for three external displays, one would need three?
sadly one of mine (2 4Ks and a single 5K) is a 5K.
sadly one of mine (2 4Ks and a single 5K) is a 5K.
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External Displays Swapping - Arrangement Not Remembered!
- Thread starter Brenzo
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Nope, you only need the adapter to go to one of your two identical 4k monitors. Even though the adapter has two displayport outputs, you should only use it to go to one monitor only.
very interesting.
I have been on a single 5K the last 2 weeks since the issue is driving me bonkers. Kinda getting used to one 5K now.
#confusedwhattodonext
LOL!
I have been on a single 5K the last 2 weeks since the issue is driving me bonkers. Kinda getting used to one 5K now.
#confusedwhattodonext
LOL!
It's a shame this is still an issue, but glad everyone's posting updates and keeping the thread alive. It's still happening with mine, as well, but it takes 20 seconds in the morning to fix when it occurs, so I can live with that...mostly.
I'd really like to buy my better half a Mac Studio, but since they use 3 identical BenQ monitors, and don't have my (albeit limited) patience with stuff like this, I'm pretty sure i'd be the household pariah after the second time they had to rearrange the monitors in preferences.
I'd really like to buy my better half a Mac Studio, but since they use 3 identical BenQ monitors, and don't have my (albeit limited) patience with stuff like this, I'm pretty sure i'd be the household pariah after the second time they had to rearrange the monitors in preferences.
Never had an account but had to get updates on this thread.
I have the same issue as many have mentioned of display settings being forgotten/switched, but its made even worse by my 144hz monitors being run through a 60hz KVM. So whenever the displays get forgotten, MacOS autodetects a 144hz monitor and outputs that signal, which gets stuck in my KVM, and none of my displays get a signal until I open up the mbp from clamshell and change the refresh rate manually. DisplayPlacer seems like a hacky fix for now though to atleast make resetting everything easier.
I've also noticed that it seems like MacOS doesn't assign each display its own settings, but a different set of settings per display config? When trying to set up my monitors on my new 16" M1 Max, my displays' settings would reset after I connected each new display or removed a display that was previously attached. With my 3 external monitors, by my count thats 16 unique configurations and EACH CONFIG needed display settings to be set and display arrangement fixed. Couple that with MacOS' forgetfulness and it's been a nightmare so far.
I have the same issue as many have mentioned of display settings being forgotten/switched, but its made even worse by my 144hz monitors being run through a 60hz KVM. So whenever the displays get forgotten, MacOS autodetects a 144hz monitor and outputs that signal, which gets stuck in my KVM, and none of my displays get a signal until I open up the mbp from clamshell and change the refresh rate manually. DisplayPlacer seems like a hacky fix for now though to atleast make resetting everything easier.
I've also noticed that it seems like MacOS doesn't assign each display its own settings, but a different set of settings per display config? When trying to set up my monitors on my new 16" M1 Max, my displays' settings would reset after I connected each new display or removed a display that was previously attached. With my 3 external monitors, by my count thats 16 unique configurations and EACH CONFIG needed display settings to be set and display arrangement fixed. Couple that with MacOS' forgetfulness and it's been a nightmare so far.
I got my Studio back from the service centre and as anticipated, no hardware issues.
He rolled it back to a previous version of Monterey as Big Sur cannot be installed on it. This has made no difference to the monitor issue, they are both been swapped around at startup and when waking.
I’m desperation, I am now using a hdmi on one monitor and usb-c on the other. Now the studio will keep the layout of main monitor on the left with the menu bar and dock. However, the desktop background keeps defaulting to Monterey stock background. It makes no difference how many times I change it to a photo of my own.
Surely Apple can’t fix this!
He rolled it back to a previous version of Monterey as Big Sur cannot be installed on it. This has made no difference to the monitor issue, they are both been swapped around at startup and when waking.
I’m desperation, I am now using a hdmi on one monitor and usb-c on the other. Now the studio will keep the layout of main monitor on the left with the menu bar and dock. However, the desktop background keeps defaulting to Monterey stock background. It makes no difference how many times I change it to a photo of my own.
Surely Apple can’t fix this!
Well, Monterey 12.5 Beta 2 doesn't fix the issue. I'm 2 for 2 on swapped monitor locations at reboot so far after installing it.
I'm using three DisplayPort connections and the only issue I have is the two identical monitors swap positions upon startup 50 to 75% of the time. After I set them, they stay that way even through waking the system from sleep...until the next reboot of course, then it's may or may not be correct.
