MacOS Ventura, 16 MBP and external displays

[harshw]

The Apple Silicon MBP was already worse than the Intel Macs for operating in Clamshell mode - but the latest OS makes things much much worse. I have a 2021 16" MBP

I used to be able to put the MBP into clamshell mode and connect it to 2 external displays via a TB3 dock. It didn't matter which dock I used, they all had the same behavior

The displays would not switch on when the machine was woken from sleep by an external keyboard or mouse. In contrast my 2018 Intel MBP would wake without any problems. One of the monitors was connected via TB3 and the other via DP but again it didn't matter - the 2021 MBP just wouldn't wake up the displays

The only reliable way was to disconnect the TB3 cable and re-connect it. This worked every time with the 2021 MBP under MacOS 12

Under MacOS 13 - nothing works. Mashing the keyboard and mouse for minutes - does nothing. I hear the chime that indicates the Mac is awake and charging but no display. If I disconnect and reconnect the TB3 cable - nothing. The displays still don't wake up. And 2 times out of 10 the machine will get a kernel panic with a 'security violation'

Have folks seen this behavior? Did anything help? Considering ditching the MBP and getting a Mac Studio but I am afraid it might do the same thing :-(

UPDATE: tried to set Accessories to connect 'always' without prompting and even this setting does not work

 

[uller6]

I also noticed this behavior with my 14” M1 Pro in Ventura. I need to open the laptop then close it again to wake up the external screen if I plug it in while closed. I think it’s a bug and hopefully gets fixed soon.

 

[harshw]

I also noticed this behavior with my 14” M1 Pro in Ventura. I need to open the laptop then close it again to wake up the external screen if I plug it in while closed. I think it’s a bug and hopefully gets fixed soon.

I just filed a bug report via feedback assistant. You should do the same. The more we raise awareness the better the chances of this getting fixed.

 

[James Bond 007]

I also noticed this behavior with my 16” M1 Pro in Ventura only for the first time in clamshell mode. I had to open the laptop and accepted the external screen warning message on the laptop, since then the laptop can be woken and displayed on external screen by magic keyboard/mouse in clamshell mode without problem.

 

[harshw]

I also noticed this behavior with my 16” M1 Pro in Ventura only for the first time in clamshell mode. I had to open the laptop and accepted the external screen warning message on the laptop, since then the laptop can be woken and displayed on external screen by magic keyboard/mouse in clamshell mode without problem.

Mate I have been trying for a day now and have not seen any such 'warning' screen. Ventura just made the laptop useless for my use case and I might just roll back to MacOS 12 from a TM backup.

Do you have Thunderbolt connected displays? ie are the displays connected via a Thunderbolt 3/4 dock?

 

[harshw]

What I have tried so far

- power off and on the TB3 dock
- use different TB3 docks (CalDigit / OWC / Kensington)
- Kill WindowServer process
- Logout and Login back again

All yield the same result - once the laptop goes to sleep and wakes up, it refuses to recognize any external connected displays

 

[tmoerel]

Just a simple question. Why use multiple screens and put the macbook in clamshell mode. Would you not rather have one more screen??

 

[harshw]

Just a simple question. Why use multiple screens and put the macbook in clamshell mode. Would you not rather have one more screen??

It doesn’t matter if the laptop is in clamshell mode or not. It doesn’t detect external monitors after it’s woken up from sleep

To answer your question on the external monitors - I have two LG 4K monitors arranged side by side on my desk and a TB3 dock that connects various peripherals. Using the Mac display would mean I would need to put the display at eye level and hence the laptop needs to be mounted properly. Far better to have only external screens with the same resolution so that it’s easier to work

 

[tmoerel]

It doesn’t matter if the laptop is in clamshell mode or not. It doesn’t detect external monitors after it’s woken up from sleep

To answer your question on the external monitors - I have two LG 4K monitors arranged side by side on my desk and a TB3 dock that connects various peripherals. Using the Mac display would mean I would need to put the display at eye level and hence the laptop needs to be mounted properly. Far better to have only external screens with the same resolution so that it’s easier to work

That is strange. I have two LG screens (4k and 5k2) each connected to a different TB4 (OWC) hub and they work well. The only thing I can see is that the 5k2 screen is a bit slower to start. They have worked through all beta versions and now work still OK in the release ones.

 

[harshw]

That is strange. I have two LG screens (4k and 5k2) each connected to a different TB4 (OWC) hub and they work well. The only thing I can see is that the 5k2 screen is a bit slower to start. They have worked through all beta versions and now work still OK in the release ones.

What MBP do you have ? 2021? And how are the screens connected to the hub? TB3 cable? TB3 to DP/HDMI?

