How to connect and use a second monitor on Mac

If one screen isn't enough to display everything you need at once, consider getting a second screen. Here's how to manage multiple screens in macOS.

Many people get a lot done on their Mac, but they don't necessarily see the full picture. Due to the numerous applications required for the task, more pixels are required to play.

However, the desktop space of a large screen with 4K resolution, 5K Studio Display or even 6K Pro Display XDR may not be enough to meet your needs. After moving apps around the display too many times, it becomes tempting to physically expand your digital workspace to a second screen.

Why two or more screens?

In addition to simply giving you more pixels to work with, using a multi-screen computing setup offers additional productivity bonuses.

You can divide applications between screens more clearly. From a productivity perspective, you can place secondary apps on peripheral screens while keeping the main display of your primary tools clear.

For example, when using Photoshop on the home screen, an artist may decide to use the side screen as a source image for inspiration. Video editors can dedicate the monitor to showing the footage they are actively editing, for example for color grading.

It can also be as simple as dedicating one screen to all your social and communication apps so they don't get in the way while you're focusing. Or, have an app on that side screen that you're constantly monitoring so it's always available without having to open it every time.

You also don’t have to mount the monitor in landscape orientation, which provides other benefits. Take our editorial team as an example, some people use secondary monitors in portrait orientation so they can more easily read documents without scrolling too much. Depending on your intended task, using two or more screens will almost certainly help.

How many screens can your Mac handle?

While you can dream of having multiple screens at your desk and pretending to work at the "market" at your desk, or being able to play and watch multiple YouTube videos at the same time, not everyone can do that. a little.

Squeezing so many screens onto a desk isn't just a matter of finances or physical practicality. This may just be a limitation of your Mac.

Some Macs can only handle one external 6K screen. Others could use more.

To find out how many displays you can connect to your Mac, check Apple's product listings or the company's support page for a spec sheet. Depending on the model, you may have an HDMI port available, or you may end up using DisplayPort 1.4 in Thunderbolt 3 to connect the monitor.

Apple Silicon models with the M1 chip can handle two displays on the Mac mini, including a 6K display via Thunderbolt and a 4K screen via HDMI. Both the M1 13-inch MacBook Pro and MacBook Air can handle a single 6K external display, as well as built-in versions.

The M1 Pro in the 14-inch MacBook Pro is capable of managing two 6K external displays, and the M1 Max increases that number to three. Finally, the M1 Ultra in Mac Studio is capable of handling up to four 6K screens over USB-C and one 4K display over HDMI.

Setup

The first step is to connect the monitor to your Mac. This is relatively simple as you just plug the monitor's cable into the relevant port on your Mac.

If there are port differences, such as needing to use HDMI with a monitor but not being able to connect on your Mac, you can use an adapter. There are many available on the market for changing your video connection, but other multi-port dongles and docking stations can provide the same functionality with additional ports.

Once physically connected, your Mac should automatically detect the presence of the monitor.

After placing and connecting the hardware, the next step is to configure macOS. This is all done in the same Displays menu, accessible by clicking on the Apple icon, System Preferences, and Displays in the menu.

At this point, macOS should show all monitors connected to your Mac. If not, hold down Option to reveal the Detect Displays button and click it.

Depending on your needs, you may need to notify macOS that you are going to mirror or extend the display.

You can change the resolution and whether to expand or mirror the display in Display Settings.

How to mirror or extend your display in macOS

• Click the Apple icon in the menu, then click System Preferences, then clickDisplays.
• Click to display settings.
• Click the name of the monitor you want to adjust from the left column.
• Click the drop-down menu for "Use as " and select the desired function.
• Extend Display will increase your workspace so that it stretches across the display.
• Selecting Mirror For using the name of the other screen will cause macOS to display the same image on both monitors.
• Alternatively, in the Display window, right-click the screen whose properties you want to change and select Extended Display or Mirror .

When you have multiple monitors, macOS will try to keep the original primary monitor, which refers to the screen where new applications will load and usually be the focus of your attention. You may need to change this if you are adding a new, larger monitor to your setup.

How to set a second monitor as your primary monitor in macOS

• Click the Apple icon in the menu, then clickSystem Preferences and click Displays.
• Right-click on the display you want to be the main display and select Main Display.
• Alternatively, drag the white bar in the current primary monitor to the location you want to be the primary monitor.
• Alternatively, click Display Settings, select Monitor, and then select Main Display under Use as.

Fine-Tune Settings

The Displays menu offers many options to make your second screen use even more optimized.

First, you can drag the screen locations in the Display window roughly to where they would be in real life, so you can move your cursor from one screen to the other more seamlessly.

This is not accurate because macOS knows the resolution but not the physical size of the display. Scaling may not be accurate for each monitor.

The Display window in System Preferences lets you reposition your monitor to reflect real life.

Clicking Display Settings will give you more options for managing your new display. If you're adding a 4K or higher screen to your arrangement, you may want to select Scale under Resolution and then select a lower resolution.

Doing this will make the desktop easier to read without straining your eyes.

Another key element here is rotation, use this if you have your monitor mounted in vertical orientation. Choose 90 degrees or 270 degrees for a vertical layout on a specific screen, but you can also choose to use 180 degrees if your monitor is in landscape but upside down.

You might consider rotating your second monitor, macOS has a setting for that.

You may also need to adjust the color profile as users may have different monitors when viewed side by side, such as monitors with warmer color temperatures.

What about Sidecar and Universal Control?

While you can connect a second monitor or backup TV to your Mac, Apple does offer options for expanding your digital workspace without requiring an additional dedicated screen. If you have an iPad nearby, Sidecar and Universal Control offer additional options, but in different ways.

First of all, Sidecar is a mode that turns your iPad into a secondary display, like an extension of your Mac desktop. It's more than just a display, as there's some further interactivity available if you have an Apple Pencil, but you can control the same mirroring options and other settings in the Displays window.

Sidecar enables the iPad to function as a secondary display for your Mac.

Universal Control is a new feature for macOS and iPadOS that expands your workspace in different ways. Instead of using your iPad purely as a monitor, you can control your iPad with your Mac's keyboard, mouse, and trackpad.

This means you can access and manage apps on your iPad from the comfort of your Mac, but without treating it as an integral part of your typical Mac setup.

If you’re a MacBook Pro user who travels frequently or occasionally needs more desk space, these two models are worth looking into. They effectively give you a way to use your iPad as an additional workspace on the go without having to carry a second, dedicated monitor.

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