OT: Thunder Bolt Display is not recognized by MacBook Pro

[joosttx]

I moved my office downstairs. I have a MacBook Pro with the USB C and the lastest Catalina OS. I have an old Thunderbolt monitor that I use as its display when I have my laptop on at my desk. I have the toggle that marries the Thunderbolt video connector to a USB C. In the past it is plug and play. I plug the monitor into the laptop and there you go. I cannot get it to work. I have run through all the traps and nothing seems to work. Anyone can help me?

[rwsaunders]

Did you plug the UBC C cord directly into the Mac?

[Spdntrxi]

could it be TB2 vs TB3 issue?

[HenryA]

Prefs maybe?

[joosttx]

Did you plug the UBC C cord directly into the Mac?

Yes.


Prefs maybe?

How would I know if it is this issue?

[sonicCows]

Apple is really confusing because they'll take plug standards and modify them slightly. Thunderbolt is a great example. Found this on wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Thunderbolt_Display#Backward_and_forward_com patibility


As of April 2018, MacBook (Retina) 12" laptops only have a USB-C port, which cannot communicate with a Thunderbolt adapter. However, newer MacBook Pro have Thunderbolt 3 ports. Although these ports have the same connector as USB-C, they are compatible with the Thunderbolt protocol, and can use a Thunderbolt Display with a Thunderbolt 3-to-2 adapter.[7]


Are you using the official adapter or third party? Also, are you using an Apple display or is it third party?

[joosttx]

It is offical and worked about a month ago. I just moved my office downstairs and now it does not. I checked the plugs and all that.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49695558916_b60698eb5f_b.jpg

[Bostic]

Are you using the official $49 Apple Thunderbolt 3 to 2 adapter?
https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MMEL2AM/A/thunderbolt-3-usb-c-to-thunderbolt-2-adapter

Sometimes you have to cold boot Thunderbolt displays as well just like a computer or router. Unplug it from power for 30 seconds then plug it back in. Then plug it into the laptop.

Do you have another Mac that you can plug the display into to verify that the display is working? An older MacBook Air or Pro that uses Thunderbolt 2?

Is the brightness somehow turned all the way down on the 27" Thunderbolt display? Also try plugging in an external keyboard, if you have an older Mac wired model that has brightness keys on it.

Cold boot the MacBook Pro as well. Try all four ports, or two if it's a 13" model.

Do the four ports work for other devices? A wired mouse using a usb-c to usb-a adapter, a thumb drive, etc.

[HenryA]

Old article but may be applicable to your situation.

https://www.cnet.com/news/tutorial-preferences-files-the-complete-story/

In simplest terms its where the settings of all your workings are stored. Files are suffixed .plist. Search around for how to discard your video prefs.

[kppolich]

Agree on try another port after a restart of both.

I'd check system preferences as well as system report to see if it's recognized under displays.

Lastly, double check that the power/thunderbolt plug on the back of the monitor is pushed in all the way.

Love my TBD.

[joosttx]

Are you using the official $49 Apple Thunderbolt 3 to 2 adapter?
https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MMEL2AM/A/thunderbolt-3-usb-c-to-thunderbolt-2-adapter

Sometimes you have to cold boot Thunderbolt displays as well just like a computer or router. Unplug it from power for 30 seconds then plug it back in. Then plug it into the laptop.

Do you have another Mac that you can plug the display into to verify that the display is working? An older MacBook Air or Pro that uses Thunderbolt 2?

Is the brightness somehow turned all the way down on the 27" Thunderbolt display? Also try plugging in an external keyboard, if you have an older Mac wired model that has brightness keys on it.

Cold boot the MacBook Pro as well. Try all four ports, or two if it's a 13" model.

Do the four ports work for other devices? A wired mouse using a usb-c to usb-a adapter, a thumb drive, etc.

1) yes, the $49 adapter
2) Cold boots both display and computer and used all ports.
3) tried another macbook pro nothing
4) checked the brightness
5) pulled in a thumb drive in the back of the Display. THe thumb drive not light up or show up on the computer.

seems like it is not getting power.

