While the M1 MacBooks natively support just one monitor, the M1 Mac Mini does natively support up to two external monitors - one via the HDMI port and a second via USB-C. Apple’s M1 chip simply won’t consider it - at least natively. We have also looked at the differences between the Mac mini (M1) and Mac mini (Intel).īut if your MacBook setup includes running more than one external display, you have a major problem. See our comparison of the 13in MacBook Pro (M1) vs MacBook Pro (Intel) and MacBook Air (M1 Silicon) vs MacBook Air (Intel). They received rave reviews for their speed improvements over Intel-based laptops, including here on Macworld. External displays: M1 Macs’ big problemĪpple’s Mac mini, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro 13in were the first Macs to feature the Apple-designed M1 CPU. M1 owners, start saving for a new MacBook Pro or read on. Laptops with the M1 Pro can connect to up to two external displays with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz, while MacBooks with the M1 Max can connect to three external displays with up to 6K resolution and one external display with up to 4K resolution at 60Hz. If you waited for Apple's latest 14in or 16in M1 Pro M1 Max MacBook Pro models, you are in luck as these laptops do support multiple external displays. The hardware solution involves a dual-HDMI adapter that requires a little tinkering in System Preferences at setup. And you will likely have to buy at least one adapter, where previously a dock plus a display cable per external screen would have sufficed. With the software workaround, there are some risks involved as you will be required to install third-party drivers, and these might later be unsupported by future updates of the macOS. There's a software driver plus hardware adapter workaround and a hub or adapter workaround. However, there are ways around this limitation, allowing you to run two external displays off an M1 MacBook, which we will outline here.

Apple’s range of MacBooks that use the company’s own Silicon M1 processor cannot natively connect more than one external monitor, which is a massive limitation on the previous Intel-based generation of Mac laptops that could run two displays when connected to a USB-C or Thunderbolt 3 docking station or hub.

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