Bug: Target Display Mode + optical audio cable = black screen

Using Target Display Mode on my iMac 27" (late-2012) with my MacBook Air (mid-2013) always resulted in a black screen on the iMac.
Hardware used:
MacBook Air mid-2013 (Mac OS X 10.8.4)
iMac 27" late-2012 (Mac OS X 10.8.4)
Thunderbolt cable between MBA and iMac
optical audio cable in iMac (digital audio out through optical mini jack plug)
Now, enter Target Display Mode on the iMac keyboard (Cmd+F2).
Result: black screen on the iMac (MBA is okay, optical audio is okay)
Workaround: unplug optical audio cable before entering Target Display Mode. Plug in the optical digital audio out cable after TDM is working and all is fine.
I sent a bug report through the feedback form. Just posting here to save others the few hours I had to spend finding the cause and workaround!
-- Richard

Thank you!! Saved me a trip to the Genius Bar.
Confirmed: Bug also exists in the new 2013 iMac under Mavericks. Unplugging the optical cable before entering Target Display Mode solved the problem.

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15 inch early 2011 Macbook Pro to Mid 2010 27 inch Imac Target Display Mode

Hi Guys
I have a early 2011 15" Macbook Pro with thunderpolt port aswell
as a Mid 2010 27" iMac with MiniDisplay port.
I am trying to use the iMac as a second screen for my Macbook.
Both has Mountain Lion on them.
I have both Thunderbolt to Thunderbolt aswell as miniDisplay to MiniDisplay
cables.
I can't get target display mode to work.
The thunderbolt cable doesn't work at all.
The MiniDisplay does seeem to work to an extend but not completeley.
When i plug in the MiniDisplayPort cable to both machines then
the Macbook pro screen becomes blue which means secondary monitor detected.
iMac screen becomes blank. Sometimes i have enough time to see in system preferences that
the Macbook pro actually has a secondary monitor.
But just as it turned blue on the Macbook pro and black on the iMac. It turns blue again
and the iMac returns to it's Desktop.
The exact same happens when i Press Command + F2 on iMac keyboard.
Any help or ideas?

I have a 13"macbook air and a Dec. 2012 iMac 27". Out of the blue it stopped working in Target Display Mode. Switching cables doesn't help, and the iMac and MBair are connect to power. I can see the iMac screen in Share Screen mode on the MB air.
This seems to be an issue, I have encountered eg. in MacRumours:
Jan 11, 2013, 10:17 AM
#5
martinm0
macrumors 6502
Join Date: Feb 2010
I have the same issue with my 2012 27" iMac (3.4, 680MX). When I initiate Target Display mode the iMac goes black and never comes back up. On the laptop I can see the display in Display Preferences, but its as if the backlight doesn't come on in TD mode. (I even did screen sharing into the laptop and can see both displays there.
Anyway, called Apple and they determined its an issue and I have to send in for a replacement.
Anyone else with a 2012 iMac (21.5 or 27), can you please test out Target Display mode and let us know if things are working or not?

Audio on iMac in target display mode.

Here's my problem:
I have a macbook pro with retina display that is hooked up to an imac via thunderbolt. The imac is in target display mode so that I can use it as a second monitor. I have some external speakers attached to the imac which I use when I'm using the imac by itself. I'm trying to make it so that I can use these speakers when in target display mode.
When in system preferences I can set the sound output to the imac but the audio plays through the internal speakers instead of the external. Anyone know a way to make this work?
Thanks in advance!

