Tag Archives: MacBook Pro

fixed : how many 4K screens can my M1/M2/M3/M4 Mac handle simultaneously ?

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Question :
I have an M3 MacBook that I would like to use with 2 external 4K monitors for my work setup, so I bought an extra 4K monitor, but when I tried to connect it to my MacBook, it didn’t work… What is wrong ?

How many displays can I connect to my M3 MacBook simultaneously ?


Answer :
There are hardware limitations to how many additional screens you can connect to a Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4) Mac, and they are not the same for the basic M-version, the Pro-version and the Max-version. Actually, it’s quite confusing, because there’s also variation in what you can connect using either Thunderbolt or HDMI. Please find the number of external screens you can connect in the tables below [ warning ! the below may contain typos, do doublecheck on the official Apple website ] :

4K-resolutionover Thunderbolt onlyover Thunderbolt + HDMI
M1+1+1
M1 Pro+3+3
M1 Max+3+4
M2+1+1
M2 Pro+2+2
M2 Max+3+4
M3+2 (but only with lid closed)+2 (but only with lid closed)
M3 Pro+2+2
M3 Max+3+4
M4+2+2
M4 Pro+2+2
M4 Max+4+4
6K-resolutionover Thunderbolt onlyover Thunderbolt + HDMI
M1+1+1
M1 Pro+2+2
M1 Max+3+3
M2+1+1
M2 Pro+2+2 (but HDMI max. 4K)
M2 Max+3+4 (but HDMI max. 4K)
M3+2 (but 2nd max. 5K)+2 (but HDMI max. 4K)
M3 Pro+2+2 (but HDMI max. 4K)
M3 Max+3+4 (but HDMI max. 4K)
M4+2+2 (but HDMI max. 4K)
M4 Pro+2+2 (but HDMI max. 4K)
M4 Max+4 (daisy chaining needed)+4 (but HDMI max. 4K)
8K-resolutionover Thunderboltover Thunderbolt + HDMI
M1not possiblenot possible
M1 Pronot possiblenot possible
M1 Maxnot possiblenot possible
M2not possiblenot possible
M2 Pronot possible+1 (over HDMI only)
M2 Maxnot possible+1 (over HDMI only)
M3not possiblenot possible
M3 Pronot possible+1 (over HDMI only)
M3 Maxnot possible+1 (over HDMI only)
M4+1+1
M4 Pro+1+1
M4 Max+2+2

so… generally, all M1/M2/M3/M4 Macs can support at least one external 4K (or even 6K) screen, but if you want connect multiple external screens to your MacBook, you are probably goning to need a multi-monitor-hub, like the BenQ beCreatus DP1310 docking station.

The BenQ beCreatus DP1310 docking station will enable every silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4) MacBook to connect over USB-C to up to 3 external 4K screens (2 over HDMI and the 3rd over DP/DisplayPort).

The regular price of the DP1310 Dock is ca. €300, so check out below if you can get a better price on Amazon [we get a tiny fee if you buy anything using these links, but you will not be paying anything extra] :

BenQ beCreatus DP1310 dock on Amazon US
BenQ beCreatus DP1310 dock on Amazon UK
BenQ beCreatus DP1310 dock on Amazon DE

enjoy 😉

fixed : can’t connect old printer to new Mac using USB

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Question :

A friend gave me a rather old printer that was working great for him, and said that I could easily use it with my MacBook also, using a USB-cable. So I took a USB cable with an old (flat) USB-connector on the one side and an new (small) USB-connetor on the other side and plugged that into the printer and into my MacBook Air (or Pro) that only has those same new (small) USB-ports. The connection feels good, but when I try to print from my Mac, the printer is not recognised…

What is wrong ?


Answer :

From what you are describing, you are using the wrong port on the printer : you are using a ‘regular’ USB-A port, probably on the top, front or side of the printer… you should however use the ‘square’ USB-B printer port that is on the back of your printer.

See the difference between various USB connectors and ports in this image (an Adobe Stock image) :

The ports on your Mac are USB-C [ 2nd from the right ].
The port on the printer you were trying to use is USB-A [ 1st from the left ] (or USB 3.0 [ 3rd from the left ] which is the same in size and shape) – that usually is for plugging in a USB-stick to print documents directly from a USB-stick
The port on back of the printer – the one you should use – is USB-B [ 2nd from the left ].