 

[tmoerel]

What MBP do you have ? 2021? And how are the screens connected to the hub? TB3 cable? TB3 to DP/HDMI?

2021 MBP M1 16". Both hubs connected via TB4 cable. Both screens connected via the TB3 cables that came with them. No DP/HDMI!

 

[Pressure]

Have you tried to replicate it while logging in to a Guest Account?

 

[harshw]

Have you tried to replicate it while logging in to a Guest Account?

Just created another account and tried - same behavior.

I also tried setting 'Allow Accessories to Connect' to 'Always Ask' - when I wake the MBP from sleep with the lid open and connect to a TB3 dock - I can see the pop up that says 'allow this accessory to connect?' - confirming so does nothing, the displays do not switch on

 

[TightLines]

How about connecting via something other than thunderbolt 3/USB-C, such as HDMI or display port? Do you all have the same behavior?

 

[harshw]

How about connecting via something other than thunderbolt 3/USB-C, such as HDMI or display port? Do you all have the same behavior?

I could try that - but would take time as I switch between my work laptop and my personal laptop, thanks to the TB3 dock it only used to take disconnecting and reconnecting a single cable to switch over the hardwired ethernet and keyboard/mouse.

Now will need to set up another pair of monitors over the weekend to try that for the personal laptop - this is becoming a serious PITA ...


UPDATE: Just tried connecting one of the monitors directly via USB-C to DisplayPort and it doesn't work. WTH Apple ???

Of course it works when you reboot the laptop - until the next wake from sleep

 

[harshw]

I have it working by setting 'Allow accessories to connect' to 'Always' in the Security preferences pane

But this is supposed to be a bad security risk - oh well, I am not going to connect any unknown devices anytime soon - let's just hope Apple fixes the problem soon

Spoke too soon - still doesn't work even with that setting turned to 'Always'. The moment the laptop goes into really deep sleep - it will NOT connect to external displays after waking up

 

[daveedjackson]

I feel like I'm loosing my mind. Mac Pro going in for repair, so using my Pro Display XDR plugged in to my M1 MBP (2021) When I first plugged it in, worked like dream, closed the lid and the external screen stayed on, switched res and worked. For some reason the resolutions are so limited on the Pro Display that I use (on the Mac Pro) switch res. So installed it, and as soon as I did everything broke I've removed it, reset the settings removed the preference entries in Library, and can I get the screen to stay on in clamshell more - not at all. What am I doing wrong. They have made Ventura so annoying by these changes to make it more iOS like that it's a nightmare for usability on a proper system.

The only way I can get the screen to work in clamshell mode is to have it it set up as mirror the MBP. Which it wasn't to begin with. Anyone help?
Thanks muchly.

 

[MrGunny94]

Yeah this has been happening a couple of times to me with my 14" MBP M1 Pro. Usually gotta take the TB4 cable out and in once again directly from the Mac...

 

[pshufd]

Just a simple question. Why use multiple screens and put the macbook in clamshell mode. Would you not rather have one more screen??

Some people have the same external monitors and like the resolution and distance and a smaller screen may require the eyes to adapt to a different resolution density.

 

[pshufd]

I had all of the display issues back in early Monterey and my solution was to use a Mac mini for desktop which I later upgraded to a Mac Studio. I just use the MacBook Pro in other parts of the house or when I'm on the road. It makes life a lot easier for me.

 

[Yebubbleman]

I have never had a good experience with a Thunderbolt 3 dock on any Thunderbolt 3 equipped computer (be it a PC, Intel Mac, or Apple Silicon Mac). It's possible that the OWC ones are as good as they look, but I haven't tried them. I have, however, had really good experience with USB-C docking stations (which are functionally identical save for providing Thunderbolt 3 ports, let alone pass-thru support via Thunderbolt 3). If all you are trying to do is get more ports, try one of those instead! The Dell ones are pretty good; you just need a PC running Dell Command Update in order to update the firmware on them. But that's the only caveat!

 

[stormbeast]

Is this after you’ve logged in with your fingerprint/password? My extended HDMI doesn’t turn on until I’ve logged in.

 

[PauloSera]

I get wildly inconsistent behavior with this. Sometimes it works fine and I can plug in the MBP, and everything will light up and work. Then recently I rearranged my desk which meant disconnecting the hub and displays and setting everything back up, and now its back to inconsistent...I plug in the MBP, and none of the displays work until I unplug the displays themselves.

 

[stormbeast]

Is this after you’ve logged in with your fingerprint/password? My extended HDMI doesn’t turn on until I’ve logged in.

Actually, my extended HDMI (TV) turns on when I open my MacBook Pro’s lid, before putting in my fingerprint