new m4 mini problem with dual monitors

[nothyng]

Hello,

Just got a new Mac mini m4 and Im having issues with the resolution on dual monitors (BenQ 4K).

I don't know why but if I change the resolution of my main monitor it does not affect the second monitor. And If I go to the second monitor and change the resolution it just affects the main monitor.

Both are connected through USB-C.

Any idea how to fix this?

 

[splifingate]

Give a look to System Setting > Displays > Arrange...

You'll get:

"Arrange Displays" screen.

Click-hold on the display icons in that modal, and each will edge-highlight (in red, iirc) to let you know which Display is which.

Sounds like your physical placement is opposite the internal 'arrangement'.

The whole which-display-is-which thing may seem a bit awkward, but it's actually quite intuitive.

 

[nothyng]

Give a look to System Setting > Displays > Arrange...

You'll get:

"Arrange Displays" screen.

Click-hold on the display icons in that modal, and each will edge-highlight (in red, iirc) to let you know which Display is which.

Sounds like your physical placement is opposite the internal 'arrangement'.

The whole which-display-is-which thing may seem a bit awkward, but it's actually quite intuitive.

They are arranged correctly. But I did noticed that when I select the "Main" and "Extended" monitors in the resolution settings settings the wrong monitor is selected....

I also tried other USB-C ports and nothing.

I have also tried connecting one monitor at a time and settings the resolution, but it did not work.

I still have the same issue described.

 

[Bigwaff]

Might be related to long standing issue with macOS and multiple displays of the same brand, make, and model. Seems manufacturers sometimes do not assign displays with unique firmware identifiers during manufacturing so macOS gets confused about which display is which. Software solution like BetterDisplay can be used to address this.

GitHub - waydabber/BetterDisplay: Unlock your displays on your Mac! Flexible HiDPI scaling, XDR/HDR extra brightness, virtual screens, DDC control, extra dimming, PIP/streaming, EDID override and lots more!

Unlock your displays on your Mac! Flexible HiDPI scaling, XDR/HDR extra brightness, virtual screens, DDC control, extra dimming, PIP/streaming, EDID override and lots more! - waydabber/BetterDisplay

github.com

 

[nothyng]

Might be related to long standing issue with macOS and multiple displays of the same brand, make, and model. Seems manufacturers sometimes do not assign displays with unique firmware identifiers during manufacturing so macOS gets confused about which display is which. Software solution like BetterDisplay can be used to address this.

GitHub - waydabber/BetterDisplay: Unlock your displays on your Mac! Flexible HiDPI scaling, XDR/HDR extra brightness, virtual screens, DDC control, extra dimming, PIP/streaming, EDID override and lots more!

Unlock your displays on your Mac! Flexible HiDPI scaling, XDR/HDR extra brightness, virtual screens, DDC control, extra dimming, PIP/streaming, EDID override and lots more! - waydabber/BetterDisplay

github.com

I had the two monitors connected to a sonnet echo 11 on a macbook air m3 and they did work correctly.

Im thinking of trying and connect one monitor to hdmi and another to usb-c and even try and use the sonnet echo.

 

[Bigwaff]

I had the two monitors connected to a sonnet echo 11 on a macbook air m3 and they did work correctly.

Dunno… perhaps macOS had guessed right which was which. Do you see this behavior changing, or desktops swapping, between displays after sleep or restart?

 

[raythompsontn]

Unplug one monitor and restart the Mini. While it is running connect the second monitor. Perhaps MacOS will then figure out which monitor is which.

 

[nothyng]

Dunno… perhaps macOS had guessed right which was which. Do you see this behavior changing, or desktops swapping, between displays after sleep or restart?

Nothing strange happens other than the resolution issue.

 

[nothyng]

Unplug one monitor and restart the Mini. While it is running connect the second monitor. Perhaps MacOS will then figure out which monitor is which.

Just tried this and also plugin the echo 11 and plugging the monitors through this device and also get the same problem. So its definitely the mac mini issue.

Only thing I haven't tried is plugging a monitor through the HDMI connector. I need to get a cable and see.

 

[raythompsontn]

So its definitely the mac mini issue.

Bummer.

If an Apple Store is close, take the monitors and the Mini to the store and show Apple the issue. Yeh, a real pain in the posterior. But they may have a solution and if not, at least report the issue.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP wrote:
"Im thinking of trying and connect one monitor to hdmi and another to usb-c and even try and use the sonnet echo."

I'd try hooking one display up via HDMI first.
That [alone] may solve the problem.

Get a GOOD HDMI cable.
I'd look for both "8k" and "high speed" in the specifications.

 

[splifingate]

They are arranged correctly. But I did noticed that when I select the "Main" and "Extended" monitors in the resolution settings settings the wrong monitor is selected....

I also tried other USB-C ports and nothing.

I have also tried connecting one monitor at a time and settings the resolution, but it did not work.

I still have the same issue described.

I've been using the same, similar displays for many years; and, I have had similar problems, of which you speak.

Something related, maybe, to what Bigwaff said . . . I always choose co-lateral Mfg'd displays for my use, and it seems plausible that Mac OS finds difficulty discerning between near-same hardware. I remember such difficulty when my MP 5.1 was my main Unit.

In the reverse, I have had absolutely no problem with the {same (Dell P2715's)} display positioning on my M2 Studio 🤷‍♂️

 

[nothyng]

The HDMI cable did not solve the problem....

 

[nothyng]

Well I called apple and they helped me out.

It was very dumb.

In the display settings you see 2 actual monitors. To change the settings I had to click on the on the different monitors.

What I was doing was selecting the USE as section to change monitors.

Dam Im old and dumb.....