If you don’t have a ‘printer cable’ (USB-A to USB-B) and a USB-C adapter piece (USB-C plug-on cap or cable for USB-A), you can buy them from any electronics store. Or you can buy a ‘modern printer cable’ (USB-B to USB-C).
Here are direct links to buy these from Amazon :

modern printer cable (USB-B to USB-C) from Amazon.com
modern printer cable (USB-B to USB-C) from Amazon.co.uk
modern printer cable (USB-B to USB-C) from Amazon.de

all-in-one modern & regular printer cable (USB-C/USB-A to USB-B) from Amazon.com
all-in-one modern & regular printer cable (USB-C/USB-A to USB-B) from Amazon.co.uk
all-in-one modern & regular printer cable (USB-C/USB-A to USB-B) from Amazon.de

to keep this website online MacManus.nl makes a tiny fee if you buy from these Amazon links

If you plug in the right cable from the back of your printer to your Mac, the printer will berecognised and you will be able to print.

That’s it !

enjoy 😉

fixed : iCloud syc error – Desktop files on Mac have ‘cloud exclamation mark’-icon

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Question :
I was trying to access some files I have created on my Mac from my iPad, but the files that are in folder XYZ on my Mac’s Desktop are different from the ones that I can see in that same Folder XYZ when I access it from the Files.app on my iPad. Some files in Folder XYZ are the same and some are not… closing/quitting the Files.app on my iPad and reopening it doesn’t help… And when I look on my Mac, the files that are invisible on my iPad turn out to have a ‘cloud with an exclamationmark’-icon next to them on my Mac… I’ve also checked on my iPhone, and there I get to see the exact same content of Folder XYZ as on my iPad, but not the ones that are on my Mac…

This appears to be an ICloud syncing problem, but how do I fix it ?

Answer :
Yes, this is a syncing problem that iCloud sometimes runs into…
since there is no forced sync or manual sync option, this is how to fix it :
1- make sure that your Mac, your iPad and your iPhone all run the newest version of their OS (macOS, iPadOS, iOS)
2- make sure that your Mac, your iPad and your iPhone are all connected to a stable internet connection (either over Wifi or Ethernet)
3- make sure that you are logged in on iCloud with exactly the same account on all devices (Mac, iPad, iPhone)
4- if all the above is in place, restart your Mac without remembering open windows (to increase you chances on fixing this iCloud syncing problem, restart your iPad and iPhone as well)
5- wait for your Mac to restart/reboot entirely before doing anything else on it
6- wait for iCloud to sync back and forth amoung your Mac, iPad and iPhone (depending on the amount of files you have in your iCloud folders and your internet speed this may take up to 10 minutes or even longer)

That’s it !
…in 99% of the cases, this simple solution will fix your iCloud syncing problem
enjoy 😉

fixed : screen and Touch Bar stay black when starting up MacBook Pro

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Question :
I was trying to start up my MacBook Pro this morning but when I did, nothing appeared on screen… the screen stayed black… even the Touch Bar above the keyboard stayed black… I think I could hear a distant startup chime sound, but that was all… no indication of any response to my start-up attempts…
I thought that the battery might be empty, so I plugged in the USB-C power cable (which unfortunately does not turn on any light that indicates it’s charging), but the result of my start-up attempts stayed the same : black screen, black Touch Bar and only a dim, distant start-up chime…
Is this some kind of hardware failure (broken screen) ? Or is this a software problem that I can fix myself ?

What can I do ?

Answer :
This is a software problem.
You can fix this by doing the following :
– simultaniously press this key combo on your MacBook Pro’s keyboard :
[CTRL] + [CMD] + [ON/OFF] for at least 5 seconds, then release

[CTRL] = the ‘Control’ key
[CMD] = the ‘Command’ key, the key with the stylized 4-leaf-clover, previously known as ‘Apple’ key
[ON/OFF] = the ‘Touch ID’ key on the far right of the Touch Bar that is used for starting up, shutting down, and Touch ID

…and now, your MacBook Pro should start-up as usual, starting with a white Apple logo appearing on your black screen…
if it still doesn’t work, use this slightly longer procedure :
– press the [ON/OFF] key for at least 10 seconds to shut down your MacBook Pro
– then press the [CTRL] + [CMD] + [ON/OFF] key combo for at least 5 seconds to start-up

…That’s it !
enjoy 😉




fixed : AppleID password not accepted on Apple website

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Question :

I am trying to make a reservation for a repair of my iPhone through the Apple website, and I can go through all the steps until I need to give my password to login with my Apple ID… it just won’t accept the correct password !