[joosttx]

Agree on try another port after a restart of both.

I'd check system preferences as well as system report to see if it's recognized under displays.

Lastly, double check that the power/thunderbolt plug on the back of the monitor is pushed in all the way.

Love my TBD.

system report?

I did double check the plug in the back of the display it plugged in

[kppolich]

Apple logo->About this mac->System report-> then look under Graphics/Displays or Thunderbolt to see if it's registering as connected.

Here is my macbook air connected to TBD. Caveat it's a 2017 and I'm not using a USB-C dongle.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49696042861_43ecf1356b_c.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49695506043_c9bd12b11d_c.jpg

[joosttx]

Apple logo->About this mac->System report-> then look under Graphics/Displays or Thunderbolt to see if it's registering as connected.

Here is my macbook air connected to TBD. Caveat it's a 2017 and I'm not using a USB-C dongle.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49696042861_43ecf1356b_c.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49695506043_c9bd12b11d_c.jpg

The display is not showing up

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49696064841_5d4ab233c8_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2iHtjGa)Screen Shot 2020-03-24 at 7.22.41 PM (https://flic.kr/p/2iHtjGa) by Houston Joost (https://www.flickr.com/photos/115875593@N04/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49696369187_6e443ef24f_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2iHuTav)Screen Shot 2020-03-24 at 7.21.42 PM (https://flic.kr/p/2iHuTav) by Houston Joost (https://www.flickr.com/photos/115875593@N04/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49696063606_233bc8c9a6_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2iHtjjS)Screen Shot 2020-03-24 at 7.21.34 PM (https://flic.kr/p/2iHtjjS) by Houston Joost (https://www.flickr.com/photos/115875593@N04/), on Flickr

[kppolich]

Want to check out System Preferences->Network and see if there are any wonky Thudnerbolt bridge's setup?

Do you have anything else plugged into the Display?

I also thought about having you try to turn up the brightness on the MBP as I hear USB-C lets your control the TBD brightness as well. But since it isnt showing up at all under System Report I doubt that would do anything at all.


Final 2 options I have for you are:
1.) Reset Your Mac's SMC:
SMC Intel-based Macs have a System Management Controller (SMC) that can be reset as a possible fix for Thunderbolt Display issues.

Steps:
Shut down the Mac.
Plug in a MagSafe or USB-C power adapter to a power source and to your computer.
On the Mac's built-in keyboard, press the left side Shift-Control-Option keys and the power button simultaneously.
Release all the keys and the power button at the same time.
Press the power button to turn on the Mac.

or
2.)
Reset Your Mac's NVRAM or PRAM
NVRAM, short for "non-volatile random-access memory," stores certain settings even when your Intel-based Mac is turned off. On older Macs, it is known as PRAM.

Steps:
Shut down the Mac.
Turn on the Mac.
Press and hold the Command-Option-P-R keys immediately after you hear the startup sound.
Hold these keys until the Mac restarts and you hear the startup sound for a second time.
Release the keys.
After resetting NVRAM, you may need to reconfigure the Mac's settings for speaker volume, screen resolution, startup disk selection, and time zone information.

[joosttx]

Want to check out System Preferences->Network and see if there are any wonky Thudnerbolt bridge's setup?

Do you have anything else plugged into the Display?

I also thought about having you try to turn up the brightness on the MBP as I hear USB-C lets your control the TBD brightness as well. But since it isnt showing up at all under System Report I doubt that would do anything at all.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49696101821_ee3fe5a2d3_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2iHtvFK)Screen Shot 2020-03-24 at 7.40.32 PM (https://flic.kr/p/2iHtvFK) by Houston Joost (https://www.flickr.com/photos/115875593@N04/), on Flickr

System prefs says the thunderbolt bridge is not connected.

There is nothing else plugged into the computer.

brightness is working on the TBD

[kppolich]

You can try deleting the thunderbolt bridge (-) icon below. You can always add a new one back in.

