Apple’s new ARM-based M1 CPU is quite similar to iPads and iPhones. However, the new chip makes the CPU highly effective and relatively short compared with AMD and Intel. The single chipset houses multiple technologies, which provides more processing power for applications with a compact footprint. Moreover, it doesn’t require any mechanical cooling.
Many users found that the M1 Air or MacBook Pro had some constraints with the external display. Yous see, the M1-based devices no longer support multiple displays natively. I know this might be a shock for some, but there are still some ways with which you can connect two external monitors to your MacBook Pro M1. Let’s have a look at them!
Related | How Many Ports Does MacBook Pro M1 have?
How to connect two external monitors to MacBook Pro M1?
I have listed two methods that will help you get around Apple’s M1 Mac single-display restriction.
Method 1: With a Port
Step 1: Buy an HDMI adapter or a 4K DisplayPort to USB 3.0, which is a must for this task. A Thunderbolt dock with DisplayLink will also get the job done.
Step 2: Install the DisplayLink software on your MacBook Pro M1. This driver lets your Big Sur M1 Macs accept multiple external monitors.
Step 3: Connect your MacBook Pro M1 to the dock.
Step 4: Now, you can connect all your external monitors to it.
If this doesn’t work, you can connect one monitor to the dock and plug an HDMI or USB-C to DisplayPort cable directly to your MacBook Pro M1.
Method 2: Docking Station
If your workstation is compatible with Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 4, or a USB-C Alt Mode docking station, you can extend your display by downloading the latest DisplayLink driver for macOS. If possible, update the driver and use a Kensington USB-A DisplayLink Video Adapter to connect your other monitors.
DisplayLink’s adapter software lets you use your current docking station to connect up to five displays to your M1 MacBook. If you face any problems after a macOS software update, ensure that you have the latest version of DisplayLink’s software.
Conclusion
This is how you can connect two external monitors to MacBook Pro M1. This makeshift process won’t bog down your M1 MacBook Pro.
Moreover, multiple YouTubers have tested some methods, which means that you can use multiple external monitors with your MacBook Pro M1 or even MacBook Air.
With multiple monitors, video editing becomes easier, and even though it could be a GPU-intensive task, you will get the same performance and speed as without the external monitors.
