Questions & Answers for Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter
Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter
151 Questions + 247 Answers
151 Questions from the Community
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I have a thunderbolt display and I want to connect it to the new MacBook Pro with USB - C. Is this the correct adapter?
I ask this question because my thunderbolt display has a power and thunderbolt 2 adapter in one. What do I do with the Power adapter?
- Asked by Martin Peter V
- 28-Oct-2016
- Flag as inappropriate (I have a thunderbolt display and I want to connect it to the new MacBook Pro with USB - C. Is this the correct adapter?)
AnswerYes you can. You'll leave the power connector unconnected, since it cannot be used to power the new MacBook Pro.
Read Apple support document HT207266 "Connect devices and displays with the Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter".- Answered by Joseph V from Fort Langley
- 17-Mar-2017
- Flag as inappropriate Answer (I have a thunderbolt display and I want to connect it to the new MacBook Pro with USB - C. Is this the correct adapter?)
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Can MacBook Pro (2016) models be charged from a 3rd party Thunderbolt 2 monitor (like the LG 34UC98-W) through this?
Does the design of this adapter allow power to come back from a Thunderbolt 2 device if that device supports sending power? Or does the adapter itself make that impossible.
Thanks,
Colin- Asked by Colin F from Toronto
- 18-Nov-2016
- Flag as inappropriate (Can MacBook Pro (2016) models be charged from a 3rd party Thunderbolt 2 monitor (like the LG 34UC98-W) through this?)
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Answer
The Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter is only for Thunderbolt devices.
You need a USB-C to mini DisplayPort adapter or a USB-C to DisplayPort cable and a DisplayPort to mini DisplayPort adapter.- Answered by Joseph V from Fort Langley
- 16-Mar-2017
- Flag as inappropriate Answer (will this work with my 6 year old mac monitor with a mini display port)
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Answer
They look exactly the same. Thunderbolt 3 has all the features of USB-C and more.
Thunderbolt 3 allows PCIe signals. The 2016 15" MacBook Pro has 4 Thunderbolt 3 ports, which is like having four PCIe 3.0 x4 slots. In comparison, the 2012 Mac Pro had four PCIe 2.0 slots: x16, x16, x4, x4.
Thunderbolt 3 also allows Thunderbolt displays, which is different than DisplayPort displays.
The Thunderbolt 3 ports also allow USB (10 Gbps), DisplayPort 1.2, and HDMI 1.4 signals, like the USB-C ports do.
Some USB-C ports that are not Thunderbolt 3 might have slower USB (5 Gbps) and/or no DisplayPort/HDMI.- Answered by Joseph V from Fort Langley
- 19-Dec-2016
- Flag as inappropriate Answer (What’s the difference between Thunderbolt 3 & USB-C port? Do they look exactly the same, exchangeable?)
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Answer
Yes, sort of. You need a USB-C to USB-A cable, and then you can provide a very low voltage to the laptop like it would to an iPhone or iPad. in my tests it only works when the laptop is asleep, but if you leave it overnight, it will be fully charged when you wake up
- Answered by Valerio A from New York City
- 13-Feb-2017
- Flag as inappropriate Answer (Can the new (2016) macbook pro models be charged from an Apple thunderbolt monitor?)
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Will this work with a monitor (e.g. Dell P2715Q 4K Monitor) that has a Mini Display Port?
mDP is the same connector as TB2 and you could drive mDP displays from TB2
- Asked by Steven R from Warriewood
- 28-Oct-2016
- Flag as inappropriate (Will this work with a monitor (e.g. Dell P2715Q 4K Monitor) that has a Mini Display Port?)
AnswerThe Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter is only for Thunderbolt devices. It will not pass DisplayPort signals.
You need a USB-C to DisplayPort cable.- Answered by Joseph V from Fort Langley
- 16-Mar-2017
- Flag as inappropriate Answer (Will this work with a monitor (e.g. Dell P2715Q 4K Monitor) that has a Mini Display Port?)
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Is this required to connect an existing Thunderbolt display to the new MacBook Pro? Does it pass the USB and ethernet data to and from the display?