BTW, I tried the DVI connection posted earlier as a suggestion, and can say, for me, it made things so much worse. Monterey seems to really hate DVI on my BenQ Zowie XLs. Not only were my monitor locations still being swapped, but the system refused to save my resolution and refresh rate settings, and would lose them even during wake from sleep. I quickly reattached the second, identical monitor to the display port once again, and I'm once again back to monitor location swapping only.
I'm using three DisplayPort connections and the only issue I have is the two identical monitors swap positions upon startup 50 to 75% of the time. After I set them, they stay that way even through waking the system from sleep...until the next reboot of course, then it's may or may not be correct.
BTW, I tried the DVI connection posted earlier as a suggestion, and can say, for me, it made things so much worse. Monterey seems to really hate DVI on my BenQ Zowie XLs. Not only were my monitor locations still being swapped, but the system refused to save my resolution and refresh rate settings, and would lose them even during wake from sleep. I quickly reattached the second, identical monitor to the display port once again, and I'm once again back to monitor location swapping only.
In case anyone besides me was wondering: MacOS Ventura, Beta 1 does not fix the issue, either. At least on my MBP M1 Max.
I didn't expect it to, but thought I'd at least test it and find out. Oh well.
I didn't expect it to, but thought I'd at least test it and find out. Oh well.
Fyi, if you can handle commandline tools, you can save and restore the display positions with `displayplacer` : https://github.com/jakehilborn/displayplacer
It's now been 2 full weeks with the DisplayLink adapter and it has solved the issue 100% with no exceptions.
Like many, I just made an account to reply and follow this thread. I have a Mac Studio with a Studio Display and 2 27" LG monitors (27UL600-W) on either side. The studio display is connected through the Thunderbolt cable that comes with it. One of the LG monitors is connected through an HDMI to Thunderbolt cable and the other is through a DisplayPort to Thunderbolt cable. Up until a week ago, one of the LGs was connected through an HDMI to HDMI cable. I thought maybe swapping that to a Thunderbolt one would maybe solve this issue. It did not.
This problem is quite infuriating. Everyday I wake up the machine and have to place all the windows back on their correct display. And most of the time they need to be moved back to the original placement on the display as well. I did not experience this issue when I was using my 2020 13" MBP and just the 2 LG monitors, which I never upgraded to Big Sur or beyond (which evidently appears to be one of the root issues with a lot of people).
Things I've noticed
I know this is a first world problem, but the 20 seconds it takes to realign these windows every morning is very bothersome, especially when thinking about how much I just paid for this Mac Studio, a computer that was built knowing it was going to be used with multiple displays.
I guess I will try to use the display-link adapter posted above from Dbrink329 and/or some other cables to connect the displays to the Mac Studio. If that doesn't work I'll try a factory reset and set it all back up. If the problem persists, I might have to make a scene at the Apple Store. Idk.
This problem is quite infuriating. Everyday I wake up the machine and have to place all the windows back on their correct display. And most of the time they need to be moved back to the original placement on the display as well. I did not experience this issue when I was using my 2020 13" MBP and just the 2 LG monitors, which I never upgraded to Big Sur or beyond (which evidently appears to be one of the root issues with a lot of people).
Things I've noticed
- If my computer is asleep for less than 4~ hours, this problem does not happen 99% of the time. In other words, I only have this problem when it has been asleep for more than 4~ hours.
- This is actually my second Mac Studio. The first one I had was lower specs and I'm pretty sure did not experience this problem much, if at all. I'm sort of glad to find out this is more of a software thing than hardware, cuz I'm past my return period and I doubt this is something they can just find and fix at the Genius Bar.
- I did install a program called SwitchResX to access the resolution I wanted to use on my Studio Display, which I thought might be the issue. I uninstalled it but still experience this issue. My next thought was to factory reset my computer and start again, but I really don't want to go through the process. (I'd be worried my backup contains the bug so I'd have to start fresh and manually reinstall everything)
I know this is a first world problem, but the 20 seconds it takes to realign these windows every morning is very bothersome, especially when thinking about how much I just paid for this Mac Studio, a computer that was built knowing it was going to be used with multiple displays.
I guess I will try to use the display-link adapter posted above from Dbrink329 and/or some other cables to connect the displays to the Mac Studio. If that doesn't work I'll try a factory reset and set it all back up. If the problem persists, I might have to make a scene at the Apple Store. Idk.
For getting windows to stick to their respected monitor, also try he app called "Stay" from the mac app store.
I'm almost afraid to post this due to jinxing myself, but after about 10 successful start ups/reboots for testing purposes, it seems I've resolved my two identical BenQ ZowieXL monitors flipping around at start up in my three monitor setup.
