Thunderbolt Adapters For Mac

Thunderbolt Adapters For Mac
Thunderbolt 3 To Thunderbolt Adapter Mac

You can use a drive like LaCie’s fast Thunderbolt 2 Rugged SSD on your older Thunderbolt 1/2 Mac by employing a powered Thunderbolt 3 dock attached via Apple’s Thunderbolt adapter. For some reason. With this adapter, you can connect Windows and Mac based Thunderbolt™ 3 computers to older Thunderbolt devices, such as external hard drives, Thunderbolt displays, and older Thunderbolt capable Mac.

This article refers to Thunderbolt 1 and Thunderbolt 2. You can learn more about Thunderbolt 3 and the Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter for MacBook Pro (2016 and later) and iMac (2017).

Thunderbolt adapters are supported on the following Mac computers:

MacBook Pro (2011 through 2015)
MacBook Air (Mid 2011 and later)
Mac mini (Mid 2011 and later)
iMac (Mid 2011 through 2015)
Mac Pro (Late 2013)

Use these guides to identify your Mac computer:

Apple Thunderbolt cable (0.5 m)
Part Number MD862ZM/A

Apple Thunderbolt cable (0.5 m)
Part Number MF640ZM/A

Apple Thunderbolt cable (2 m)
Part Number MC913ZM/A

Apple Thunderbolt cable (2 m)
Part Number MF639ZM/A

Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter
Part Number MD463ZM/A

Thunderbolt to FireWire Adapter
Part Number MD464ZM/A

Learn more

For best performance, make sure that you've installed all available macOS software and firmware updates. You can check by choosing App Store from the Apple () menu, then clicking Updates.

Get more information on Thunderbolt and Apple Thunderbolt cables and adapters:

Thunderbolt 3 offers a connection with state-of-the-art speed and versatility. Delivering twice the bandwidth of Thunderbolt 2, it consolidates data transfer, video output, and charging into a single compact connector. And with the integration of USB-C, convenience is added to the speed of Thunderbolt to create a truly universal port.

Supports up to four 4K displays or up to two 6K displays¹

Connect new and existing devices

Blackmagic eGPU and eGPU Pro. More power to every pixel.

Blackmagic Design has created two external GPUs (eGPUs) ideal for your Thunderbolt 3–enabled Mac.² So you can have desktop-class graphics performance without giving up the portability of a notebook. Housed in an all-in-one aluminum enclosure, Blackmagic eGPUs are powerful yet quiet, charge your Mac using Thunderbolt 3, and have built-in I/O connections to drive both a Thunderbolt 3 display and VR accessories simultaneously. Choose the Blackmagic eGPU to accelerate pro apps and enjoy supersmooth gaming or the Blackmagic eGPU Pro for the ultimate workstation-class graphics performance for your pro app workflows and VR content creation.

Buy Blackmagic eGPU
Buy Blackmagic eGPU Pro

Transferring data at speeds of up to 40Gb/s, which is two times faster than Thunderbolt 2 and eight times faster than USB 3, Thunderbolt 3 delivers the fastest connection to any dock, display, or device. You can also daisy-chain up to six Thunderbolt devices through a single port without needing a hub or a switch. So connecting a storage device to your computer, and then a display to your storage device, works as it’s meant to — with powerful throughput.⁸

Less than one minute to copy 25,000 photos

6K resolution. 20.4 million pixels.
One remarkable cable.

Thunderbolt 3 provides twice the display bandwidth of Thunderbolt 2, enabling your Mac to support up to four 4K displays or up to two 6K displays.¹ Which means that with two Thunderbolt controllers in the 16-inch MacBook Pro, you can send graphics to dual 6K displays for the perfect high-resolution photo and video editing setup. Thunderbolt 3 connects to DisplayPort displays and monitors with a cable, while supporting HDMI and VGA displays with the use of an adapter.

With Thunderbolt 3, a single USB-C port can deliver power in both directions. So a port can charge a device or, alternatively, be charged by one. And it’s capable of delivering up to 100 watts of power, so a single cable can be used to connect to a dock or display and charge your MacBook Pro or MacBook Air simultaneously.

Up to 15W for
bus-powered devices

Up to 15W for bus-powered devices

Compatible with your existing devices.

Thunderbolt 3 with USB-C technology is a truly universal connection. With the help of an adapter or cable, you can connect just about any of your devices, including your existing Thunderbolt 2 devices.

Displays

Plug into displays using HDMI, VGA, DVI, DisplayPort, or Thunderbolt.

iOS Devices

Connect to iOS devices like iPhone and iPad.

Accessories

Use peripherals compatible with USB‑A, SD, Micro‑B, and Mini‑B.

Performance

Connect external graphics processors like the Blackmagic eGPU and external hard drives for extra storage.

The Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports on MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac Pro, iMac, and Mac mini are fully compatible with your existing devices and displays. Use the chart below to find out which adapter or cable you’ll need to connect to the ports on all your favorite devices.

Shop adapters

Connect to your Thunderbolt 3–enabled Mac using

Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter

USB-C

USB-A

Lightning

Micro-B

Mini-B

Ethernet

HDMI

Apple USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter or
USB-C to HDMI adapter

DisplayPort

VGA

Apple USB-C VGA Multiport Adapter or
USB-C to VGA adapter