imac Target Display mode

Currently I have 2020 macbook pro m1 can I use 2015 imac 4k 21.5” as a secondary screen for macbook? If it isn’t possible. Can you let me know which imac models and sizes are compatible to used as a secondary monitor for my macbook.

Posted on Oct 20, 2023 4:28 PM

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4 replies

Oct 20, 2023 6:12 PM in response to sathsara1357

All 27" 2.5K iMacs, and some early 24" 1080p iMacs, can run in Target Display Mode.


But …

  • Target Display Mode went away for good when the first 27" 5K Retina iMac came out in Late 2014.
  • No Retina iMac, including your 21.5" 4K Retina iMac, supports it.
  • Even if you had an iMac that supported Target Display Mode, Apple added restrictions on "the other Mac" that would prevent your M1 MacBook Pro from taking advantage of that.



Jul 10, 2024 2:17 PM in response to sathsara1357

What the other posters have added is true based on published materials, but does not line up with my lived experience. I can't speak to iMac models newer than 2013 and I would assume the restriction about post-2014 iMac models to be true.


But I have successfully used target display mode on a 2010 iMac with a 2019 MacBook Pro, a 2020 MacBook Pro, a 2022 MacBook Air, and a 2023 MackBook Pro. Also have run a 2019 MacBook Pro into a 2013 iMac. The iMac in every case was running High Sierra, but the MacBook Pros / Air were running whatever the latest version of MacOS was at the time.


So even though newer iMacs are not supported, sticking with 2009-2014 iMacs running High Sierra and below can still work with newer Macs, including M1 and M2 chip-based models.

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imac Target Display mode

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