- Asked by Joseph B from Mayhill
- 28-Oct-2016
- Flag as inappropriate (Is this required to connect an existing Thunderbolt display to the new MacBook Pro? Does it pass the USB and ethernet data to and from the display?)
AnswerYes it is required, and yes it will enable the use of the display, audio, camera, microphone, USB ports, and ethernet port.
- Answered by Thomas N from Aurora
- 29-Oct-2016
- Flag as inappropriate Answer (Is this required to connect an existing Thunderbolt display to the new MacBook Pro? Does it pass the USB and ethernet data to and from the display?)
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Answer
It will connect, but not charge
- Answered by Eduardo M from Torreon
- 01-Nov-2016
- Flag as inappropriate Answer (Will I be able to not only connect but also CHARGE my new MacBook Pro with the (now "obsolete") Apple Thunderbolt Display using this adapter?)
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Answer
The Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter is only for Thunderbolt devices.
The MacBook Pro has Thunderbolt but the MacBook does not.
Also, the Thunderbolt adapter does not pass DisplayPort signals. The Apple Cinema Display is a DisplayPort monitor (mini DisplayPort), so you need a USB-C to mini DisplayPort adapter (and a mini DisplayPort cable if the mini DisplayPort connector is female). Or you could use a USB-C to DisplayPort adapter and a DisplayPort to mini DisplayPort cable.- Answered by Joseph V from Fort Langley
- 16-Mar-2017
- Flag as inappropriate Answer (Can this adapter be used on my MacBook with USB-C?nullSpecifically, can it be used to connect my MacBook to my Apple Cinema Display?)
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Is it working with a dell xps with thunderbolt 3 ?
- Asked by Aggelidis N
- 08-Jun-2017
- Flag as inappropriate (Is it working with a dell xps with thunderbolt 3 ?)
AnswerI used this with my Razer Blade 2017 on the Thunderbolt 3 port and it worked straight away.
- Answered by Richard S
- 16-Jun-2017
- Flag as inappropriate Answer (Is it working with a dell xps with thunderbolt 3 ?)
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Is it possible to use THUNDERBOLT 2 cable with this adapter to act as thunderbolt 3 extender?
The TB2 extender is a 30M fiber. The better is possible to use the exiting corning thunderbolt optical cable for thunderbolt 3. Thanks.
- Asked by Yan M from Brooklyn
- 01-Dec-2016
- Flag as inappropriate (Is it possible to use THUNDERBOLT 2 cable with this adapter to act as thunderbolt 3 extender?)
AnswerProbably, but Thunderbolt 3 devices on the other end will be limited to Thunderbolt 2 speeds.
- Answered by Joseph V from Fort Langley
- 08-Jun-2017
- Flag as inappropriate Answer (Is it possible to use THUNDERBOLT 2 cable with this adapter to act as thunderbolt 3 extender?)
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Answer
No, the Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter does not pass power to charge the MacBook Pro.
You will need to use the charger cable.
Read Apple support document HT207266 "Connect devices and displays with the Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter".- Answered by Joseph V from Fort Langley
- 17-Mar-2017
- Flag as inappropriate Answer (Will this allow a pre-2016 Thunderbolt Display to charge a 2016 rMBP? Or is an additional charger cable necessary?)
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The Mac Pro w/Thunderbolt 2 does not natively support new USB-C monitors like the LG 38UC99-W 38". Will this adapt work seamlessly w/Sound & USB?
Currently on a MacPro, you'd have to use Display Port to connect to the latest gen USB-C monitors (such as the LG 38UC99-W 38"), thus it would work, but you wouldn't get one cable with video, sound & USB. Other than speed of data transfers (which is not really a concern for a monitor), what Thunderbolt 3 features do you lose?
- Asked by Michael J M from Houston
- 28-Oct-2016
- Flag as inappropriate (The Mac Pro w/Thunderbolt 2 does not natively support new USB-C monitors like the LG 38UC99-W 38". Will this adapt work seamlessly w/Sound & USB?)
AnswerThe Apple Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter is for Thunderbolt 3 devices, not USB-C, so it is not useable with this monitor.
You're not losing any Thunderbolt 3 features because the monitor is not Thunderbolt 3.