Were you running the display as a standalone monitor or a second monitor with the MBP open as well?
Do you have an older mac in the house with regular thunderbolt to test with?

[joosttx]

You can try deleting the thunderbolt bridge (-) icon below. You can always add a new one back in.

Were you running the display as a standalone monitor or a second monitor with the MBP open as well?

I always used it as a stand-alone but Right now the MBP screen is open bc I cannot see anything on the TBD.

[kppolich]

I always used it as a stand-alone but Right now the MBP screen is open bc I cannot see anything on the TBD.

Betting the SMC reset will do the trick.

[joosttx]

Betting the SMC reset will do the trick.

I wish you were right. It was one of the things I tried and along with the rest of the other protocols you listed and they didnt work. I have tried it again several times and no dice. I really appreciate you troubleshooting this.

[kppolich]

I wish you were right. It was one of the things I tried and along with the rest of the other protocols you listed and they didnt work. I have tried it again several times and no dice. I really appreciate you troubleshooting this.
Dang, was the TBD plugged into the computer when you did the reset(s)?
Do you have an older mac in the house with regular thunderbolt to test with? Trying to narrow it down to display issue vs. computer issue.

[joosttx]

Dang, was the TBD plugged into the computer when you did the reset(s)?
Do you have an older mac in the house with regular thunderbolt to test with? Trying to narrow it down to display issue vs. computer issue.

Plugged unplugged. I have tried it all.

[kppolich]

Plugged unplugged. I have tried it all.

Dang tough draw. I see Catalina 10.15.4 was released today. Are you on that? Maybe it's a bug and you can revert to 10.15.3 to resolve it.

[sfscott]

Silly question, but does the external display fire up if you close the Mac lid?

[joosttx]

Silly question, but does the external display fire up if you close the Mac lid?

No. Unfortunately it doesn’t. But it usually does especially when I tap on the external BT mouse of keyboard.

[kppolich]

Well. I plugged my computer in today and my TBD didn't respond. Hate a moment of terror then restarted my computer while plugged into the TBD and it responded. Good Luck!

[joosttx]

Well. I plugged my computer in today and my TBD didn't respond. Hate a moment of terror then restarted my computer while plugged into the TBD and it responded. Good Luck!

Go ahead flaunt your bad self! :)

[Bostic]

If you have already tried another Mac laptop that uses the Thunderbolt 2 and it does not power on, the power supply in the display might have gone. I used to bring these displays to the Valley Fair or Los Gatos Apple store a fair amount to get fixed a couple of years back. The company I worked for had a bunch of them and I had to keep the fleet operational.

The power supply ran around $250 for parts and labor. If it was just the all-in-one cable (Thunderbolt and mag safe 1 charger) that was around $178. This was with a Business Account so the price might be something different.

One last thing you could try is Command+R recovery partition boot up and see if it powers up there.

[joosttx]

If you have already tried another Mac laptop that uses the Thunderbolt 2 and it does not power on, the power supply in the display might have gone. I used to bring these displays to the Valley Fair or Los Gatos Apple store a fair amount to get fixed a couple of years back. The company I worked for had a bunch of them and I had to keep the fleet operational.

The power supply ran around $250 for parts and labor. If it was just the all-in-one cable (Thunderbolt and mag safe 1 charger) that was around $178. This was with a Business Account so the price might be something different.

One last thing you could try is Command+R recovery partition boot up and see if it powers up there.

when do you press command+R? at Startup?

[kppolich]

when do you press command+R? at Startup?
Turn on your Mac and immediately press and hold these two keys: Command (⌘) and R. Need help?
Release the keys when you see an Apple logo, spinning globe, or other startup screen.
You might be prompted to enter a password, such as a firmware password or the password of a user who is an administrator of this Mac. Enter the requested password to continue.

from:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201314

[weaponsgrade]

Have you tried a new adaptor that you know works? I never thought an adaptor/cable was something that could go, but I had one that did. It took me forever to trace.

[rwsaunders]

Houston...any luck?

