How Many External Monitors Does Your MacBook Support? (M1–M6)

Your Mac’s chip sets a hard limit on external monitors. No dock can raise it. Find your chip under Apple menu → About This Mac, then check the table.

MacBook Air

Swipe the table sideways to see every column.

Chip	External displays	Conditions	Source
M1	1	One external display up to 6K 60Hz.	Apple
M2	1	One external display up to 6K 60Hz (13-inch 2022 spec).	Apple
M3	2 (lid closed)	Second display only with the lid closed, on power, with external keyboard and mouse; macOS Sonoma 14.3+.	Apple
M4	2	Two external displays with the built-in screen on. Closing the lid adds nothing.	Apple
M5	2	Two external displays with the built-in screen on.	Apple

Swipe the table sideways to see every column.

Chip	External displays	Conditions	Source
M3	2 (lid closed)	Two external displays with the lid closed (2023 or later models).	Apple
M2 Pro / M3 Pro	2	Depends on each display’s resolution and refresh rate.	Apple
M2 Max / M3 Max	4	Depends on each display’s resolution and refresh rate.	Apple
M4 / M4 Pro	2	In addition to the built-in display.	Apple
M4 Max	4	In addition to the built-in display.	Apple
M5	2	In addition to the built-in display.	Apple
M5 Pro	3	In addition to the built-in display.	Apple
M5 Max	4	In addition to the built-in display.	Apple
M6 (14-inch)	2	Two displays up to 6K 60Hz, or one up to 8K 60Hz (Apple tech specs; not yet in Apple’s display-limits article).	Apple

Apple does not list M1 Pro, M1 Max or base-M2 MacBook Pro figures on its current comparison page; check the tech specs for your exact model.

Can a MacBook Air M1 or M2 use two external monitors?

Not natively. Apple lists one external display for the M1 and M2 MacBook Air. A DisplayLink dock with its software driver is the usual workaround.

Why does my second monitor go black on my M3 MacBook Air?

Apple supports two external displays on the M3 Air only with the lid closed. Opening the lid turns the second external display off.

Will a dock let my Mac run more monitors?

No. Apple says hubs and daisy-chaining can carry two displays over one Thunderbolt port but do not raise the chip’s maximum.