Questions & Answers for Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter
Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter
126 Questions + 204 Answers
126 Questions from the Community
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Will these work connecting my Thunderbolt 2 hard drives (LaCie) to my 2017 iMac?
As title says, I have tried other alternatives to no success. Wondering what people's experiences are from these and if my old hard drives can still be used...
- Asked by Graeme K
- 3/01/2019
- Flag as inappropriate (Will these work connecting my Thunderbolt 2 hard drives (LaCie) to my 2017 iMac?)
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Does this adapter help connect a MacBook Pro to a Thunderbolt 2 docking station?
Hi there,
I've got a StarTech Thunderbolt 2 docking station that I'm using with two HP monitors (VGA cable
DisplayPort cable, Thunderbolt 3 cables). Will this adapter help connect the monitors via the docking station to my 2018 13" MacBook Pro?- Asked by Evelina K from Strathfield
- 18/12/2018
- Flag as inappropriate (Does this adapter help connect a MacBook Pro to a Thunderbolt 2 docking station?)
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TB3 peripheral (AKiTiO Thunder3 Quad Mini) with 2013 iMac 27 TB1?
Can this adapter be used do add this Akitio peripheral (4bay ssd) to a 2013 iMac 27 i7 which has TB1? port. I know the speed will be limited, but I am assuming the iMac will be upgraded before the drive bays.
- Asked by Tim R from Seaforth
- 17/10/2018
- Flag as inappropriate (TB3 peripheral (AKiTiO Thunder3 Quad Mini) with 2013 iMac 27 TB1?)
AnswerJust tried to connect a 2015 5K iMac with TB2 to a Lacie USB-c/TB3 hard drive using this adapter and it did not work. The drive works with a USB-c to USB3 cable so it seems that not all peripherals will work with this adapter on older iMacs.
- Answered by Michael P from Beacon Hill
- 24/11/2018
- Flag as inappropriate Answer (TB3 peripheral (AKiTiO Thunder3 Quad Mini) with 2013 iMac 27 TB1?)
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can i connect my new 2018 macbook pro to my 2012 thunderbolt display
- Asked by Sonia N from Manhattan Beach
- 29/07/2018
- Flag as inappropriate (can i connect my new 2018 macbook pro to my 2012 thunderbolt display)
Best Answer:I have a 13-inch 2018 MacBook Pro, the Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter allows me to connect to the thunderbolt display, and the graphics are working fine.
The USB ports also functioned without a problem.
Updated:
To get the ethernet on the display working, I had to disconnect the USB-C adapter, delete (AFAIR) the Thunderbolt Bridge from the network preferences, and then reconnect the adapter.- Answered by Patrick M from Portland
- 16/08/2018
- Flag as inappropriate Answer (can i connect my new 2018 macbook pro to my 2012 thunderbolt display)
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Can I connect a thunderbolt display to the new iPad pro 2018?
- Asked by Andres H from Miami
- 9/11/2018
- Flag as inappropriate (Can I connect a thunderbolt display to the new iPad pro 2018?)
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Can you use this adapter with the I-TEC THUNDERBOLT 2 Docking Station? Connect a newer mac with Thunderbolt 3 and use this dock?
- Asked by Matt B from Perth
- 22/09/2018
- Flag as inappropriate (Can you use this adapter with the I-TEC THUNDERBOLT 2 Docking Station? Connect a newer mac with Thunderbolt 3 and use this dock?)
No answers yet
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Can I daisy chain two Thunderbolt displays to the MacBook Pro using the USB-C Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter? MBP->Adapter->TBD-(chain)->TBD?
Does the new USB-C (Thunderbolt 3) to Thunderbolt 2 adapter allow this chaining? My old MBP is connected to two Thunderbolt Displays in a daisy chain like this, and I want to continue the same approach
Best Answer:Confirming (I bought the adapter and tried it) this indeed works
- Answered by Richard J from Raleigh
- 4/05/2017
- Flag as inappropriate Answer (Can I daisy chain two Thunderbolt displays to the MacBook Pro using the USB-C Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter? MBP->Adapter->TBD-(chain)->TBD?)
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Will this adapter allow me to connect an LG 27UK850 monitor (with USB-C) to my MacBook Pro (13", Early 2015) using a Thunderbolt 2 cable?
