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redthunder63

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 27, 2023
3
0
Hello,

I have a 2013 Macbook Air and an old Thunderbolt monitor, and got into some issues connecting the two w/ a cable.
If I use the Thunderbolt monitor built in cable, all works well. I can't use the "charging" second built in cable becasue it doesn't fit, but all works well w/ just the video cable.

If I try to use an external, not built-in cable, the MacBook air doesn't recognize the external monitor. I know there are different versions of cables, so I was wondering if perhaps I could be using the wrong cables. I would really appreciate some help here.

Thanks.

RedThunder63
 
It could certainly be the wrong cable. What kind of cable is it? And where does this external cable go? To the spare Thunderbolt port on the back (next to the USB ports) I assume. And this should work apparently, but maybe you got a Mini displayport cable and not Thunderbolt? They share connectors, but I suppose the cable could be different.

Another option would be to get the Magsafe 1 to Magsafe 2 adapter.
 
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HI, thanks for the reply.
Yes, the cable goes to the thunderbolt port in the back. I was looking into the possibility that it could be a mini display cable instead of a thunderbolt, how do I tell them apart ? I'll look into the Magsafe 1 to 2 adapter thing but I wanted to use an external cable because the monitor built in is a little short in my situation.
 
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