[joosttx]

Problem solved. I found on an Apple forum that the apple adapter was the problem and that I needed a 60HZ adapter. So, I bought this one:

https://www.startech.com/AV/display-and-video-adapters/usb-c-video-adapters/usb-c-mini-displayport-adapter~CDP2MDP

I received it today plugged it in and the displayed fired up! Life is good.

[Bostic]

I looked at Post #7 again. That looks like display port. Is your Apple monitor the Older 27” Cinema Display with just 3 USB ports on the back and not a 27” Thunderbolt Display that also has Ethernet, FireWire, and a Thunderbolt 2 port on it?

How many cables are coming out the back of your Apple display (not the power cable) 2 (MagSafe 1 and Thunderbolt 2) or 3 (MagSafe 1, USB A and Mini Display port) ?

I’m just curious because I have purchased probably at least 100 of those Apple Thunderbolt 3 to 2 adapters over the past 3 1/2 years for users at my last two jobs.

[joosttx]

I looked at Post #7 again. That looks like display port. Is your Apple monitor the Older 27” Cinema Display with just 3 USB ports on the back and not a 27” Thunderbolt Display that also has Ethernet, FireWire, and a Thunderbolt 2 port on it?

How many cables are coming out the back of your Apple display (not the power cable) 2 (MagSafe 1 and Thunderbolt 2) or 3 (MagSafe 1, USB A and Mini Display port) ?

I’m just curious because I have purchased probably at least 100 of those Apple Thunderbolt 3 to 2 adapters over the past 3 1/2 years for users at my last two jobs.

Correct, it is the older, 3 port 27" Cinema Display. There are 3 cables less the power plug coming out of my display. They are Magsafe, USB A and Mini Display.

[kppolich]

Correct, it is the older, 3 port 27" Cinema Display. There are 3 cables less the power plug coming out of my display. They are Magsafe, USB A and Mini Display.

Doh! Cinema display refresh rate!

[rwsaunders]

Houston....we have lift off.

[joosttx]

Houston....we have lift off.

I cannot tell you how happy I am. I actually downgraded to Mojave and that didn't even work like it did in the past. It stumped a lot of people in the apple forums too. I found one thread that said it worked and I went for it.

[paredown]

I cannot tell you how happy I am. I actually downgraded to Mojave and that didn't even work like it did in the past. It stumped a lot of people in the apple forums too. I found one thread that said it worked and I went for it.

Congrats--a friend upgraded to a new MacMini, brought it home, had the same problem, went back to the "genius" bar--and they could not get it to work.

She finally got a refund on the machine, and bought one that had a lower spec that would work with her old monitor.:mad:

[benb]

I’d be surprised if you find any permanent solution to this problem other than buying an actual Apple external display which of course is hideously overpriced.

We have hundreds of USB-C MacBook Pros in the office where I work and there has been no permanent solution that either IT or anyone of us in engineering has been able to figure out. IT has spent a lot of money on this buying different docks and adapters. Some of the docks have cost as much as a cheap windows laptop.

I think there are probably 3 separate issues:

- The USB-C ports on the MBP are cheap quality and lose their ability to keep a reliable connection over time. Apple doesn’t charge much to replace them.

- OSX has an unacknowledged bug that happens and seems to go away for a while with a reboot.

- The Apple Displays are probably slightly out of spec/non-standard and the Mac is tuned for that which contributes, classic Apple

I have been thinking about getting a new monitor at home that has native USB-C wondering if that would help but there’s no way I’d buy the Apple display.

[joosttx]

I’d be surprised if you find any permanent solution to this problem other than buying an actual Apple external display which of course is hideously overpriced.

We have hundreds of USB-C MacBook Pros in the office where I work and there has been no permanent solution that either IT or anyone of us in engineering has been able to figure out. IT has spent a lot of money on this buying different docks and adapters. Some of the docks have cost as much as a cheap windows laptop.

I think there are probably 3 separate issues:

- The USB-C ports on the MBP are cheap quality and lose their ability to keep a reliable connection over time. Apple doesn’t charge much to replace them.

