Can anyone help??
I've just moved to macOS Sequoia 15.3
Now my second display (thunderbolt) which worked perfectly, about 2 hours ago is now dead and cant be detected. I've looked on line and it turns out it's a common problem. I wish I had just left the upgradfe.
IS there a fix?
Thank you
iMac 27″, macOS 15.3
Before the latest update to 15.5, I was able to fix this problem by running:
sudo rm /Library/Preferences/com.apple.windowserver.displays.plist
However, this doesn't work any more. With the help of ChatGPT I used the search described elsewhere in this thread :
sudo find / -name "*windowserver*" 2>/dev/null | tee ~/Desktop/windowserver_files.txt
The suggestion from the AI was to run:
sudo rm -f /Library/Preferences/com.apple.windowserver.displays.plist \
/System/Volumes/Data/Library/Preferences/com.apple.windowserver.displays.plist \
~/Library/Preferences/ByHost/com.apple.windowserver.displays*.plist \
~/Library/Containers/*/Data/Library/Preferences/ByHost/com.apple.windowserver.displays*.plist \
GPT: "Yes, it’s very likely macOS now references or prioritizes:
Then shutdown:
sudo shutdown -r now
This worked for me. It looks like the displays.plist is now in a different location after the update, but I haven't bothered to work out exactly where yet. - This narrows it down a bit though. I hope this helps someone else, it's a really frustrating problem that has cost me a few days work over the last year.
@sgreadly
Unfortunately didn't work for me.
Update to my message earlier.
My portable display worked via Type-C, everything by a single wire, power and picture.
This display also has hdmi port. And I've connected hdmi cable to my mbp and it started to work. But I had to keep Type-C as power supplier. So now I have working display, connected with two cables.
Still waiting for the OS update to solve this.
Pointym5 wrote:
Your argument is about the nature of the bare-metal M1 CPU, and it is correct. It is also not relevant to this conversation, for obvious reasons: if people's MacBooks supported their monitors before with their CPU native abilities, they should continue to do so under 15.3.
If the macOS 15.3 update broke the ability to drive multiple monitors in a supported way – using native hardware video output – that is indeed a serious issue. One you'd want to raise with Apple Support, not just here for other users to see.
When you raised it with them, you'd want it to be clear to them that you were having issues with native hardware video. You wouldn't want them to think that you have "the same issue" as the person who told us that they were using DisplayLink to attach two external displays to a Mac that only supports one. The one who wrote right here, in this thread:
"I have the same issue. My desktop is a 2021 IMac M1. When operating Sonoma, I had two external Dell monitors working, in addition to the main display, through a DisplayLink Plug and Display Hub…."
My most recent comments were directed to that person.
It appears for me at least that the 15.4 release has resolved the issue - or at least three times my monitor has come back on its own. I tried ALL of the other "fixes" and none of them worked for me. Hoping I have not just cursed myself.
If you get to the point where the Mac is putting up that "Choice" display, then you're almost done. That tells you that the computer does know the monitor is there. This is the point at which that "Display Menu" app might help. It's free, and as far as I know it is not evil and it did help me. I installed it and it made telling the machine what I wanted easy.
I'm another person with this problem and deleting the .plist file mentioned earlier in this thread (and restarting) seems to have fixed the problem a couple of times.
I don't think it's a permanent fix though - as I say, I've had to do it more than once.
I note that that .plist file deosn't re-appear immediately after restart. I am going to keep an eye on it, to see if its reappearance is linked to the problem starting again.
In fact on the latest occasion I found two of those .plist files. I noticed that they were dated 2015 and 2021. So is the system somehow copying them over from some previous configuration setup?
I have an M1 mac mini and this extra display not getting recognised has been an issue since the start. Before Sequioa I could resolve it by switching the monitor on and off and/or sleeping and waking the computer.
MacBook Pro M3 Pro + 2 external monitors working! (ASUS + Alienware, no DisplayLink)
Hey folks,
Just wanted to drop this here in case it helps someone. I finally got two external monitors working on my M3 Pro MacBook Pro without using DisplayLink or any weird docks.
Setup:
At first, I could only get one external display working at a time. But after a bunch of messing around, here’s what worked:
So now I’ve got:
No crashes, no flickering, totally stable. Been using it like this for work and it’s solid.
I think the issue was just hitting the bandwidth limit on the M3 Pro. The ASUS and Alienware have different native refresh rates and resolutions, so I guess the system was choking until I “eased in” the config with a lower load.
