How To Connect MacBook To Monitor? Complete Guide 2023

MacBooks have always been the best choice due to their portability and remarkable computing power. But the limited screen size can hinder the overall productivity at times; as in while scrolling through a spreadsheet. Or simply watching your favorite movie on a small screen wouldn’t be that much fun.

So the most suitable option in that regard is to set up your MacBook with a monitor. This will boost up your work and you’d be able to handle more stuff while working. That said, the next logical question here is that how to link up your MacBook to a monitor?!

Now you don’t need to worry about that because we have got you covered in this regard! Down below is an exclusive guide on how to connect MacBook to monitor. Make sure to read it through, in order to not miss out on anything.

Having said that, let’s get started with it:

Contents

How to Connect MacBook Air to Monitor?

Starting off with MacBook Air, the first thing you need to ensure is that you have the right cables to set up the connection. This will save your time as well as convenience. Apart from that, in order to check which cable you’d need, to connect the two devices, take a look at your MacBook’s port type.

Having said that, Display Port, HDMI, and USB-C port types are most commonly found on newer Macbooks. So make sure you have compatible monitors and all the essentials by your side.

Now once you’ve got it all taped, then complete the following steps to connect second monitor to IMac thunderbolt or HDMI:

Step#1

Plug the compatible cable with one end in the monitor and the other in the MacBook. That’s pretty much it of connecting the two devices. Now the rest of the procedure is about setting up the new device on your Mac.

Step#2

Click the System Preferences option in the Apple menu. After that, tap on the Displays option in the next window.

Step#3

Now here, if you already don’t see your display’s name there, then press and hold on to the Options key on your keyboard to click on the Detect Display option. After that, your MacBook will start detecting your connected monitor.

Step#4

Lastly, you just need to tap on your monitor’s name after your MacBook stops scanning.

Step#5

That said, in order to personalize your display arrangement, you can simply tap on the Arrangement option at the top. There you can drag all the icons and set them according to your preferred orientation.

Apart from that, in order to select one main display from the two displays, you need to drag and drop the white line at the top on any one of the screens, i.e. the external monitor or your MacBook’s display.

And that is it! This is how to connect MacBook to monitor HDMI and how to connect MacBook to monitor with USB-C.

How to Connect MacBook to Monitor Wirelessly?

How to Connect MacBook to Monitor Wirelessly?

Now that you know how to connect your MacBooks with external monitors using several adapters and wires, let’s have a quick overview of connecting them with monitors wirelessly. That said, let’s get started:

So first things first, in order to connect your MacBook wirelessly, you need to make sure that you have smart TVs or monitors. Especially, in the case of TVs, you better make sure that they are compatible with AirPlay. Elsewise, you’d be unable to connect both the devices wirelessly.

Having said that, the following is the series of steps that you need to follow in this regard:

Step#1

Firstly, open the Bluetooth of your MacBook and TV first. The other super important thing is that make sure your TV or the other display, and your MacBook are connected with the same Wi-Fi.

Step#2

Right after doing that, go to the control center and tap on the option, Screen Mirroring.

Step#3

Now here you have to select the TV or monitor that you are about to connect with your MacBook. And that is it! Your TV will start to mirror your MacBook on its display.

Note: Bluetooth option is only available on newer MacBooks. So if you’re having an older one, then chances are that it won’t connect with your TV or monitor due to the absence of Bluetooth connectivity.

FAQs

Can I connect any monitor to my MacBook?

In order to check whether a monitor is compatible with your MacBook or not, the first thing you need to do is to explore the port type on your Mac. This is for the reason that Apple has been producing MacBooks with different ports over the years. Thus, in order to connect your MacBook with any monitor, you gotta have all the appropriate cables and adapters by the side.

Why is my MacBook not connecting with the monitor?

In order to troubleshoot the possible errors while connecting Mac with your monitor, the first thing you can do is to try different resolutions on your screen. Besides, this can be done quite easily, by going to Display in the System preferences tab and choosing a different resolution.

Having said that, if that doesn’t work for you, then the other thing you can try is to restart your Mac in safe mode and set its resolution to default. Or else, you can reset your MacBook’s NVRAM and SMC while fixing any possible error.

Can I use a non-Apple monitor with my MacBook?

To get straight to the point, you can actually use all of the modern monitors with your MacBook, unless they have a compatible port connection. Besides, you can connect your MacBook with any monitor that works with DisplayPort or HDMI connection easily.

Summing Things Up

So this was all about setting up an external monitor for your MacBook Air. That aside, the above-mentioned process is pretty much similar in the case of the MacBook Pro. So in case, you’re wondering how to connect an external monitor to MacBook Pro, follow the same guide as listed above.

Having said that, I hope that this guide was of help to you and you were able to grab all the nitty-gritty in this regard. Now you can boost up productivity while working by switching to dual displays or a larger one.

Arthur Finch