If you don't have a computer with a USB-C port, then you can still get all the features of the 38UC99-W monitor (except Power Delivery) using two cables: DisplayPort for Video and Audio and USB-C for USB data. I believe the monitor is limited to USB 3.0 SuperSpeed rates (5 Gbps) in any case (though it seems to me that using the DisplayPort connector would allow more bandwidth for USB if there was a resolution/refresh rate that required more than two lanes of DisplayPort signal).- Answered by Joseph V from Fort Langley
- 19-Dec-2016
- Flag as inappropriate Answer (The Mac Pro w/Thunderbolt 2 does not natively support new USB-C monitors like the LG 38UC99-W 38". Will this adapt work seamlessly w/Sound & USB?)
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Does this work with the 27" Apple Thunderbolt display? And all functions work? (camera, speakers, brightness control, USB, etc).
And does it work with the 12" Macbook as well, to connect to and Apple Thunderbolt display?
- Asked by Michael C from Seattle
- 27-Oct-2016
- Flag as inappropriate (Does this work with the 27" Apple Thunderbolt display? And all functions work? (camera, speakers, brightness control, USB, etc).)
AnswerSee the Apple support document HT207266 "Connect devices and displays with the Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter".
You can connect Thunderbolt devices. The 12" MacBook does not have Thunderbolt.- Answered by Joseph V from Fort Langley
- 19-Dec-2016
- Flag as inappropriate Answer (Does this work with the 27" Apple Thunderbolt display? And all functions work? (camera, speakers, brightness control, USB, etc).)
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Will this also deliver power from an Apple thunderbolt display?
...and would that be sufficient to charge the MBP?
- Asked by Ben D
- 28-Oct-2016
- Flag as inappropriate (Will this also deliver power from an Apple thunderbolt display?)
AnswerNo, the Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter does not pass power to charge the MacBook Pro.
Read Apple support document HT207266 "Connect devices and displays with the Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter".- Answered by Joseph V from Fort Langley
- 17-Mar-2017
- Flag as inappropriate Answer (Will this also deliver power from an Apple thunderbolt display?)
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If you use the this usb c to thunder bolt adapter to connect the new mac book pro to the thunderbolt port on a 2011 imac will it charge the MacBookpro
- Asked by Johnathan K from Pittsview
- 28-Oct-2016
- Flag as inappropriate (If you use the this usb c to thunder bolt adapter to connect the new mac book pro to the thunderbolt port on a 2011 imac will it charge the MacBookpro)
AnswerI have never tried but I can say with pretty much 100% certainty that is a no, the MacBook Pros use a 61w/87w power brick to charge them, the thunderbolt port on your iMac won't send out anything near that kind of wattage, plus it's simply not made to do that, and this adapter is not made to receive a charge from something either, it's made to send data and power out of it
- Answered by Michael D from Kissimmee
- 01-Nov-2016
- Flag as inappropriate Answer (If you use the this usb c to thunder bolt adapter to connect the new mac book pro to the thunderbolt port on a 2011 imac will it charge the MacBookpro)
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I need to connect my new mac book pro (purchased in 2016) directly to ethernet. Do I use the Thunderbolt 3 USB C adapter to do that?
- Asked by Judy R from Vinton
- 22-Mar-2017
- Flag as inappropriate (I need to connect my new mac book pro (purchased in 2016) directly to ethernet. Do I use the Thunderbolt 3 USB C adapter to do that?)
AnswerFour options:
1) Belkin USB-C to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter (cheapest, most portable)
2) Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter and a Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter
3) A Thunderbolt 3 dock (available soon?) (many more ports, less portable)
4) Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter and a Thunderbolt 2 dock
I don't know if you'll notice a difference between having the Ethernet come through USB or Thunderbolt.- Answered by Joseph V from Fort Langley
- 23-Mar-2017
- Flag as inappropriate Answer (I need to connect my new mac book pro (purchased in 2016) directly to ethernet. Do I use the Thunderbolt 3 USB C adapter to do that?)
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Does the "Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter" work together with the "Apple Thunderbolt to FireWire Adapter"?
I want to connect a multichannel (firewire-only) audio interface "RME Fireface 800" to the new mac book.
AnswerYes.
Apple has a support document entitled "About the compatibility of the Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter" detailing it (I'm not allowed to post the link here).