Pandybelly's success by connecting one of the identical monitors with an HDMI cable, inspired me try that approach again, after it hadn't worked for me, before.
Well, it worked this time, but required a second, interesting step: I had to make my main display the first monitor my clam-shelled MBP initialized among the three. In my case (oddly), it's the middle, non-identical monitor, the BenQ XL2730Z, which is attached via the display port on my CalDigit TS3 dock.
That monitor always powers up first, and if I don't make it the main display while using an HDMI cable on one of the others, it flips that middle monitor out of order every single time and screws up the resolution/refresh rate. That's different from the two ZowieXLs flipping around when they're all three attached via DisplayPort/TB... in which case the middle XL2730Z always stays put and resolution/refresh rates remain intact on every start up.
So, the HDMI to HDMI cable didn't resolve the issue for me before (actually made things worse), because I've always made one of my end monitors, which are the identical Zowie XLs, my main display.
I could be interpreting the reason this works completely wrong, but regardless, my monitors are no longer flip-flopping at boot up, thanks to these two steps. I hope this helps someone else, or lights a path in the right direction to resolving this issue for them.
Pandybelly's success by connecting one of the identical monitors with an HDMI cable, inspired me try that approach again, after it hadn't worked for me, before.
Well, it worked this time, but required a second, interesting step: I had to make my main display the first monitor my clam-shelled MBP initialized among the three. In my case (oddly), it's the middle, non-identical monitor, the BenQ XL2730Z, which is attached via the display port on my CalDigit TS3 dock.
That monitor always powers up first, and if I don't make it the main display while using an HDMI cable on one of the others, it flips that middle monitor out of order every single time and screws up the resolution/refresh rate. That's different from the two ZowieXLs flipping around when they're all three attached via DisplayPort/TB... in which case the middle XL2730Z always stays put and resolution/refresh rates remain intact on every start up.
So, the HDMI to HDMI cable didn't resolve the issue for me before (actually made things worse), because I've always made one of my end monitors, which are the identical Zowie XLs, my main display.
I could be interpreting the reason this works completely wrong, but regardless, my monitors are no longer flip-flopping at boot up, thanks to these two steps. I hope this helps someone else, or lights a path in the right direction to resolving this issue for them.
Hi,
I am still running with the HDMI on one monitor and the USB-C on the other. With the HDMI connection, I had to set the monitor's resolution manually. Occasionally, it forgets this and I have to set it again manually. Otherwise, it seems to be going OK, but this is not the answer.
When I try to calibrate using BeqQ Palette Master software, I have to completely disconnect one monitor otherwise the calibration software gives an error. Also, I have to attach a USB connection to the monitor using HDMI so that the Palette Master software can communicate with the monitor for hardware calibration. On the monitor with USB-C, this communication happens through the USB-C.
When my Studio was in the service centre, they wiped it and installed an earlier version of Monterey. This did not solve my problem, it only caused the additional work of installing all my software again and setting up Lightroom, Photoshop etc. with all my templates and shortcuts.
I am still running with the HDMI on one monitor and the USB-C on the other. With the HDMI connection, I had to set the monitor's resolution manually. Occasionally, it forgets this and I have to set it again manually. Otherwise, it seems to be going OK, but this is not the answer.
When I try to calibrate using BeqQ Palette Master software, I have to completely disconnect one monitor otherwise the calibration software gives an error. Also, I have to attach a USB connection to the monitor using HDMI so that the Palette Master software can communicate with the monitor for hardware calibration. On the monitor with USB-C, this communication happens through the USB-C.
For jjvw42
When my Studio was in the service centre, they wiped it and installed an earlier version of Monterey. This did not solve my problem, it only caused the additional work of installing all my software again and setting up Lightroom, Photoshop etc. with all my templates and shortcuts.
3 weeks with DisplayLink adapter and still going strong! This issue is solved for me, I will now unfollow the thread.
thank you for the updates.
ironically I am on my 4th week of going down to a single LG 5K 27, from the LG and two 4Ks.
I even tried to keep my MacBook open and use that for videos last week. Ended up closing it. After years and years of multiple screens, I am liking the focus of just being on one. as long as it's crisp and clear like the LG.
This fall, I expect the mac pros to be announced, and I bet with a new 6K or 7K display.
Might switch to that if I think it's worth the jump.
I also went to a Versa arm for the LG 5K which is the first time I have done that. Should have long ago. Having it higher adds to a more pleasant experience for me.
ironically I am on my 4th week of going down to a single LG 5K 27, from the LG and two 4Ks.
I even tried to keep my MacBook open and use that for videos last week. Ended up closing it. After years and years of multiple screens, I am liking the focus of just being on one. as long as it's crisp and clear like the LG.