- OSX has an unacknowledged bug that happens and seems to go away for a while with a reboot.

- The Apple Displays are probably slightly out of spec/non-standard and the Mac is tuned for that which contributes, classic Apple

I have been thinking about getting a new monitor at home that has native USB-C wondering if that would help but there’s no way I’d buy the Apple display.

Good to know. Thunderbolt displays go for about $200-300 on eBay. I don’t think that is too expensive for the quality image you are getting,

[benb]

Actually I have no idea If the older Apple Thunderbolt displays are reliable on the New MacBooks that only have USB-C.

I’ve had a lot of MacBook Pros at work the last 10 years but no place I’ve ever worked has bought Apple Displays. They’re almost never a good buy. There’s always something else that is both better and more economical at the same time. The stands that come with the Apple Displays have almost always been horrible since they’re never adjustable enough for good ergonomics. If you need to outfit hundreds of desks you don’t want to go to the Apple display if it forces you to immediately have to order extra stuff so employees working big hours don’t get RSI injuries.

Most of us at work right now have dual curved 34” curved Dell hi-dpi displays. They’re pretty incredible for what they cost. We do now all have mounts for the displays so we could use the Apple displays but they’re still a lot more expensive for no benefit. Unless you’re doing Pro photo work with your own onsite printing hi color monitors have very little benefit. Even pro photography with an offsite lab doesn’t really need it.

For $300 you can get a brand new 27” 4K Dell Ultrasharp with native USB-C, I’d be more willing to try a monitor with native support since it eliminates the adapters.

The whole adapter thing is ridiculous. The ones we started out with when we got the USB-C only Macs were from OWC and were $300. Not as easy to handwave “dongle life” away when you have to order 500 of them that you wouldn’t have needed to with a PC laptop.

None of this is a big deal except for the issue that 10 years ago for Unix software development on a laptop the MBP was “the best” and over 10 years it has kind of shifted to “least bad” because of changes in the software. If someone actually made a native Linux laptop that was even 50% as polished as the Mac we’d probably jump ship. So far nobody’s really making that though.

[Bostic]

I’m the IT person at work and have supported Macs and Windows for many years. I actually am mad at myself for not troubleshooting this from the first page. Had a Trouble ticket been submitted with the thread title I would have thought ok just get another Apple Thunderbolt 3 to 2 adapter as it’s Thunderbolt. If it was an in the office ticket I would have been able to resolve it in a few minutes (as long as I had the appropriate adapter in stock) because I would have been able to identify the monitor was in fact Mini Display port. Thunderbolt 3 is backwards compatible and works with Mini Display port ‘most of the time.’

I haven’t had to trouble shoot the older Mini display port based 27” Cinema displays for a few years now. At my previous work they got phased out pretty quickly once Apple introduced the 27” Thunderbolt Display. End users either love them or hate them due to the glossy display. Designers and folks in UX love them compared to other displays because of the color representation. Almost all of them have stacks of paper under them since there is not height adjustment.

Since 2015 Apple has switched to USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 as has a lot of the modern Dell XPS systems I deploy. As a result I always make sure I have a lot of USB-C to HDMI, USB-C to Display port and USB-C to Mini Display port adapters on hand.

Like Benb mentioned, the monitors that have native USB-C support eliminate one step in troubleshooting. I bought a few Dell 22” and 24” displays with USB-C just to have for ease of IT troubleshooting. They are more expensive than the models that don’t have them.

As of right now if you want the best display experience that Apple fully supports on your MacBook Air, MacBook Pro or Mac Mini then buy the $1300 LG 5K 27” display or the less expensive (cough) $700 LG 4K 24” display. Once you look at 5K it’s really tough to go back. There are a lot of other brands that have 4K displays and they probably work fine. Apple just will not be as helpful when it comes to any tech support.

Currently I’ve been buying the Dell U2719D 27” displays that support 2560x1440. Combined with a USB-C to Display Port cable it provides a good happy medium of price vs. viewing quality and works fine with the laptops I deploy.