Mac mini M4 not connecting to third party external monitors

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Level 1

8 points

Mac mini M4 not connecting to third party external monitors

I got a Mac Mini M4 for Christmas. It’s replacing a very old mini. I had the old Mini connected to a Lenovo monitor via vga to usb. I tried connecting the new mini to the Lenovo via DisplayPort to HDMI. The monitor wouldn’t come on. I then purchased a DisplayPort to USB-C cable and still no display. I figured the monitor was too old so I purchased a new Acer monitor that has HDMI and VGA. I used the HDMI cable that came with the Acer. Following the instructions that came with the monitor: 1. Turned off the Mini and unplugged the power cord. 2. Plugged the HDMI into the monitor and powered it on. 3. Plugged in the Mini power and HDMI and powered on the Mini. The monitor splash screen came on, then cycled through vga, hdmi, then NO SIGNAL. What could be causing this and how can I fix it? Thanks

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Posted on Feb 14, 2025 03:57 PM

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Answer 1

den.thed

Level 10

88,918 points

Feb 15, 2025 08:36 AM in response to iPod Granny

Hmm... the Acer display should work with the M4 Mac mini.

From this point,

1) test a different HDMI cable.

2) test the Acer connected to a different Mac or PC computer.

3) test the M4 Mac mini by connecting a different HDMI display or HDMI TV to it.

Then if you can not get a the Mac mini to output a signal to any display?

Get help from a technically inclined Mac user, family member or take the Mac mini to your local Apple Store.

For a couple of reference articles:

see > Connect a display to Mac mini - Apple Support

and > If your external display is dark or low resolution - Apple Support

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Answer 2

iPod Granny Author

Level 1

8 points

Feb 15, 2025 07:35 AM in response to den.thed

Thank you so much for your response. I apologize that I didn’t mention that I followed that step on the Acer monitor. I selected the auto option, and then went back and selected HDMI. Neither option worked. Any other suggestions are greatly appreciated.

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Answer 3

den.thed

Level 10

88,918 points

Feb 14, 2025 06:38 PM in response to iPod Granny

With the Mac mini on, unplug the HDMI cable from the Mac mini and then plug it back in. Then if the ACER still cycles thru the inputs, use the ACER's on screen menu to select HDMI as the input.

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Mac mini M4 not connecting to third party external monitors

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