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I have a 21.5 in late 2013 iMac that I seldomly use anymore. I am wondering if I am able to use this computer as a second monitor for my work computer (Windows PC). I am working on backing up my iMac and downgrading from Catalina to High Sierra.
iMac 21.5″, macOS 10.15
A 2013 iMac running in Target Display Mode requires Thunderbolt input, not Mini DisplayPort input.
That restriction existed from the beginning – unlike Apple's current restrictions on the OSes that the two Macs can run, and on the hardware release date of the other Mac. It seems very likely that it is a technical restriction and that the PC would need to be capable of producing Thunderbolt-encapsulated DisplayPort.
If the PC had Thunderbolt 3 or 4 output, a Thunderbolt 3-to-2 adapter ($50) plus a Thunderbolt 1/2 cable ($30) would run about $80. for the privilege of trying to reuse a ~10-year-old 21.5" iMac as a substitute for a 1080p monitor, with no guarantee of success. It might be better to put the $80 towards the purchase of a real monitor.
A 2013 iMac running in Target Display Mode requires Thunderbolt input, not Mini DisplayPort input.
That restriction existed from the beginning – unlike Apple's current restrictions on the OSes that the two Macs can run, and on the hardware release date of the other Mac. It seems very likely that it is a technical restriction and that the PC would need to be capable of producing Thunderbolt-encapsulated DisplayPort.
If the PC had Thunderbolt 3 or 4 output, a Thunderbolt 3-to-2 adapter ($50) plus a Thunderbolt 1/2 cable ($30) would run about $80. for the privilege of trying to reuse a ~10-year-old 21.5" iMac as a substitute for a 1080p monitor, with no guarantee of success. It might be better to put the $80 towards the purchase of a real monitor.
Basically, no.
Review the document: Use your iMac as a display with target display mode - Apple Support
Target display mode is a feature available with late 2009-Mid 2014 iMacs. The display Mac has to be running macOS High Sierra or older and the signal producing Mac has to be running macOS Catalina (ca. 2019) or earlier.
If the Windows PC supports DisplayPort output, a Mac booted into Target Display Mode will probably work with it.
Try it. It’s exceedingly unlikely that any damage will result.
That iMac has the same display resolution as a 1080p TV; not great.
I will definitely try it. My husband is a windows user, so we partitioned the hard drive on the iMac when we first bought it so it could run both windows and mac using boot camp.
Do you think it would work (the iMac as a second monitor) if I use it while the computer is running on the Windows operating system?
JoA2009 wrote:
I will definitely try it. My husband is a windows user, so we partitioned the hard drive on the iMac when we first bought it so it could run both windows and mac using boot camp.
Do you think it would work (the iMac as a second monitor) if I use it while the computer is running on the Windows operating system?
I do not know if it will work, hence my "try it, nothing will likely be damaged" phrasing.
I've chased around enough graphics controller issues and incompatibilities around over the years to avoid making predictions without some testing. Whether this configuration works depends on various factors, not the least of which is the graphics controller installed in the PC; that'll need DisplayPort capabilities via Thunderbolt, and that connection is not entirely common on middling-vintage and older PCs.
Low-resolution 1080p displays are very cheap, and with various input connections supported.
And don't need to use macOS to get the monitor working.
Higher-resolution displays are readily available with multiple inputs too, of course.
Servant of Cats wrote:
A 2013 iMac running in Target Display Mode requires Thunderbolt input, not Mini DisplayPort input.
That restriction existed from the beginning – unlike Apple's current restrictions on the OSes that the two Macs can run, and on the hardware release date of the other Mac. It seems very likely that it is a technical restriction and that the PC would need to be capable of producing Thunderbolt-encapsulated DisplayPort.
If the PC had Thunderbolt 3 or 4 output, a Thunderbolt 3-to-2 adapter ($50) plus a Thunderbolt 1/2 cable ($30) would run about $80. for the privilege of trying to reuse a ~10-year-old 21.5" iMac as a substitute for a 1080p monitor, with no guarantee of success. It might be better to put the $80 towards the purchase of a real monitor.
Odd. i can (and did) find all sorts of discussions of success with this configuration:
https://www.vidmore.com/record-video/use-imac-as-monitor/
https://www.technewstoday.com/how-to-use-imac-as-a-monitor-for-pc/
MrHoffman wrote:
Servant of Cats wrote:
A 2013 iMac running in Target Display Mode requires Thunderbolt input, not Mini DisplayPort input.
That restriction existed from the beginning – unlike Apple's current restrictions on the OSes that the two Macs can run, and on the hardware release date of the other Mac. It seems very likely that it is a technical restriction and that the PC would need to be capable of producing Thunderbolt-encapsulated DisplayPort.
If the PC had Thunderbolt 3 or 4 output, a Thunderbolt 3-to-2 adapter ($50) plus a Thunderbolt 1/2 cable ($30) would run about $80. for the privilege of trying to reuse a ~10-year-old 21.5" iMac as a substitute for a 1080p monitor, with no guarantee of success. It might be better to put the $80 towards the purchase of a real monitor.
Odd. i can (and did) find all sorts of discussions of success with this configuration:
https://www.vidmore.com/record-video/use-imac-as-monitor/
https://www.technewstoday.com/how-to-use-imac-as-a-monitor-for-pc/
https://iboysoft.com/wiki/target-display-mode-imac.html
All three of those articles refer to the Thunderbolt requirement, although the first one does a very poor job of explaining it. This is a requirement for SOME iMacs that support TDM, and not for others. A Late 2013 iMac would be one subject to the requirement. The Apple Support document also clearly refers to this requirement.
Basically, if a Mac that supports TDM came with a Mini DisplayPort port – and did NOT have Thunderbolt – it could accept Mini DisplayPort input. If a Mac that supports TDM came with a Thunderbolt port, it could only accept Thunderbolt input. The Thunderbolt 1 ports on those Macs had the same physical connectors as Mini DisplayPorts, and could pretend to be Mini DisplayPorts for video output purposes. Apple never said that the ports could pretend to be Mini DisplayPorts for TDM video input purposes.
This means that the "24-inch and 27-inch iMac models introduced in 2009 and 2010" were more desirable as TDM displays than the "iMac models introduced in 2011, 2012, 2013, and mid 2014", because the former were able to accept Mini DIsplayPort video input (by virtue of their lack of Thunderbolt). In the early days, few PCs had Thunderbolt, and even many recent Macs only had Mini DisplayPort. These days, USB-C to mDP adapter cables are dirt cheap, but a TB3-to-TB2 adapter + a TB 1/2 cable will run you about $80. Intel's decision that moving Thunderbolt 3 to the USB-C connector was desirable, going forward, was justifiable, and not meant to screw over Thunderbolt 1/2 users, but it has had the effect of making TB3/4 to TB1/2 connections more costly.
I’ve read that article and it doesn’t mention about connecting a Mac to a windows. Just mac to mac.
Correct, so the answer is no. It was a narrow generation of Macs running fairly old system versions. Unless you have an antique collection of Macs you can't use it.
Your question has been asked hundreds of times, the answer is always the same, no it will not work. You can try however it's a total waste of time and money.
No it will not work. You can try however it's a total waste of time and money.
Yes, after all the other responses I reset the mac back to factory settings and bought another monitor. I was only trying to use what I already have and avoid waste. All is well. Thank you!
Can you use target display mode on a late 2013 iMac with a windows PC?
