While the higher-end MacBooks with M1/M2/M3/M4 Pro and Max chips support multiple external displays, Apple’s lower-end range of MacBooks that use a standard M1 and M2 processor cannot natively connect more than one external monitor, and to do so the M3 has to have its lid closed. This is a massive limitation compared to the previous Intel-based generation of Mac laptops that could run two displays when connected to a USB-C or Thunderbolt docking station or hub.

Apple’s M3 MacBook Air models support two external monitors but only if the MacBook has its lid closed in what is known as Clamshell Mode. The M3 MacBook Pro supports a similar feature if at least the macOS Sonoma 14.6 update is installed. We explain how to run dual external displays on an M3 MacBook in a separate article.

The solutions below, however, allow for more than two external displays on plain M1, M2 and M3 Macs with their lids open if you want it. The plain M4 MacBook Air and M4 or M5 MacBook Pro models do natively support two displays with the lid open but if you want three displays for these MacBooks, then keep reading.

There have also been reports that the M3 MacBook Air with lid closed suffers significant performance decline due to heat build up, so following our advice below still has relevance even for M3 MacBook Air and Pro users who want to hook up to multiple displays and keep their Mac purring at full speed.

Later, we list our tested and recommended software and hardware solutions for adding more than one display to the plain M1, M2 and M3 Macs. You can jump straight to our list of the best DisplayLink docks if you know all about DisplayLink. If not, read on a while.

The solutions we explain here will also help plain M4 and M5 users and M2/M3/M4 Pro MacBook users extend to three external displays.

Here are the external display specs for Apple’s current laptops, and what our workarounds can offer:

• M1 MacBook Air, M2 MacBook Air and M2 MacBook Pro: Maximum one external display—read our workarounds below for up to five displays.





• M3 MacBook Air, M3 MacBook Air and M3 MacBook Pro: Maximum two external displays if MacBook lid is closed. Four or more using our workarounds.





• M2 Pro MacBook Pro and M3 Pro MacBook Pro: Maximum two external displays. Four or more using our workarounds.





• M4 MacBook Air, M4 MacBook Pro, M4 Pro MacBook Pro and M5 MacBook Pro: Maximum two external displays. Three or more using our workarounds, or five using DisplayLink on certain docks.





• M2 Max MacBook Pro, M3 Max MacBook Pro and M4 Max MacBook Pro: Maximum four external displays. Five using DisplayLink on certain docks.

However, there are ways around these plain M1/M2/M3 limitations, allowing you to run two or more external displays off your MacBook, which we will outline here. In each case, there’s a software download and a docking station, hub or adapter required. 

The simplest solution is to get a USB graphics-enabled docking station or hub, sometimes called a DisplayLink Dock—and we’ve reviewed the best ones later in this article. USB graphics is a software-based technology (DisplayLink or InstantView) that compresses the video signals from the computer to the monitor, enabling you to connect multiple external displays to your M1, M2 or M3 MacBook.

Installing third-party software drivers leads to a slight risk that these might later be unsupported by future updates of the macOS, but the two drivers we recommend are recognized industry standards that we believe will continue to be supported and have been for a number of years already. We therefore can recommend these solutions that have worked for a numbe rof years without problems.

External displays: Big problem for M1, M2 and some M3 Macs

If your MacBook setup includes running more than one external display, you have a major problem: Apple’s basic (non-Pro or Max) M1 and M2 chips simply won’t allow it—at least natively. Apple states in the M1 or M2 MacBook Air and M3 MacBook Pro tech specs that they support only “one external display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz”.

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Apple

While the M1 and M2 MacBooks natively support just one monitor, the M1 and M2 Mac Mini does natively support up to two external monitors—one via the HDMI port and a second via USB-C. But the M1 and M2 models of the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro (plus the M3 MacBook Pro) support only a single external display over Thunderbolt. The M4 Mac mini supports up to three displays—two displays with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt and one display with up to 5K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt or 4K resolution at 60Hz over HDMI.

The M3 MacBook Air models (13- and 15-inch) were the first to support more than one external display—as long as you close the laptop’s lid (known as Clamshell Mode) to allow for the second external display. 14-inch M3 MacBook Pro has a similar limitation. The first display (allowing an open MacBook lid) has a maximum 6K resolution at 60Hz. The second display (requiring the closed lid) can be up to 5K at 60Hz.

The M4 MacBook Air and 14-inch M4 or M5 MacBook Pro escape the single-display limit even with its lid open, but if you want more than two displays for that model, you need a DisplayLink dock.

We cover the basics of how to connect your Mac to an external monitor.

Workaround: Install DisplayLink software drivers

You can use a combination of display technologies to get around the M1/M2/M3 MacBooks’ single-monitor limita