How To Connect External Monitor To Macbook Pro?

A very famous launch in the Apple Mac series is its MacBook Pro and if you’re looking to connect external monitor to macbook pro, then you’re at right page.

Released in January 2006, the MacBook Pro is a line of Macintosh notebook computers by Apple Inc. Initially, it was launched in a 13-inch, 14-inch, and 16-inch screen range, but later developed to be sold out also in a 17-inch screen range.

It is neatly designed with perfect round edges and is topped with an overall matte finish. All in all, a MacBook pro is a 10-star notebook laptop that you can carry around anywhere, be it for school or work.

A reason why you must have arrived at this article is that you have a small-screen MacBook pro version, which sometimes acts as a disadvantage and gets a little stuffy to work with.

How To Connect External Monitor To Macbook Pro?

No worries, we’ve got you. This article will help you ease your work strain by providing you with knowledge on how you can connect an external monitor to MacBook Pro.

An external monitor or portable monitor for MacBook pro will prove to be a great addition where you can work side by side and do multiple tasks at once. 

How To Connect External Monitor To Macbook Pro (Step By Step)

1. Connect Macbook With Monitor

You’ll need your MacBook Pro, your external monitor, and a cable to connect the two. Now the cable can either be HDMI or Display Port, whatever goes into both the devices.

If your MacBook Pro doesn’t support any of these, then you can simply get a Thunderbolt adapter which should be available anywhere in your local electronic shop or Amazon.

Once you have connected the devices with a cable, both the screens will blink for a second, and then the connection would be established. There are still a few settings you can play with for perfect after you make the connection.

Connect Macbook With Monitor

2. Calibrate Your External Monitor

Click the “Apple” logo on the top extreme left of your MacBook Pro, and select “System Preferences” from the menu.

Calibrate Your External Monitor

Next, click on ‘Displays’ and a new menu will appear. There, click on the ‘Arrangement’ tab.

Calibrate Your External Monitor

Under the Arrangement tab menu, you will see two blue boxes; one will be marked with a white bar that indicates the host computer, i.e. your MacBook Pro.

You can drag and drop the white bar to change the host monitor and you can also drag and drop the blue boxes to fix the orientation according to how your monitors are placed in a physical setting.

3. Choose Your Settings

If you want the second mirror to display exactly what is on the host monitor, check the “Mirror Display” box, otherwise leave it empty.

Mirror Display In Macbook Pro

Leaving it empty will allow the second monitor to act as an extended display of the first one. So, now you can move your mouse from one monitor to another seamlessly.

Similarly, you can also change the settings of the external monitor which are the resolutions, colors and the refresh rate accordingly.

Conclusion

There you go, now you will have your MacBook Pro connected to an external monitor which will benefit you in so many ways.

If you are a gamer, you will have a bigger screen, if you are a streamer, you can live stream on one monitor and play on the other. If you are looking for a gaming monitor then check out our article on the best budget gaming monitors here.

If you are a working person, you will be able to perform multiple tasks at once, which will also be very productive. Hopefully, this article proves to be fruitful for your future dual-setup workstation.

A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section will be provided at the end, which will eliminate other doubts that you may have on “How to connect an external monitor to MacBook Pro”.

Frequently Ask Questions (FAQs)

Question: How to connect a HDMI cable to MacBook Pro with an External Monitor?

Ans: Your MacBook pro may not have a HDMI port; in that case you can get a HDMI TO VGA adapter which is also very easily available in shops.

Connect one end of the adapter to the HDMI cable, and the HDMI cable to the monitor. Connect the other end of the adapter to your MacBook Pro’s Thunderbolt port. This should work and you will be able to establish the connection.

Question: How many external displays can you connect with a MacBook Pro?

Ans: Depending on the model of the MacBook Pro, you can usually connect up to 2 external displays.

Question: Why is my MacBook Pro not discovering the external monitor?

Ans: If your MacBook Pro doesn’t connect with an external monitor, you can try changing the resolution settings of the laptop.

Then try restarting. If it still doesn’t work, the problem could be in the connecting cable. Ensure that all the ends are connected strongly and that the cable is not too old or broken.

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