Humm... I might go TosLink between the iMac and the FastTrack and then run the USB connection to the MacBook Pro when your using it in Target Display Mode.
Or vise Versa, leave the USB connected to the iMac and use the TosLink connection for the MacBook Pro.
See > NewerTech CBLAOPTMT Toslink to Mini Toslink Optical... in stock at OWC

TS3775 Hi I am trying to connect my mba mid 2011 with an imac 27" 2011 with target display mode tdm. When I am using a thunderbolt cable nothing will work. When I use a minidisplay cable, both screens turn blue but eventually nothing happens. What is the

Hi I am trying to connect my mba mid 2011 with an imac 27" 2011 with target display mode tdm. When I am using a thunderbolt cable nothing will work. When I use a minidisplay cable, both screens turn blue but eventually nothing happens. What is the problem

Your answer is likely in Target Display Mode: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) - Apple Support If you are familiar with this document, please re-read it and I suspect you may find something you either missed or are doing incorrectly.

No sound on iMac in target display mode

I've got a late 2009 27" iMac running Yosemite.
When I connect either my MBP (Yosemite, late 2011 15") or my wife's rMBP (Mavericks, 2012 15") to the iMac using a mini Display Port cable and switch the iMac to target display mode using Cmd-F2, sound no longer works.
Previously, when the iMac was running Mavericks, the laptops would route sound to the iMac via HDMI audio (I think) on the mDP cable and sound would be output via the iMac speakers or headphones attached to the iMac. Since upgrading the iMac to Yosemite, sound no longer plays.
This occurs regardless of the laptop OS, Mavericks or Yosemite. The sound icon on the laptop get greyed out and shows that it is going to the "Color LCD" but no sound is output via the iMac.
Any thoughts?
Thanks

Humm... I might go TosLink between the iMac and the FastTrack and then run the USB connection to the MacBook Pro when your using it in Target Display Mode.
Or vise Versa, leave the USB connected to the iMac and use the TosLink connection for the MacBook Pro.
See > NewerTech CBLAOPTMT Toslink to Mini Toslink Optical... in stock at OWC

No backlight in Target Display Mode on 2012 27" iMac

I am trying to use my new 2012 iMac 27" as an external display for my mid 2011 Mac Mini with Target Display Mode. At first it seems like it's not working when switching as I hit Command + F2 and the screen changes to black. But after shining a flashlight onto the monitor I can see the desktop and dock of my Mac Mini operating system. Mouse control and everything else works, it's just the backlight doesn't light up when connected to the Mac Mini. But hitting Command + F2 again brings it back to the iMac and a normal functioning backlight.
I'm assuming this is a bug in the new iMac because I had a late 2011 iMac 27" (previous generation) hooked up to this same Mac Mini and Target Display Mode worked perfectly between the two. It was even the same exact Thunderbolt cable. I have re-tested the Mac Mini and plugged it into another monitor with a DVI to Mini Display port adapter and it has worked fine. Has anybody else experienced this behavior?

HI - i had this problem too. see my previous post above. I spent weeks on the phone to apple support.
from memory:
1. I had to reinstall the OS (from a download) - but this failed to work
2. So... I had to perform a complete reinstall of the operating system (and wipe all user data)
3. and then restore all my user data.
Everything has worked seamlessly since then - which to me indicates it's a s/w problem and possibly one with something in my user profile? I just reliased I did not try and create a new user and try TDM using that. This would've proved it was a user profile problem or not.. I had one small ocassion where the screen went blank a week ago, but I just quickly pulled the TB cable out and put it back in again - and it was all ok.
So in essence I've been runing OK now since I did the reinstall and restored the user data.
Richard

How can I use my 27" iMac (2010) as an additional display to my Windows 7 PC (target display mode)?

So I have purchased a windows machines so that I can play all my favourite games on, and it's not so much a problem rather I have a 27" iMac that I would like to use as an additional monitor for said games.
I have had a look at this article on using the iMac as a display for another computer and things looked promising. I think I need a bit of help getting there though as I can't find definitively anything online to tell me exactly what I need. Most stuff talks about connecting other Apple computers that have mini display ports.
My PC's video card is an nVidia Geforce GTX 650 Ti that sports 2 DVI ports and a mini HDMI port (adaptor to full HDMI was included). The iMac has a mini display port. I went out and got a HDMI cable and Moshi Mini DisplayPort to HDMI Adapter (with audio) to try to use the iMac as the additional display. I connected the PC with [a generic] HDMI cable to the adaptor which ran to the iMac and went through the appropriate steps (ie. pressing CMD + F2) to initiate target display mode. Nothing happened.
I have read that other people with different situations tried an SMC reset, but this didn't work for me either.
At this stage I wanted to see if the DVI port would do anything, or perhaps looking at a particular kind of HDMI cable, but wanted to see what the community can offer up as advice.
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.