This fall, I expect the mac pros to be announced, and I bet with a new 6K or 7K display.
Might switch to that if I think it's worth the jump.
I also went to a Versa arm for the LG 5K which is the first time I have done that. Should have long ago. Having it higher adds to a more pleasant experience for me.
Ooh also got my first standing desk.
72" v2 C frame from https://www.upliftdesk.com
A little more pricey but at that larger size, not that much more considering the QUALITY of this thing, OMG. this is a keeper for decades.
SO happy with it, and I end up actually spending 90% of the time standing up. So maybe better for my health??
Get the foot pad. They gave me one for free with my desk.
72" v2 C frame from https://www.upliftdesk.com
A little more pricey but at that larger size, not that much more considering the QUALITY of this thing, OMG. this is a keeper for decades.
SO happy with it, and I end up actually spending 90% of the time standing up. So maybe better for my health??
Get the foot pad. They gave me one for free with my desk.
+1 2022-JUNE-28 MBP 14 with two displays. Apple Support doesn't help either. Ridiculous that the OS can't handle this as I never have this issue on Windows or Linux for that matter. From the looks of things not even a dock would help either. We shouldn't have to pay for 3rd party for this basic function.
I have the base Mac Studio. I have two LG 4k's connected via usb-c/thunderbolt. I try to connect my LG 4k TV via HDMI to use as an output monitor for FCP. In FCP, with the tv plugged in, the FCP browser window goes to the tv instead of the LG monitor to the left of the main monitor. The only way to avoid that is to unplug the tv, set the browser window to the left LG, and then plug in the tv. Not to mention one or both LG monitors not waking up when the mouse or keyboard is moved. I had the same problem with the M1 Mini.
I found a solution using this application - Displayplacer: https://github.com/jakehilborn/displayplacer
Activate the script with Shortcuts from the menu or hotkey.
I am using a Macbook Pro M1 Max 32GB and three Samsung G5 displays.
Activate the script with Shortcuts from the menu or hotkey.
I am using a Macbook Pro M1 Max 32GB and three Samsung G5 displays.
I WON! (paying)
Hello everybody and sorry for my english, I'll try to explain myself as clear as I can...
I've a Mac Studio and after few week of stress and trials seems that I finally found a solution for my configuration.
I use 4 displays: 1 Samsung 4kTV and 3 identical HP displays. Since last Saturday everything is working, displays now stays where I put them! How I made it? I spent some money on cables and I'm very disappointed in that, after buying a 3000euro computer!!!
At the beginning I bought 3 identical adapters from TB3 to HDMI:
So all 4 displays were connected using HDMI cables.
Back then displays were swapping and a very expensive NVME hdd, connected via USB4, gave me a lot of pain.
In order to make the disk work I had to unplug one or two displays randomly before turning on the Mac, then I could plug them back in. Seemed to me that the Mac had issues managing all the 4 TB3 ports simultaneously, maybe something power related.
I ended connecting the TV and two displays via TB3 ports and the third display via the onboard HDMI of the Mac.
That because with this configuration the TV(always) and the HDMI connected display(9 times on 10) stayed in place.
Then a colleague of mine bought the same identical machine and uses it with 3 different display models having no problem at all. So I went to his studio to test my disk on his machine bringing with me a fourth display and my adapters to replicate my setup and test the disk. I tried different configurations mixing his cables and my adapters and the outcome was that with two of his cables and one of my adapters the disk worked perfectly and the 4 different displays stayed always correctly placed.
His cables were TB3 ho HDMI, bought at the R-store so Apple certified.
So I decided to solve at least the disk issue and I bought two of this cables.
Thinking about the fact that the TV and the HDMI connected display were working finely and just the other two HP were still swapping become clear to me that I had to find a way to force the Mac to distinguish between the three identical displays.
Initially I thought about buying a powered TB3 Dock but the prices started from 300 euros so I refuse to spend all that money to solve a stupid Apple problem.
Then I realised that my displays have HDMI as well as DisplayPort connections.
I immediately bought a DP cable:
This cable need to be powered, so I had to but a USB-C power cable too.
Guys that worked!!
In the end my connection are:
TV via TB3 to HDMI cable
1st HP via TB3 to HDMI cable
2nd HP via TB3 to DP cable
3rd HP via onboard HDMI with a simple HDMI cable.
Everything works perfectly, now the machine can distinguish between the identical displays!!
The solution is, if you can, to use different type of connection for every identical display.
Hope to be helpful for someone at least.
Good luck!
