradeable mac mini, and even in 2019 can be a pretty handy little computer with the right bits inside.

Can i use an imac 2014 as a display for a mac mini ask different. If the primary mac has a thunderbolt port, it can play audio and video on the imac. Yes you can convert your old imac or laptop or anything. Based on the model number you provided, this would be your best bet. You can view the desktop of your mac on the display of some imac models using target display mode. The mac mini comes with a short hdmi to dvi adapter cable, or you may need to buy a mini displayport to vga adapter. Connecting another mac to your imac the 27inch imac has a bidirectional mini displayport or a thunderbolt port depending on the model that can be used to drive a second monitor. For the purposes of this tutorial, im going to assume you will have an old intel mac that has probably reached the end of its useful life as a daily. How to pick the best monitor for your new mac mini. The 2012 mac mini held a special place in many hearts thanks to how easy it was to upgrade. Looking at new mac minis they seem ideal to solve this problem being relatively low priced and able to do a few other things id find useful. It means that this is an official solution provided by. While doing this i also plan to use my existing apple keyboard and mouse.

Here are the imacs that can be used as a second monitor. Jul 23, 2011 how to connect your imac or macbook 2008 to your hd led tv mini dvi to hdmi not minidisplayport mini dvi to hdmi adapter. Mar 16, 2020 the 27inch imac has a bidirectional mini displayport or a thunderbolt port depending on the model that can be used to drive a second monitor. Connects to hdmi using an adapter, such as the apple usbc digital av multiport adapter. While you could purchase an external monitor and connect it to your mac, if you happen to have an old imac lying around. How to connect your old apple display to your new mac.

If youre unfamiliar with mac computers but considering a switch from a windows pc, choosing a new mac mini is an affordable option. To connect your mac to your television, you need a video cable that connects your computers display port to the video input port on your tv. The 2018 mac mini and the current mac pro come with hdmi ports. Some monitors are a bit bettersuited for mac users, including usbc connectivity, which makes it easy to connect your mac to the monitor. But apples delivered a great upgrade with its 2018. Apple neither supplies a monitor with your new mac mini, nor presently makes one itself that you can use with it. It seems like i can get the mac mini setup for a few hundred less with basically the same specs. Repurposing an old imac as a monitor and server zdnet. The mac mini stylized with a lowercase mini is a desktop computer made by apple inc. The 2015 and later macbook uses usbc for usb 3 and displayport. Connect that old apple display to a new mac to give it new life. Mac computers that have any of the following ports can connect to hdmi devices.

How to use your ipad pro as a display for your mac mini. If you have a recent mac mini or mac pro, chances are itll work with pretty much any monitor out there. If you take this approach, and want to use an old monitor, you may also need a monitor adapter. The mac mini is apples only consumer desktop computer since 1998 to ship. Use an imac as a monitor or extended display for your macbook pro. It is one of four desktop computers in the current macintosh lineup, serving as an alternative to the allinone imac, and sits below the performance range imac pro and mac pro the mac mini is apples only consumer desktop computer since 1998 to ship without a display, keyboard, or mouse. May 22, 2018 mac computers can use an hdmi cable or adapter to connect to an hdtv, display, or other hdmi device. The computers small footprint fits almost anywhere you. Yes, i bought a 2018 mac mini and heres how i specd it.

With the mac mini 2018, apple teaches an old design new. Press commandf2 on the keyboard of the external display imac. Mac mini features the apple t2 security chip secondgeneration custom mac silicon designed by apple to make mac mini even more secure. How to use an imac as a monitor for pc tech junkie. Using your old pcs keyboard and mouse with a mac dummies. If you later switch to another monitor, owc includes a mini displayport to.

Using mac mini fully, with imac as monitor apple community. My mac is a vintage, 8yearold, 29inch imac, which is used mostly for watching tv and movies. The same mini displayport or thunderbolt port can be used as a video input that allows your imac to serve as a. If you want the imac to play audio as well as video from. Using imac as monitor requires very specific cable cult. Still, it can be quite compelling to see your mac mini making use of your older 27inch imac as a display, or for troubleshooting an imac having display issues. Whether you have an old mac handy or decide to purchase a used one, id recommend nothing less than an intel mac as a powerpc mac will be pushed much more, resulting in a noisier and hotter mac. How to add a second screen to your mac or macbook macworld.

