Want to find a way to use the iMac as a monitor? While Apple’s Target Display mode is limited to iMacs from 2009 to 2014, there are fortunately several other options for using the nice big screen of your old or new iMac as a monitor.
Target Display Mode is Apple’s solution for using the iMac as a monitor with another Mac in a wired configuration. It was a very popular feature for years, but when Apple launched its Retina iMacs in late 2014, support was discontinued.
The good news is that even if you have a modern Apple all-in-one (even the new M3 iMac) that doesn’t support Target Display Mode, you can still use the iMac as a monitor with a variety of options. Let’s look at the 5 best solutions…
Using iMac as a monitor: 5 solutions
Luna display or Duet display
To get the same functionality that Target Display mode offers with Mac to Mac (and even PC to Mac and iPad to Mac support), Luna Display and Duet Display are two of the best options.
We have used both here at 9to5Mac and I think they are great products that are updated regularly.
Use the iMac as a monitor with Sidecar
This doesn’t offer Mac-to-Mac support, of course, but if you want to use a newer iMac as a monitor with an iPad, Sidecar is a great free solution. And it works wired or wirelessly.
- On your Mac, click Control Center (symbol with two pills) in the menu bar > Screen mirroring > Choose your iPad.
- Once connected, you can go to System Preferences and choose whether your Mac or iPad should be your primary display.
Sidecar has been built into Mac and iPad since macOS Catalina and iPadOS 13. If you haven’t tried Sidecar yet, check out our full guide here:
Pair iMac with an external monitor
While this may seem obvious, you can also pair your iMac with an external monitor and choose which monitor will be your primary and which will be your secondary monitor.
For a closer look at some of the best monitors on the market, check out our guides:
And an affordable 32-inch 4K monitor that matches the aesthetic of the M1 iMac is the M8 Smart Monitor from Samsung.
AirPlay on Mac
This feature won’t work if you want to extend the desktop area of your iMac or iPad, but you can mirror from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch directly to a newer iMac or other compatible Mac.
However, this requires a newer Mac. For more information, see our full guide:
Target display mode
If you have an old iMac, you may be able to use Target Display mode, but it will also need to be running macOS High Sierra or earlier – the same goes for the secondary Mac. Here’s what you’ll need to use the iMac as a monitor with the original solution.
Requirements according to Apple for iMacs from 2011 to mid-2014:
- The iMac used as a display must have macOS High Sierra or earlier installed.
- The other Mac you connect it to must have been introduced in 2019 or earlier and be running macOS Catalina or earlier.
- The cable connecting the two Mac computers must be a Thunderbolt
or Thunderbolt 2 Cable.
Requirements for 2009-2010 models to use the iMac as a monitor:
- The iMac used as a display must have macOS High Sierra or earlier installed.
- The other Mac you connect it to must have been introduced in 2019 or earlier and be running macOS Catalina or earlier.
- The cable connecting the two Mac computers must be a Mini DisplayPort
Cable.
If you have two Macs that meet these requirements, Apple explains:
- Make sure your iMac is turned on.
- Make sure the other Mac is started and logged in to a macOS user account.
- Connect the two computers using the appropriate Mini DisplayPort or Thunderbolt cable.
You can use more than one iMac as a display if each iMac is connected directly to a Thunderbolt port on the other Mac (not the other iMac) using a Thunderbolt cable. - Press Command-F2 on the iMac’s keyboard. You should now see the other Mac’s desktop.
- To exit Target Display mode, press Command-F2 again. Or unplug the cable or restart one of the Macs.
Thanks for reading our guide on using your iMac as a monitor!
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