Dual External monitors not showing signal

I use a dual monitor for my MacBook m4 pro; somehow, only one monitor works; the other one doesn't get a signal. Although there aren't any hardware issues as neither doesn't works simultaneously, either one works at a time. I tried all other ports connecting directly with the device and through the Dock, but nothing works. Is there any solution?


MacBook Pro 14″

Posted on Oct 29, 2025 10:10 AM

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4 replies

Oct 29, 2025 12:03 PM in response to faiyath

The Mac does not rely on Windows-like side-loaded "Drivers" which are actually packages of resolutions and settings for a specific display. Instead, it goes straight to the immutable source -- it asks the display itself.


To get a Mac display to become active, you need the Mac to query the display, and the display to answer with its name and capabilities. Otherwise, the display will not be shown as present, and no data will be sent to the display. "No signal detected" is generated by the DISPLAY, not by the Mac.

 

This query is only sent at certain times:

• at startup

• at wake from sleep — so momentarily sleeping and waking your Mac may work

• at insertion of the Mac-end of the display-cable, provided everything on that cable is ready-to-go

• hold the Option key while you click on the (Detect Display) button that will appear in Displays preferences (from another display)


When you run an experiment, be sure you have used one of those methods to encourage the Mac to query the display, before you draw any conclusions.

Oct 30, 2025 1:07 PM in response to faiyath

For reference, here is the manufacturer's description of that dock:


UGREEN – Revodok Max 213 Thunderbolt 13-in-1 Docking Station


It appears to be a Thunderbolt 4 dock, with three places to plug in displays:

  • A DisplayPort v1.4 port ("8K@30Hz, 4K@120Hz, 2K@144Hz")
  • Two downstream Thunderbolt ports ("8K@30Hz, 4K@120Hz, 2K@144Hz")


They claim that on Macs with something other than plain M1/M2/M3 chips, you can plug in two displays at the same time, either by

  • Plugging displays into the downstream Thunderbolt ports, or
  • Plugging one display into the downstream Thunderbolt port and one into the DisplayPort

Oct 29, 2025 10:00 PM in response to Phil0124

I am using a Ugreen Revodok Max 213 U710 as the hub, using thunderbolt 4 cables. I have tried DP cable, HDMI cables but it's the same. The monitors I am using are Asus ROG Strix XG32UCG 32" 4K 160Hz Fast IPS Dual Mode Gaming Monitor and MSI MAG 274UPF E2 27" 4K UHD 160Hz 0.5ms Rapid IPS Gaming Monitor. Only one display appears in the system settings and second one just shows a "No signal" message and stays idle.



Dual External monitors not showing signal

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