Hello everybody and sorry for my english, I'll try to explain myself as clear as I can...
I've a Mac Studio and after few week of stress and trials seems that I finally found a solution for my configuration.
I use 4 displays: 1 Samsung 4kTV and 3 identical HP displays. Since last Saturday everything is working, displays now stays where I put them! How I made it? I spent some money on cables and I'm very disappointed in that, after buying a 3000euro computer!!!
At the beginning I bought 3 identical adapters from TB3 to HDMI:
uni Adattatore da USB Tipo C/Thunderbolt 3 a HDMI 4K (Luce LED, Alluminio, Nylon), Compatibile con Mac Studio, MacBook Pro/Air, iPad Pro/Air 5, Galaxy, Surface, XPS ecc.
uni Adattatore da USB Tipo C/Thunderbolt 3 a HDMI 4K (Luce LED, Alluminio, Nylon), Compatibile con Mac Studio, MacBook Pro/Air, iPad Pro/Air 5, Galaxy, Surface, XPS ecc.
www.amazon.it
Back then displays were swapping and a very expensive NVME hdd, connected via USB4, gave me a lot of pain.
In order to make the disk work I had to unplug one or two displays randomly before turning on the Mac, then I could plug them back in. Seemed to me that the Mac had issues managing all the 4 TB3 ports simultaneously, maybe something power related.
I ended connecting the TV and two displays via TB3 ports and the third display via the onboard HDMI of the Mac.
That because with this configuration the TV(always) and the HDMI connected display(9 times on 10) stayed in place.
Then a colleague of mine bought the same identical machine and uses it with 3 different display models having no problem at all. So I went to his studio to test my disk on his machine bringing with me a fourth display and my adapters to replicate my setup and test the disk. I tried different configurations mixing his cables and my adapters and the outcome was that with two of his cables and one of my adapters the disk worked perfectly and the 4 different displays stayed always correctly placed.
His cables were TB3 ho HDMI, bought at the R-store so Apple certified.
Cygnett CY3305HDMIC cavo e adattatore video 1,8 m USB tipo-C HDMI Nero
Cygnett CY3305HDMIC cavo e adattatore video 1,8 m USB tipo-C HDMI Nero
www.amazon.it
So I decided to solve at least the disk issue and I bought two of this cables.
Thinking about the fact that the TV and the HDMI connected display were working finely and just the other two HP were still swapping become clear to me that I had to find a way to force the Mac to distinguish between the three identical displays.
Initially I thought about buying a powered TB3 Dock but the prices started from 300 euros so I refuse to spend all that money to solve a stupid Apple problem.
Then I realised that my displays have HDMI as well as DisplayPort connections.
I immediately bought a DP cable:
CABLEDECONN Cavo da USB C a DisplayPort 1.4 8K con USB-C PD Convertitore da 8K@60Hz 4K@144Hz Convertitore da Thunderbolt 3 a DisplayPort Compatibile con il Nuovo Mac Book Pro 2019 2020 2M
CABLEDECONN Cavo da USB C a DisplayPort 1.4 8K con USB-C PD Convertitore da 8K@60Hz 4K@144Hz Convertitore da Thunderbolt 3 a DisplayPort Compatibile con il Nuovo Mac Book Pro 2019 2020 2M
www.amazon.it
Guys that worked!!
In the end my connection are:
TV via TB3 to HDMI cable
1st HP via TB3 to HDMI cable
2nd HP via TB3 to DP cable
3rd HP via onboard HDMI with a simple HDMI cable.
Everything works perfectly, now the machine can distinguish between the identical displays!!
The solution is, if you can, to use different type of connection for every identical display.
Hope to be helpful for someone at least.
Good luck!
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Like many others, I registered an account just to follow this thread.
I have the exact same problem with my 16' M1 Max Macbook Pro with triple external monitors (2 of them are same size and model).
Never had this issue with previous Intel Macbook Pro and iMac 27', only happing with M1 Macs (had a 14' Macbook Pro before changing to the 16' and had the exact same problem).
I'm surprised after so long since the problem was reported, Apple hasn't fixed this issue yet...
Will try to use different input methods for these 2 monitors for now, really hope an official fix will come from Apple soon.
I have the exact same problem with my 16' M1 Max Macbook Pro with triple external monitors (2 of them are same size and model).
Never had this issue with previous Intel Macbook Pro and iMac 27', only happing with M1 Macs (had a 14' Macbook Pro before changing to the 16' and had the exact same problem).
I'm surprised after so long since the problem was reported, Apple hasn't fixed this issue yet...
Will try to use different input methods for these 2 monitors for now, really hope an official fix will come from Apple soon.