How to connect two monitors to a MacBook Air (M1, M2, M3, M4, M5)
It depends on the chip. The exact steps for each MacBook Air, and why a second screen sometimes stays black.
Step 1: find your chip
Open the Apple menu and choose About This Mac. The chip name (M1, M2, M3, M4 or M5) decides everything below. A dock or hub cannot raise the limit Apple sets for the chip.
M4 and M5 MacBook Air: plug in two monitors
Apple supports two external displays alongside the built-in screen on M4 and M5 MacBook Air models: up to 6K at 60Hz or 4K at 144Hz each. Connect each monitor to a Thunderbolt port, or use a Thunderbolt dock that carries both. Closing the lid does not add a third.
M3 MacBook Air: two monitors with the lid closed
Apple supports two external displays on the M3 Air only in clamshell mode: lid closed, Mac on power, external keyboard and mouse or trackpad connected, and macOS Sonoma 14.3 or later.
Connect the first display, close the lid, then connect the second. If you open the lid, the second external display turns off.
M1 and M2 MacBook Air: use a DisplayLink dock
Apple’s tech specs list one external display for the M1 (2020) and M2 (2022) MacBook Air. Plugging a second monitor into a normal hub will mirror the first or stay black.
A DisplayLink dock gets around this: a chip in the dock sends the extra screens over USB, and a free app on the Mac draws them. Install DisplayLink Manager, then allow it under System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen Recording. Without that permission the extra monitors stay blank.
The trade-offs: protected (HDCP) video such as streaming services will not play on DisplayLink screens, and there is slight latency, so it suits office work better than games.
Checklist
- Check the chip under Apple menu → About This Mac.
- M4/M5: connect two monitors directly or through a Thunderbolt dock.
- M3: close the lid, use power plus an external keyboard and mouse, then connect the second display.
- M1/M2: get a DisplayLink dock, install DisplayLink Manager and allow Screen Recording.