# Ext monitor - DVI cable - connect MacBook Air



## AM_SOS (Jul 8, 2010)

I recently bought a basic external monitor (LG) that came with a DVI cable. I was able to hook up this up to the HDMI port of my MacBook Pro 13” (early 2015).

However, when I tried hooking it up to my friend’s MacBook Air (2017) I realised that the Air doesn’t have an HDMI port, and I’ll have to get a connector that has a Thunderbolt port connector at one end.

I looked around on the Apple website and I am not sure which connector to get.
Can you suggest which connector to get - both an expensive one, and a cheaper option from one of the third party manufacturers?

Thanks!


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## steve32mids (Jun 27, 2012)

https://www.walmart.com/search/?query=thunderbolt%20to%20hdmi&cat_id=0&typeahead=thun

These are pretty cheap from Walmart.


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## sinclair_tm (Mar 11, 2005)

Best to use an Apple adaptor as other brands can give you issues. This is the one you need for DVI.


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## AM_SOS (Jul 8, 2010)

sinclair_tm said:


> Best to use an Apple adaptor as other brands can give you issues. This is the one you need for DVI.


Thanks! I should have asked earlier, but is there some way to connect an HDMI end to the MacBook Air Thunderbolt port? So that the end of the cable coming out of the external monitor is HDMI (male) that goes into an HDMI (female) to Thunderbolt connector.

Thanks!


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## AM_SOS (Jul 8, 2010)

steve32mids said:


> https://www.walmart.com/search/?query=thunderbolt%20to%20hdmi&cat_id=0&typeahead=thun
> 
> These are pretty cheap from Walmart.


These look good, thanks! By the way, do you have experience using these on your own computers? A friend had once had a not very good experience with some third party brands. I would like to get a cheap one, but I don't know which brands are decent quality. And I certainly don't want to damage my machines in any way, or have problems with connections.


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## spunk.funk (May 13, 2010)

You do not need to buy an adapter made from Apple, though it is always a good idea if price is not an issue. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=thunderbolt+to+HDMI&ref=nb_sb_noss_2
You will not damage your machine by using an adapter from another manufacturer. The worse case scenario is the resolution might be a little off or the computer won't recognize the adapter. But these cases are very rare.


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## AM_SOS (Jul 8, 2010)

spunk.funk said:


> You do not need to buy an adapter made from Apple, though it is always a good idea if price is not an issue. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=thunderbolt+to+HDMI&ref=nb_sb_noss_2
> You will not damage your machine by using an adapter from another manufacturer. The worse case scenario is the resolution might be a little off or the computer won't recognize the adapter. But these cases are very rare.


Thanks, this helps!
I should have remembered this earlier, but I got a picture of the monitor and noticed that there also seems to be a VGA (?) port at the back. Can you suggest a cable that has VGA at one end and a Thunderbolt connector at the other? That way I can easily hook up the MacBook Air with the monitor and no dongles will be needed.
Thanks!


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## AM_SOS (Jul 8, 2010)

sinclair_tm said:


> Best to use an Apple adaptor as other brands can give you issues. This is the one you need for DVI.


Can you also suggest an Apple cable that connects a VGA (if that is what the port shown in the picture is!) to a Thunderbolt port?

Thanks!


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## spunk.funk (May 13, 2010)

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=thunderbolt+to+VGA&ref=nb_sb_noss_2


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## AM_SOS (Jul 8, 2010)

spunk.funk said:


> https://www.amazon.com/s?k=thunderbolt+to+VGA&ref=nb_sb_noss_2


Thanks for this! I looked further down the list and also saw this -

https://www.amazon.com/UGREEN-Displ...rbolt+to+VGA&qid=1540749174&sr=8-5&ref=sr_1_5

The reviews seem all good, but I am not sure how reliable they are.

Do you or other members have any experience with this UGreen 2-in-1 adapter?

I am thinking why not get an HDMI plus old style VGA adapter in one unit.

I also looked up on Apple but they don't seem to have such an HDMI adapter. Or am I missing something here and there is indeed an Apple adapter (HDMI female to Thunderbolt) for connecting an HDMI cable to the MacBook Air?

Thanks!


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## spunk.funk (May 13, 2010)

No, Apple does not have such a device, but I have had really good luck with 3rd party devices that I have bought from Amazon. 
We all know that all American computer companies buy their parts from China. So, UGreen is a Chinese company, but they do have a web site in English with support which overcomes most of the battle with Chinese companies, so you can buy with confidence.


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## macguru (Dec 12, 2011)

AM_SOS said:


> I recently bought a basic external monitor (LG) that came with a DVI cable. I was able to hook up this up to the HDMI port of my MacBook Pro 13” (early 2015).
> 
> However, when I tried hooking it up to my friend’s MacBook Air (2017) I realised that the Air doesn’t have an HDMI port, and I’ll have to get a connector that has a Thunderbolt port connector at one end.
> 
> ...


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## macguru (Dec 12, 2011)

Lightning to HDMI cables are available on eBay, Amazon, Best Buy — practically everywhere. My daughter just bought one so she could watch her iPhone movies on her TV.


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