One of the useful features of older iMacs was Target Display Mode, an option that allows you to use an iMac as an external display. While the feature has not been offered in iMacs since 2014, there was hope in the Apple community that it would return with the new M1 iMacs. Unfortunately, the new all-in-one Macs don’t support target display mode, but there is a third-party solution.
The new iMacs have what looks like a really nice screen. At 4.5K (4480 x 2520), the 24-inch Retina panel is sharper than the 24-inch 4K LG UltraFine and features P3 wide color, True Tone, 500 nits brightness and anti-reflective coating, all in a super thin 11.5 mm chassis.
And with a starting price of $ 1,299, that level of 4.5K screen along with the M1 Mac Apple in it feels like a great deal (the 27-inch LG UltraFine is still selling for $ 1,299) – especially if users were able to use it as an external monitor.
Target display mode was last supported in the mid-2014 iMacs and earlier (non-Retina models) and Apple has officially discontinued the feature with macOS Mojave and later.
While it probably went a long way to hope that Target Display Mode was revived with the new M1 iMac (and Big Sur), it would certainly add value to those with multiple Macs.
In the technical specifications for the new M1 iMac, Apple only supports video output, not input:
But even though there’s no official support for Target Display Mode, Luna Display, a third-party software / hardware solution, has a Mac-to-Mac mode that looks like it should work with the new iMacs.
Extend your screen to any Mac with Luna Display’s Mac to Mac mode. Need a larger display option? Use an additional Mac computer as a second or expanded display of your primary Mac computer. Dust your old Macs and use them as an external monitor!
You’ll need the $ 80 Luna Display USB-C dongle for this (just one of those), but it’s a nice option for getting that target display mode / expanded desktop flexibility back into your workflow with two Macs.
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