Using iMac as display for PC

[Titus]

Apple's support is no longer great! I've been on hold to get this question answered and I've been pushed up to the third level.

I bought a new iMac 21.5 inch in 2015. I later found out it was manufactured in 2013.

Anyway, my simple question is can I use this iMac as a display for my PC and how do I do it?

I had a new PC built this year and it is powerful and full of features I need but I still use my iMac for photography and to coordinate all my Apple devices.

Thank you for any help.

 

[Brookzy]

Have you seen this article?

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT204592
[doublepost=1473011097][/doublepost]To save you some reading - Thunderbolt-era iMacs (2011 and later) can only display the output of another Thunderbolt-equipped Mac. Sorry, but it doesn't appear that you will be able to display your PC's content on you Mac.

 

[Alx9876]

Yes it can. I also repurposed my 2010 27 inch (1440p) iMac as a monitor for my PC I just built. It plugs in via Display port and press command + F2 together to switch from iMac to PC. It's really nice and works well. I wanted to buy another iMac however it was not worth it.

Apple needs to update their iMac lines to 32 inch size. That feels like an upgrade after 6 years. I love my outdated 27 inch iMac and the display is really nice. I'll probably get a separate monitor in the future. But for now I have the internals I want from a PC (GTX 980) plugged into an iMac.

"Target display mode" is the name of the feature the iMac has for external support.

 

[Brookzy]

Yes it can. I also repurposed my 2010 27 inch (1440p) iMac as a monitor for my PC I just built. It plugs in via Display port and press command + F2 together to switch from iMac to PC. It's really nice and works well. I wanted to buy another iMac however it was not worth it.

Apple needs to update their iMac lines to 32 inch size. That feels like an upgrade after 6 years. I love my outdated 27 inch iMac and the display is really nice. I'll probably get a separate monitor in the future. But for now I have the internals I want from a PC (GTX 980) plugged into an iMac.

"Target display mode" is the name of the feature the iMac has for external support.

The OP stated he has a 2013 iMac. It will only support Thunderbolt, not DisplayPort, connections.


Taken from the article I linked in the last post.

 

[Titus]

support said there was a way around it and they sent me a link that didn't even relate to it. I'm very frustrated.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

Apple's support is no longer great! I've been on hold to get this question answered and I've been pushed up to the third level.

I bought a new iMac 21.5 inch in 2015. I later found out it was manufactured in 2013.

Anyway, my simple question is can I use this iMac as a display for my PC and how do I do it?

I had a new PC built this year and it is powerful and full of features I need but I still use my iMac for photography and to coordinate all my Apple devices.

Thank you for any help.

According to this


https://www.tekrevue.com/tip/ins-outs-imacs-target-display-mode/

You will need a thunderbolt equipped PC and a thunderbolt cable.

 

[maflynn]

Apple's support is no longer great!

In defense of Apple, you're asking for something that is very much out of left field, i.e., not anywhere near a typical usage scenario or support call. The clear majority of people, AFAIK, use an iMac as a computer and not for a display for a PC. Throw into the mix you have a 2013 era iMac and that just complicates further.

 

[Brookzy]

In defense of Apple, you're asking for something that is very much out of left field, i.e., not anywhere near a typical usage scenario or support call. The clear majority of people, AFAIK, use an iMac as a computer and not for a display for a PC. Throw into the mix you have a 2013 era iMac and that just complicates further.

What's more, the answer is plainly "you can't do it" and the support person is clearly trying hard to find a workaround for you.