Connect that old Apple display to a new Mac to give it new life

Many people still have working Apple displays from years past. Here’s a guide to making use of them again in a suddenly required home office.

- GLENN FLEISHMAN

From 1999 until 2016, Apple released and continued to sell a series of external digitally connected displays optimized for Mac users. The displays started with DVI connectors, shifted to the Apple-made ADC connection, then back to DVI, expanded to dual-link DVI, pivoted to industry-standard Mini DisplayPort, and finally ended with Thunderbolt 2 connectors. (It’s only last year that Apple announced it would restart making monitors with its own Thunderbolt 3 display, the Pro Display XDR, and began shipping it in December for a minimum of $5,000.)

And, gosh, do a lot of those older Apple monitors remain out in the field and in use. Apple never releases much in the way of unit sales, but it’s a fair guess that several million displays were sold. While monitors dim and components fail over time, re-using an external Apple display with a new USB-C or Thunderbolt 3 Mac remains one of top questions Macworld gets from its readers

That question has cropped up more than ever since vast numbers of people who worked in office have suddenly had to shift to working from home. Many of us have or prefer a two-monitor display; some readers have sent us pictures of several monitors driven by the same Mac.

You may have upgraded your Mac since 2015 or 2016 and abandoned an older Apple display for compatibility reasons, but now it looks awfully appealing for your work-at-home situation. Let’s look through the options across generations of Apple equipment.