Hi,
have a read here http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3924
Regards
Stefan

2010 iMac target display mode with 2013 Mac Pro

I have a 2010 27-inch iMac that I want to use with target display mode for a 2013 Mac Pro. I have a mini display port to mini display port cable connecting them. When I plug the cable in the iMac screen goes black, but eventually reverts back to iMac desktop. Pressing Cmd-F2 makes it go black again, but eventually reverts back. I was under the impression that this was the correct cable to use to connect, but it doesn't seem to work. Anyone have ideas for what to do? What am I missing? Thanks!

You can use the cheaper single link adapter
<http://store.apple.com/product/MB570Z/B/mini-displayport-to-dvi-adapter>
if you don't have more than two DVI or HDMI displays.
<http://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT202801>
If you will be using more, you can still use a single link adapter, but it must be ACTIVE, such as
<http://www.amazon.com/Accell-B087B-005B-DisplayPort-Single-Link-Certified/dp/B00 4071ZX0>

MacBook Air to iMac Target Display Mode not working

I would like to connect my MacBook Air (13") with my iMac (27") to use the latter as an external display with Target Display Mode.
I followed instructions from a number of posts (http://support.apple.com/kb/PH14264), and connected the two with thunderbolt cable and hit Command-F2 -- the iMac goes black and MacBook stays the same. One post suggested dragging windows over to the iMac as an extended display, and I was able to drag Safari totally off-screen, presumably onto the other display, but the iMac still appeared black
Other issue is that hitting Command-F2 again doesn't do anything. I could only get the iMac out of TDM when I unplugged the thunderbolt cord.
I have a brand new Macbook Air and iMac along with new thunderbolt cable (all purchased at Apple Store in 2014). Would appreciate any help, thanks!

Additional twist to this...
Tried to troubleshoot and reset the System Management Controller (SMC) per http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
When I hit Command-F2, one window from my MacBook will display on the iMac (it was Safari a few times, Outlook once), but neither keyboard/mouse can DO anything in that screen. That window also disappears from the MacBook. And I can only return after unplugging thunderbolt (not command-F2).
Help please

External Monitor in Target Display Mode Won't Wake Up

I'm using 2 imac 27' and one is simply used as an external display. When I wake up the computer from sleep, it works on the main monitor, however the external display still has a black screen. I have to unplug the external monitor to get it to wake up. Is there anyway to fix this? I tried unplugging thunderbolt and replugging it in which worked the first time, but same issue again not waking up.

Same issue here, I'm using a macbook pro retina and connecting to a 27 inch imac via thunderbolt and target display mode.
I also have a 27 inch thunderbolt display hooked up via tbolt cable as well.
Whenever the displays goto sleep, the iMac does not wake up with the other screens. My setup knows the iMac is part of the displays, it doesn't act like there are only 2 screens available.
If I press the target display mode shortcut (command + f2) then the imac screen turns on, but now its left target display mode (so it clearly is in target display mode, but does not receive the command to turn on display or ignores it). Hitting hte shortcut again now switches back.
I have not tried just the mbpr + imac as target display mode, but based on your post it still wouldn't wake up if it was the only machine connected.
I've found that when I come back to my computer, i just hit command +f2 on the imac, which wakes it up and jumps to its screen, t hen i hit command +f2 again, and now I wake the mbpr from sleep so it doesn't have to go from 2 screens to 3 screens.