External Display to MacBook Pro Early 2015
- Asked by Philip B from Rancho Murieta
- 22/04/2018
- Flag as inappropriate (Will this adapter allow me to connect an LG 27UK850 monitor (with USB-C) to my MacBook Pro (13", Early 2015) using a Thunderbolt 2 cable?)
AnswerNo (except read below). The Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter is only for Thunderbolt devices.
The LG 27UK850 is not a Thunderbolt display. It has 3 inputs: HDMI, DisplayPort, and USB-C with DisplayPort alt mode (not Thunderbolt).
The USB-C port of the LG 27UK850 cannot be used to power the MacBook Pro 2015. It can be used to power the MacBook or a MacBook Pro 2016 or later (but only provides 60W where the MacBook Pro might consume more during heavy usage).
For video output to the display, the simplest connection to your MacBook Pro 2015 to the LG 27UK850 can be done with a Mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort cable (not included). To use the USB downstream ports of the display (for keyboard or mouse or thumb drive or whatever you like), you need to connect a USB-C to USB-A cable (not included). The downstream ports will work as USB 3.0 (5Gbps) in this configuration.
There is a way to get video over USB-C to the LG 27UK850 from the MacBook Pro 2015. Connect a Thunderbolt 3 device that has two Thunderbolt 3 ports (such as a Thunderbolt 3 dock or RAID drive) to the MacBook Pro 2015 using the Apple Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter. The second Thunderbolt 3 port of the Thunderbolt 3 device can be used to connect a USB-C cable to the LG 27UK850 for video and USB data.
Note that if you're using USB-C for video, then the downstream USB ports of the LG 27UK850 can only work as USB 2.0 (480 Mbps). This is because a 4K 60Hz display requires all four super-speed lines of the USB-C cable for the DisplayPort signal.- Answered by Joseph V from Fort Langley
- 23/04/2018
- Flag as inappropriate Answer (Will this adapter allow me to connect an LG 27UK850 monitor (with USB-C) to my MacBook Pro (13", Early 2015) using a Thunderbolt 2 cable?)
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Can i use this cable to transfer data from a 2014 MacBook air 11 inch to a 2018 MacBook 12-inch? I tried the migration wirelessly but did not work.
Transferring data from MacBook Air to new MacBook.
- Asked by Laurence S from Newberry
- 15/08/2018
- Flag as inappropriate (Can i use this cable to transfer data from a 2014 MacBook air 11 inch to a 2018 MacBook 12-inch? I tried the migration wirelessly but did not work.)
AnswerYes you can, according to Apple support document HT207266 "About the Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter".
It says "You can also use the Thunderbolt port of this adapter to connect an external hard drive, dock, Mac, or other device that uses a Thunderbolt or Thunderbolt 2 cable for data transfer. This adapter supports data-transfer speeds up to 10Gbps with Thunderbolt devices, and up to 20Gbps with Thunderbolt 2 devices.
This adapter is bidirectional, which means you can use it to connect Thunderbolt 3 devices to a Mac that has a Thunderbolt or Thunderbolt 2 port. In that case, the Mac must be using macOS Sierra or later, and the device using Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) must provide its own power."- Answered by Joseph V from Fort Langley
- 17/08/2018
- Flag as inappropriate Answer (Can i use this cable to transfer data from a 2014 MacBook air 11 inch to a 2018 MacBook 12-inch? I tried the migration wirelessly but did not work.)
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Trying to connect my LaCie 5Big RAID (Thunderbolt 2) to my new iMac Pro (Thunderbolt 3).
I have updated all of the drives and software and purchased an adapter, but my iMac still cannot see the LaCie RAID. Just spent an hour with the LaCie support and they think it's the cable. Any advice would be helpful.
- Asked by Steve M from Bethesda
- 17/08/2018
- Flag as inappropriate (Trying to connect my LaCie 5Big RAID (Thunderbolt 2) to my new iMac Pro (Thunderbolt 3).)
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Can i connect a wacom cintiq with this adapter to a new iMac ? I used to connect my Wacom cintiq 27 hd touch, with a thunderbolt 2 to my old iMac
- Asked by Ignacio Rafael B from Texcoco
- 9/11/2017
- Flag as inappropriate (Can i connect a wacom cintiq with this adapter to a new iMac ? I used to connect my Wacom cintiq 27 hd touch, with a thunderbolt 2 to my old iMac)
AnswerYou did not connect this with Thunderbolt 2. You connected it with mini DisplayPort. Same connector. Different signals.
The Cintiq 27QHD touch uses DisplayPort for the display connection and USB for the peripheral connections.