What is going on ? And How can I fix this ?

Answer :

Yes, it’s bizar that Apple isn’t clear why this doesn’t work the way you would expect it to…
But the solution is simple :

  • when you get the “Do you want to sign in to dims.apple.com with your AppleID?” window, click the blue “Continue with Password” button
  • then you will get the “Sign in with Apple” window… and then, DO NOT enter your AppleID password !! ; you need to enter the password you use to unlock your Mac !!

…there is some (weird Apple) logic behind this, but it is completely unclear why Apple made this so confusing… [ Apple is asking for your password to unlock your passwords keychain in Safari ; but you will only get that from the text “Continue to login on Safari for the user” AFTER you have figured out some other way what the solution is… ]

On the other hand… that’s it !

enjoy 😉

fixed : replace keyboard keys (keycaps) on MacBook Pro 2020

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Question :

I have a 2020 MacBook Pro and some of the keys on the keyboard are completely unreadable since sweaty and greasy fingers have ‘eaten’ away the black and white paint. The MacBook Pro is still working great, so is there any way to replace just the keys / keycaps and not the entire keyboard ?

Answer :

Yes there is !

And it is actually very simple, if you know how to do it.

First, you will need new keycaps. You can get them from a broken MacBook Pro 2020 of course, but you can also buy new ones ( note : if you are fine with just replacing the letter keycaps since the rest of the keys are still okay, you don’t have to worry about the keyboard layouts ( like QWERTY, AZERTY, QWERTZ ) of the keycaps you’re buying, but if you also need specific irregularly shaped or printed keycaps, you have to pay attention to the keyboard layout of the keycaps ) online at Amazon e.g. :

US keyboard keycaps for MacBook Pro 2020 (Amazon affiliate link)

US keyboard keycaps for MacBook Pro 2020 (Amazon.co.uk affiliate link)

DE keyboard keycaps for MacBook Pro 2020 (Amazon.de affiliate link) ; can be rearranged to QWERTY or AZERTY

To get a keycap off, do this :

  • slide your fingernail ( note : if you have artificial and/or weak fingernails, use a spudger-tool ) under the top right edge of the keycap
  • then slide your fingernail (of Uspudger-tool) to the top left edge of the keycap
  • the top of the keycap will now loosen
  • now, flip the keycap toward you and it will pop out

note : since you now have the keycap off, you now have the opportunity to clean out any debris (like dust, hairs and bread crumbs) from under the keycap – just make sure you don’t accidentally break the key’s mechanism

To place a new keycap back, do this :

  • hold the keycap in a slight angle compared to the keyboard
  • place the bottom of the keycap in place first
  • then, gently press the top the keycap back into place (you will hear/feel a soft click)
  • now, check if the keycap is in place as intended – if not, take the keycap off entirely (using the above instructions) and do a new attempt to place it properly

That’s it !

enjoy 😉

fixed : USB-C memorystick for iPad Pro

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Question :

I have an iPad Pro 2018 with a USB-C port, and I found out that I can connect a regular USB-stick using a USB-to-USB-C-adapter and then browse and use all files on the USB-stick from within the Folders.app on my iPad Pro. That’s great !

Now, since I only have USB-C ports on both my MacBook Pro and my iPad Pro,  I was wondering : are there any good USB-C memory sticks available for an affordable price ?

 

Answer :

The answer is simple : Yes, there are USB-C memorysticks that work great.

We have tested this one, that is both USB-C and USB compatible, that makes it even more versatile :

Topesel USB-C Memory Stick : buy it on Amazon UK / Amazon DE

And there are several alternatives (that we didn’t test) :

SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive Go USB-C : buy it on Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon DE

Verbatim Store&Go USB-C Flash Drive : buy it on Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon DE

Kenix on-the-go USB-C Memory Stick : buy it on Amazon UK / Amazon DE

Kootion USB-C Memory Stick : buy it on Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon DE

Meco Eleverde USB-C Memory Stick : buy it on Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon DE

Meco Eleverde 2-in-1 USB-C Memory Stick : buy it on Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon DE

enjoy 😉