Hope this helps someone else struggling with dual displays on these new chips. Let me know if you want more detail.
Cheers!
Hi, I have macOS Sequoia 15.6 and I faced the same issue of mac not detecting my second display. I had Display Port in my ASUS monitor connected to Display Port in the dock which is connected to mac using USB-C. I was going through one of the answers were someone tried connecting HDMI cable and disconnected DVI, then the second display started to work. In my case, I tried the same (meaning added HDMI and removed Display port) but did not work. After couple of tries, I have added the Display Port cable as well and second monitor started to function using the display port. Sounds strange, no logical explanation, but it works. Currently both HDMI and Display Port cables are connected from the monitor to the docking stations. Thought of sharing in this thread as this worked for me. Thanks to everyone who tried and posted multiple suggestions.
Same issue. Using my external monitor with MacBook Pro with no problems until the update. Issue started immediately after the 15.3 update. It takes me different steps when I come back to the office to get it to work. Sometimes power, sometimes unplugging cables, flipping the cable... today, it took all those steps numerous times before it finally recognized.
I have tried all of the various "fixes" as well, but nothing has worked for me. It clearly is in Apples court to get this fixed as it was definitely 15.3 that broke it. Was hopeful that would come in 15.3.1 but unfortunately it did not. Maybe we get lucky in 15.3.2.
It is VERY AGGRAVATING to have to cycle monitors ever time I sit down at the machine to work!
I have the same issue. My desktop is a 2021 IMac M1. When operating Sonoma, I had two external Dell monitors working, in addition to the main display, through a DisplayLink Plug and Display Hub. One monitor worked with a thunderbolt to HDMI cable and one worked through a HDMI to HDMI cable. No problems. Worked like a charm. Download Sequoia yesterday and monitor on HDMI to HDMI is black. "No HDMI signal...." Called Apple; spoke to less than sympathetic tech who said my problem is with the DisplayLink folks. "But," I said, "there must be something in your new OS since it worked fine in your old OS. She said, "I'm sorry." I asked if possible to switch back to old Sonoma OS. "Nope." This is very frustrating. Any help would be very much appreciated.
I am having a similar issue since the 15.3 update and it is very frustrating to not be able to extend the displays in a reliable way any more. If I unconnected and connect eventually it will finally find it but it has been taking 20 minutes every morning to get his working. Do we have a timeline with this will be fixed. This is a horrible user experience.
Unfortunately, the delete the plist file did not work for me...really wish it had!
Since I had NO trouble prior to installing the update, I have no choice but to point at the update as the problem. I also wish there was an easy way to rollback updates that didn't require erasing everything my my Mac Mini M1 and reinstalling everything again...
Latest Update: I spent quite a bit of time today reading through this forum, documenting and trying different fixes, to no avail. I decided to go the Apple Support route so at least it would be documented with them, since I've been told they don't check this community or the posts.
After waiting for a while, I was connected with a support tech and we tried restarting in "Safe Mode" (i.e. hold the Shift key when restarting my Mac Mini M1) and that did nothing to help the situation. I'm on their schedule for a call tomorrow (Saturday) morning at 9:15 to continue troubleshooting.
Fortunately, I have my iPad to chat with Support while we are trying to make changes to my Mac Mini. I just hope a good night's sleep (for me) and documenting what they tell me to do will help convince them the update (Sequoia 15.4, installed a few days ago) is the source of the problem). I'll try to document what they tell me, and will report back what the end result is.
Wish me luck!
I thought that my 10-year old monitor finally died, when it stopped displaying anything all of the sudden, regardless of whether I connect it through HDMI or USBC. And I bought a new monitor.
Turned out I was wrong - it's still very much alive. It works when I connect both monitors at once with USBC's.
It just doesn't get detected by my Macbook when I connect it on its own. Doesn't show up in the list of displays, and option+Detect Displays doesn't work either.
just started happening today. out of no where. i thought maybe i should upgrade macos to 15.5 but that didnt fix it. only one monitor works at a time, not both, although both light up, and both do work when im in startup options by holding power button when turning on, so its not a monitor or cable or usb problem, its a software glitch. Ridiculous apple where are your e2es???
i have 1 monitor plugged in with hdm and another with display port through a usb c dock. worked just fine till today.
macOS Sequoia 15.3 wont let me detect my second display
