My Macbook won't connect to the Dell Monitor

Question

Level 1

4 points

My Macbook won't connect to the Dell Monitor

I actually already made a ask here : My Macbook Air M1 2020 cannot detect Dell… - Apple Community

But I'm making the post again to clarify and also continue asking for help. I've brought my laptop from my workplace and it's USB-C wire back home to try on the monitor, and it works. The other USB-C wire that came with the box also works. Said laptop is a Macbook Air M2, 2022, running on Ventura 13.4, and has 16gb of memory. My siblings' non-Apple laptops also work instantly fine with the monitor.

The laptop I'm trying and failing to connect is a Macbook Air M1, 2020, running on Tahoe, and has 8gb of memory.

So I'm thinking the problem is the hardware (I think) of the laptop I'm trying to connect here, but I don't know how to rectify this. Any ideas?

Posted on Sep 22, 2025 9:07 AM

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Answer 1

Sep 22, 2025 9:19 AM in response to niuniumi

I doubt if the problem is the hardware of the M1 MacBook Air – unless, perhaps, yours has a sample defect.

There might be a difference in the versions of DisplayPort and USB-C (DisplayPort) that the M1 and M2 MacBook Airs support (I don't know, offhand), but I would expect the M1 MacBook Air to be able to connect to that monitor, even if only at a 60 Hz refresh rate.

You say that the Mac which is having problems is running Tahoe (just released), whereas the Mac that isn't having them is running Ventura. So maybe there is some sort of bug in Tahoe that will get addressed by a point release.

I'd suggest submitting feedback to Apple detailing the combinations of machines, operating systems, and cables which worked and the ones which didn't. Apple doesn't respond directly to feedback left on their feedback page, but maybe someone would read it and get it to the right place in Engineering.

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Answer 2

Sep 22, 2025 9:21 AM in response to niuniumi

macOS has become progressively more sensitive to video data packet loss due to subpar cables. Try a good quality cable that supports high-speed data transfer, such as this one (Amazon link).

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