How to Use an iMac, MacBook, or iPad as a Mac Display

Give an old iMac or MacBook a second use as a display for a new Mac. Any iPad with USB-C can also double as a display by following these simple steps

From 9to5Mac they designed a pretty ingenious way to use the screen of an old Macwhether iMac or MacBook, for bring a new Mac to life like the Mac mini. It could be used perfectly on a 27-inch iMac, as it's very difficult for Apple to re-release an updated model, or on a Mac you no longer use but the screen is intact and working. Find out below.

Use the screen of an old iMac or MacBook to connect a Mac mini or any working Mac

Lately we've seen some wonderful things working on older equipment.. The most recurring and renewed practical case with the Mac mini was carried out by Action Retro, placing the interior of Apple's new small Mac inside the iconic iMac G4. On this occasion we are not very far from this concept which is to bring old equipment back to lifeeven if it's just the screen.

You will need 4 things to achieve this, namely:

• capture card HDMI and USB-C
• iMac or old MacBook running macOS Sonoma or later
• HDMI Monitor app
• An HDMI cable

To get started, you'll need to plug your Mac mini (or whatever Mac you want to use) into power, then do the same with your old Mac, then turn them on.

1. Download the HDMI Monitor app on your old Mac
2. Continue with the instructions and when you are ready, Connect one end of the HDMI cable to your recent Mac and the other end to the capture card
3. In turn, the capture card will need to be connected to the old Mac with the HDMI Monitor app

We carried out this procedure in a simple way. If you have any further questions, we leave you a video that we will explain below: how to use iPad as a Mac screen.

Use the iPad screen to navigate with a Mac

You'll need any iPad with USB-C, an HDMI to USB-C capture card, an HDMI cable, and the HDMI Monitor – Orion app, in addition to the Mac you will use.

1. Download and open the Orion app on iPad
2. Connect the HDMI cable to the HDMI capture card
3. Connect the USB-C port of the capture card to the iPad

You can now turn on the Mac you will be using and the iPad will now be your main screen. Just like in the previous procedure, the capture card is the main engine of this experience, in this one it is the same thanks to the use of a specialized application.

Replicate this with other HDMI devices

The best of all is that the screen of an old iMac or MacBookor failing that the iPad, It can have a second use and you can use virtually any device with an HDMI port. If you own a video game console or even an Apple TV, you can project its content onto an Apple desktop or laptop screen.

Make sure you choose a capture card that gets good reviews online so you don't have image projection issues. If your old Mac does not accept USB-C, you will need to obtain an ideal capture card to carry out the procedure, for example with a USB-A port.

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