Disable sound on imac in target display mode

Have a question about disabling the sound.
I have a MacBook Pro connected to my iMac by the thunderbolt cable. I enable the target display mode on iMac with a script for disabling some configurations on iMac ( including the bluetooth for mouse and keyboard steal ).
I set the sound output in the MacBook Pro to the iMac DisplayPort.
The problem is now i have both outputs on iMac speakers. i want to disable all sound from iMac but keep the output from MacBook Pro on iMac speakers.
Is this posible?
Thanks.

Humm... I might go TosLink between the iMac and the FastTrack and then run the USB connection to the MacBook Pro when your using it in Target Display Mode.
Or vise Versa, leave the USB connected to the iMac and use the TosLink connection for the MacBook Pro.
See > NewerTech CBLAOPTMT Toslink to Mini Toslink Optical... in stock at OWC

Apple Mini DVI to DVI Adapter to connect Win7 tower to iMac / Target Display Mode

I currently run Windows on bootcamp on the iMac (Mid-2011), although the tasks I perform (3D modelling, rendering and such) cause the Mac to get very hot, and as a result hae a slight burn mark on the LED LCD screen.
I am buying a Windows machine, and am to uninstall bootcamp and use the Mac purely for OSX, but use the iMac screen as a monitor for the tower using Target Display Mode. My issue is - the Windows 7 tower only has DVI output. And as I understand, the Mid-2011 iMac only supports Target Display Mode via a thunderbolt cable.
My question is - Will the Apple Mini DVI to DVI adapter allow me to connect the DVI-only tower to the iMac? Thanks in advance x

Oh, I should mention also that the iMac is the 27" model. Mid-2011 3.4Ghz Intel Core i7 with 4GB RAM and 1TB Harddrive. And ATI HD5450 1GB Graphics.

Can windows 8.1 in boot Camp display in target display mode on an IMac?

I have given up on Windows 7 running in Boot Camp on my 15" MacBook Pro and displaying it on my 27" IMac via thunderbolt and Target Display Mode.
The FAQ concerning Target Dsiplay Mode farily clearly says Windows 7 won't work.
But it does not say Windows 8.1 will or will not drive Target Display Mode via thunderbolt.
see: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5219, question 29
Has anyone found that running Windows 8.1 in BootCamp on a MacBook Pro Retina mid 2012 will display via a thunderbolt cable in to Target Display Mode on a late 2013 IMac 27"?
I don't want to go to the trouble of installing Windows 8.1 and trashing my otherwise functional Windows 7 Boot Camp installation unless it is going to display properly on my late 2013 27" IMac running OSX 10.9.3 via thunderbolt.
Thanks in advance!

no, tdm doesn't work under bootcamp regardless of which windows is being used, imho i don't think it will ever work under bootcamp

How to make my computer send all the audio through optical audio cable instead of headphone jack?

