Using M1 iMac as external display for my M2 Max MacBook pro
Is it possible to use my M1 iMac as a external display for my M2 Max MacBook Pro using Target display mode? If so, how is this done?
iMac 24″, macOS 12.4
Question marked as
Top-ranking reply
The M1 iMac can't act as a Target Display Mode display for any computer, period.
If both of your Macs are running Monterey or later, you could try setting up your M1 iMac as an AirPlay Receiver and using AirPlay to Mac. AirPlay to Mac is a fairly new feature that allows you to use a Mac's screen to display content from another Apple device. It doesn't give you a hardware video connection, so you might run into some lag – but it could give you a way of using your iMac's screen as an external display for your M2 Max MacBook Pro.
System requirements for Continuity features on Apple devices - Apple Support
Set up your Mac to be an AirPlay Receiver - Apple Support
Use AirPlay to stream what’s on your Mac to an HDTV - Apple Support
The third support article, about how to stream from a Mac, does not mention streaming to a Mac. I'm guessing that Apple wrote it some time ago – when Macs could use AirPlay to stream video to Apple TVs, but couldn't themselves serve as AirPlay receivers.