The Apple Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter does not pass DisplayPort signals. It is only for Thunderbolt devices.
The iMac has Thunderbolt 3 ports which can also output USB, DisplayPort, and HDMI. You need a USB-C (DisplayPort alt mode) to DisplayPort cable or USB-C to DisplayPort adapter.- Answered by Joseph V from Fort Langley
- 10/11/2017
- Flag as inappropriate Answer (Can i connect a wacom cintiq with this adapter to a new iMac ? I used to connect my Wacom cintiq 27 hd touch, with a thunderbolt 2 to my old iMac)
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Will this adapter allow me to connect a MacBook Air or a 15" MacBook Pro Mid-2012 to an LG UltraFine 22MD4KA-B display?
MacBook AIR 13.3 Q1 2016 128GB
MacBook Pro Mid-2012 15" (Non-Retina)
Both computers have a Thunderbolt port- Asked by Jean-françois B from Montreal
- 20/06/2018
- Flag as inappropriate (Will this adapter allow me to connect a MacBook Air or a 15" MacBook Pro Mid-2012 to an LG UltraFine 22MD4KA-B display?)
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Answer
Yes, you can, according to Apple support document HT207266 "Connect devices and displays with the Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter".
However, this is only useful for Thunderbolt networking (read Apple support document HT206909 "Networking two Mac systems directly with a Thunderbolt 3 cable requires Thunderbolt-enabled hosts") and Target Disk Mode (read Apple support document HT201462 "Use target disk mode to share files between two Mac computers").
The 2017 iMac does not support Target Display Mode (read Apple support document HT204592 "Use your iMac as a display with Target Display Mode") so you cannot use the 2017 iMac as a display for the MacBook Pro.- Answered by Joseph V from Fort Langley
- 13/12/2017
- Flag as inappropriate Answer (does this work for connecting a 2015 macbook pro 13 retina to a 2017 5k imac?)
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Can this adapter be used on a Windows platform/OS?
- Asked by Otis W from Brampton
- 28/10/2016
- Flag as inappropriate (Can this adapter be used on a Windows platform/OS?)
AnswerI used the adapter on a Windows 10 PC to connect a Thunderbolt 2 dock to the motherboard's Thunderbolt 3 adapter. It didn't work until I tried the other Thunderbolt 2 connector on the dock.
- Answered by Joseph V from Fort Langley
- 19/12/2016
- Flag as inappropriate Answer (Can this adapter be used on a Windows platform/OS?)
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I have an Apple Thunderbolt monitor but getting a new PC laptop that has a Thunderbolt 3 (UCB C) adapter. Will this adapter allow PC to Mac monitor?
Specifically Lenovo P51s with the Thunderbolt Dock. Can I use this adapter to connect to the Mac Thunderbolt monitor and get full resolution?
- Asked by Michael T from Mckinney
- 4/06/2018
- Flag as inappropriate (I have an Apple Thunderbolt monitor but getting a new PC laptop that has a Thunderbolt 3 (UCB C) adapter. Will this adapter allow PC to Mac monitor?)
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Will this work for connecting my Universal Audio Apollo Twin MKII Audio Interface (Thunderbolt 2) Along with a USB-C cable, to my 2017 iMac?
- Asked by Jaret A from Kitchener
- 19/03/2018
- Flag as inappropriate (Will this work for connecting my Universal Audio Apollo Twin MKII Audio Interface (Thunderbolt 2) Along with a USB-C cable, to my 2017 iMac?)
AnswerConnect the Apollo's Thunderbolt 2 cable into the Thunderbolt port on this adapter. Then connect the USB-C port of the adapter into the iMac's USB-C port. Easy Peasy.
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With this adapter can I connect an Apple Thunderbolt Display to a new MacBook Pro (USB-C) and power the laptop through the same connection?
- Asked by Brett K from Oceanside
- 29/10/2016
- Flag as inappropriate (With this adapter can I connect an Apple Thunderbolt Display to a new MacBook Pro (USB-C) and power the laptop through the same connection?)
AnswerI can confirm this adapter will not power the new MacBook Pro's. However all the usb and ethernet ports functionality works.
- Answered by Ryan S from Thompson's Station
- 16/11/2016
- Flag as inappropriate Answer (With this adapter can I connect an Apple Thunderbolt Display to a new MacBook Pro (USB-C) and power the laptop through the same connection?)
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