Howdy,
To listen to online radios or CD's played from my computer, I used to connect the computer to my home entertainment system from the computer's headphone jack to the AUX port on my home entertainment system.
I now wanted to get better sound and purchased the optical audio cable. However, I don't know how to tell my computer to send the audio signal to the home entertainmeny system through the optical digital cable rather than through the headphone jack. If I just unplug the cable connecting the headphone jack and the AUX port and only have the PC and the system connected with the optical audio cable, I don't hear any sounds. I suspect the computer isn't sending any data through the optical audio port. I'm not able to find how I can adjust the settings on my computer so that from now all sounds are output through the optical audio.
1) I'd like to do that mainly for my HP desktop (configuration below) and any advice on how to do that would be appreciated.
2) I also have a HP laptop (configuration below) and was wondering if that would be doable too (even though it doesn't appear to have a audio out, but it has HDMI out - can one convert it to optical audio?
Thanks in advance!
My desktop is:
ENVY h8xt,
• Windows 8 64
• 3rd Generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3770 quad-core processor [3.4GHz, 8MB Shared Cache]
• 12GB DDR3-1333MHz SDRAM [3 DIMMs]
• 1TB 7200 rpm SATA hard drive
• No secondary hard drive
• 1GB AMD Radeon HD 7570 [DVI, HDMI, DP, VGA adapter]
• 300W Power supply
• SuperMulti DVD Burner
• Wireless-N LAN card (1x1)
• 15-in-1 memory card reader, 2 USB 2.0 (front), 2 USB 3.0 (top)
• No Additional Office Software
• No additional Security Software
• No TV Tuner
• Beats Audio (tm) -- integrated studio quality sound
• HP USB volume control keyboard and mouse with Win 8 keyboard
• Adobe Premiere Elements & Photoshop Elements 10
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HP ENVY 15t Quad
• Windows 8.1 64
• 4th generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4700MQ Processor
• NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) GT 740M Graphics with 2048MB of dedicated video memory
• 15.6-inch diagonal Full HD BrightView LED-backlit Display (1920x1080)
• 8GB DDR3 System Memory (1 Dimm)
• 1TB 5400 rpm Hard Drive
• 24GB flash Hard Drive Acceleration Cache
• No Additional Office Software
• Security Software Trial
• 6-Cell Lithium-Ion Battery
• No Internal DVD or CD Drive
• Standard Keyboard
• HP TrueVision HD Webcam w/ integrated digital mic
• 802.11 AC WLAN and Bluetooth(R) [2x2]
This question was solved.
View Solution.

Hello @_goma,
Welcome to the HP Forums, I hope you enjoy your experience!
I have read your post on how you are looking to make your computer send all the audio through an optical audio cable instead of the headphone jack, and I would be happy to assist you in this matter!
To configure your desktop to enable the optical audio cable, I recommend following the steps below:
Step 1. Click the Windows Key Button on your desktop
Step 2. Type "Control Panel"
Step 3. Select "Control Panel" in the top right-hand corner
Step 4. Select Sound
Step 5. Under the Playback tab, right-click the white area below the devices available
Step 6. Select "Show Disabled" and "Show Disconnected Devices"
Step 7. Connect your Optical Audio Cable
Step 8. Select your Optical Audio Cable as the default device and click "Enable"
Since it is not possible to convert the HDMI out to audio out on your notebook computer, it is unfortunate that the notebook is not able to connect with an optical audio cord.
Please re-post with the results of your troubleshooting, and I look forward to your reply!
Regards
MechPilot
I work on behalf of HP
Please click “Accept as Solution ” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.
Click the “Kudos, Thumbs Up" on the right to say “Thanks” for helping!

IMac 27" Target DIsplay Mode + Answer to Windows 7 Boot Camp Install

First, I'd like to address the handful of complaints I've come across about installing Windows 7 via Boot Camp on the new 27"iMac.
The issue of the screen going blank when almost done has an easy albeit annoying answer. Simply connect the iMac to an external display, I used a small vga lcd with the Mini DisplayPort to VGA adapter. When the iMac's screen goes black the external lcd will continue, and when Windows 7 starts up it will download the updated ATI drivers. From there alls well.
Second, my problem.
Target Display Mode is a great feature. It worked great when I first used it, and it works great now except for the fact that the Command+F2 button combination stopped working. I have to manually unplug my MacBook Pro in order to get my iMac's original screen up. At first Command+F2 would allow me to switch back and forth, and now it does nothing.
Any suggestions?

Well, the usual first things to try for a display-related issue are
Reset PRAM
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1379
and of that does not help, reset SMC
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1543
which is basically unplugging the iMac from power and reconnecting it following the precise procedure.
Note: After resetting PRAM, you should go to System Preferences +Startup Disk+ pane to make sure your internal drive is selected (highlighted) as the startup disk.

Bug: Target Display Mode + optical audio cable = black screen

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