However, if you plug a cable directly into an Apple Thunderbolt 2 port, it can be used to drive Mini DisplayPort-equipped monitors, as Apple notes on its lengthy ports page, a useful read for anyone trying to figure out compatibility across generations of Macs. (A rectangle with a vertical bar on each side indicates Mini DisplayPort, while a Lightning bolt signifies Thunderbolt 2.) That’s a problem when you try to connect a Thunderbolt 2 hard drive to an older Mac that only has a Mini DisplayPort connection. Mini DisplayPort and Thunderbolt 2 have the same connector type, but are different standards. (Find the specs for your Mac on the video dimensions it can output, however, to avoid the disappointment of spending the money on a monitor that you have to run at lower resolution than its maximum.)
For instance, the 1080p 24-inch and 27-inch Dell monitors, P2419HC and P2719HC, include USB-C, DisplayPort, and HDMI.īecause these standards incorporate backwards compatibility, you just need to find a way to connect a Mac with Mini DisplayPort or Thunderbolt 2 to a DisplayPort or HDMI connection. However, read the specs on a “USB-C” monitor, and you typically find that it also includes DisplayPort (full-sized) and HDMI. You can purchase USB-C to Mini DisplayPort adapters, but they don’t work in reverse: the host computer has to possess a USB-C controller on its motherboard to bundle the signal correctly from USB-C outward a display adapter just accepts a signal wrapped in the right format and decodes it. I’m not sure it’s even possible, but there’s simply not enough of a market for it if it were. No manufacturers have created docks for Thunderbolt 2 that allow a USB-C connection.
And there’s no backwards compatibility from USB-C, whether that port offers Thunderbolt 3 or just USB, video, networking, and power.
Many display makers advertise their newer monitors as “USB-C” models.
( We published a large FAQ on what you need to connect old displays to newer Macs.)
While Mac 911 receives a lot of email about connecting Apple’s old series of displays to new Thunderbolt 3 Macs via USB-C connections, it’s also possible to go the other direction: connect a new “USB-C” monitor to older Macs-so long as the monitor has multiple video ports.