I have an old imac late 2009 which has a mini display port at the back. Oct 20, 2014 your macbook will then see the imac as nothing more than another monitor, and you can use it as you see fit. How to connect your imac or macbook 2008 to your hd led tv mini dvi to hdmi not minidisplayport mini dvi to hdmi adapter. Many televisions can also be used as computer displays. The mac mini is a desktop computer that was designed by apple as an entrylevel device in the macintosh lineup. I did this sucessfully with both an old 17 powerbook screen, and an old 2007 24 imac. How to connect your imac or macbook 2008 to your hd led tv. Thought this would be a good way to use my 2011 imac screen with a mac mini assuming a new one ever appears but from the apple support article it seems to. How to connect an old dvi monitor to newer usbc mac macworld.

After years of silence on the mac mini front, fans of apples diminutive desktop computing slab had given up hope of ever getting a replacement. Im currently using a 2015 macbook pro and using a thunderbolt cable to my 2010 27 inch imac as the screen in target display mode. To use imac with mini displayport for monitor, you will need one. Thought this would be a good way to use my 2011 imac screen with a mac mini assuming a new one ever appears but from the apple support article it seems to imply that the master mac must.

Turn on your imac, and make sure the other mac is logged in. Mar 05, 2019 use an imac as an external monitor or extended display for your macbook pro. Using an imac as a monitor for a mac mini ask different. How to connect your imac or macbook 2008 to your hd led. In singlecore performance, thats about 25 percent faster than my old imac. Youll also need a macbook or macbook pro that was made in 2016 or later, a 2015 27inch imac 5k, or any 2016 imac or later including the pro, a 2018 mac mini, or the 2011 or 2019 mac pros. However, buying a mac mini meant i needed a monitor. My question is if i just get a new mac mini, could i somehow use the existing imac as a monitor for it by using for instance screen sharing software. First released in 2005, the mac mini emphasizes convenience over raw power.

The mac mini is apples tiny desktop computer and the cheapest mac you can buy, but it doesnt come with a monitor, mouse or keyboard, and hasnt been updated since 2014. On startup, the imac would put itself into target display mode, running as monitor for mini. The complexities of using old apple monitors to work with new usbcequipped macs. I think this has been asked elsewhere but only in parts, so heres my question. The 27inch imac has a bidirectional mini displayport or a thunderbolt port depending on the model that can be used to drive a second monitor. Mini displayport to hdmi vga adapter, cablecreation 2 in 1 mini dp thunderbolt 2 converter compatible with macbook, macbook pro, mac mini, surface pro 3456, white 4. Can i mod an early 2009 24 imac to external monitor.

If your imac has a mini displayport, then youll need a mini displayport cable. Learn how to identify the ports on your mac hdmi port. Instead of using as a monitor, what about an old 2007 imac connected to a new mac mini via screen sharing andor application sharing. And now it is quite easy to use an imac as a monitor for another mac. The 2018 mac mini includes a hdmi port thats just right for connecting. If you cant find a cable that connects the ports on your mac and tv, you may also need an adapter for the cable. The macbook and macbook pro will need a usbc to hdmi cable. I am leaning toward getting a new mac mini and a 32 monitor, or a 27 imac. How to use an inexpensive tv set as a monitor for your mac. How to set up multiple monitors with your mac cnet.

Yet for the majority of us doing the majority of work we do, all that matters is whether the monitor will work when you connect it to a 2018 mac mini. Will the 2018 mac mini be able to use my 2011 imac in target. In terms of singlecore performance, that puts the mac mini at just below the 4. This replaces a vizio 24 tvmonitor on my mac mini and i like it much better. Choosing the mac mini over the imac the mac observer. I also knew it had to be 4k, again to try and future proof my setup. If you are using an adapter, connect the cable to the adapter first, then insert the male end into the mini displaythunderbolt port on the imac. To use the new 27inch imac as an external monitor requires a very specific cable to work. Note that retina 5k imac released on late 2014 and later cant be used as target display mode displays. Get 3% daily cash with apple card, or get special financing. If you have an older apple keyboard or mouse with a round plug apple desktop bus, you can get an adbtousb converter, but it. Using imac as monitor requires very specific cable cult of mac. Nov 02, 2009 to use the new 27inch imac as an external monitor requires a very specific cable to work. How to upgrade the 2012 mac mini for use in 2020 imore.

The mice and keyboards that came with computers in the 1980s used an rs232 serial port connection. On top of that, you can use target display mode to connect a macbook with a late 2009 or mid2010 imac. Nov 26, 2018 after years of silence on the mac mini front, fans of apples diminutive desktop computing slab had given up hope of ever getting a replacement. Doublecheck that the mini displayport or thunderbolt cable is properly connected. For example, if you have a macbook pro you could use an imac as the display and for playing audio. Here well walk you through breathing new life into your old mac for not a lot of money. How to connect your old apple display to your new mac macworld.