The Plugable TBT-TRAN Thunderbolt Easy Transfer Cable is the latest in our line of Easy Transfer Cables. This time, we’re using Thunderbolt 3 technology instead of USB to help you transfer those important documents, media files, data, and memories with confidence and security!

Below, you will find support topics and resources for using your new TBT-TRAN cable, and a Product Overview and Instructional video. In the video we provide an over view of the cable itself, software installation and setup, and demonstrate a transfer in real time.

Product Overview and Instructional Video

We hope this was helpful. Feel free to reach out to us directly at: support@plugable.com with any questions or concerns and we'll be here to help.

The Product Key is a 16-character alphanumeric code and is unique to each order. Since 12/01/2017, Product Keys are printed on a tag and are physically tied to our Plugable Transfer Cables like this:

Our Product Keys:

• Use letters A-F only
• Use the number zero 0, and not the letter O.
• Do not expire
• Can be used to register as many computers as you need

If you purchased your Transfer Cable before 12/01/2017, you should have received an email containing the Product Key. Please reach out to us directly at: support@plugable.com with your Amazon order number for help with your Product Key, or if you have any questions.

We can help!

First, we'd suggest downloading and installing the latest version of Bravura Easy Computer Sync onto both computers. You can download the latest version of Easy Computer Sync directly from this link: Download Easy Computer Sync . This latest software version improves compatibility and stability and should take care of any connection issues.

I downloaded and installed the latest software from the link above, but I'm still having trouble. What do I do?

Downloading and installing the latest software from the link above should take care of any connection issues. But, if you're still having trouble after that, give these steps a try:

1. Give both computers a restart. This is a basic first step, but, it's always a good practice to restart your computer after installing software to allow the installation and changes to complete.
   
   
2. Try plugging the cable into different ports on both computers, and let's swap the cable ends around as well to see if that gets the connection to go through.
   
   
3. Try running the program as an administrator. You can do this by right-clicking the application, and choosing Run as administrator. The transfer program grants direct access to files, so Windows User Account Control may flag it, and keep it from running.
   
   
4. Finally, if these steps don’t work, let’s try temporarily disabling any antivirus/firewall/security software on both computers. The software can definitely be re-enabled again, and if the connection works properly, you may need to just add an exception for the Transfer Software to your security program.
   
   

We hope this was helpful! Feel free to reach out to us directly at support@plugable.com, if you still need help with the connection or have any questions and we'll be glad to help you!

What is the Transfer to New Computer Mode?

The Transfer Data to New Computer mode is one of the three main Transfer Modes available in Easy Computer Sync. This mode is designed for one-way transfers, and files should transfer between folders with the same name. For example, if we pick the Pictures folder on the first computer the files transfer to the Pictures folder on the second computer. Let's look at the steps:

1. Click the Transfer Data to New Computer button on the main menu after you've made the connection
   
   
   
2. We can pick which computer we're transferring from, and which computer you're transferring to. Typically this is mode is used to transfer from an older machine to a newer one, which is what we're doing here. So, we'll click This is my old computer
   
   
   
3. In the top-left corner of the page we'll see the main folders where files are kept in Windows. We can click the boxes to pick folders. Please note,  clicking these boxes will select all content in the folder. At this point we could:
   
   
   • Click Next to start transferring
   • Click Add Folder, to look for specific folders to transfer
   
   In this example, we're going to look for specific folders transfer, so let's click Add Folder
   
   
   
4. Now, we see a screen with the first computer we're using on the left, and the second computer on the right. As a precaution, folders such as Users, Program Files, Documents, Pictures and more aren't available when the software is started. Click the box in the bottom-left of the screen that says Show Protected Folders, and we can get further access to files and folders
   
   
   
5. A message will pop up with information about viewing Protected Files. Click Yes to begin
   
   
   
6. We can click the arrows here that are next to drives and folders to expand them out, and see the content inside. Once we've found the folders needed, click OK
   
   
   
7. Now, we have the folders we've selected ready, and can click Next, to start the transfer 
   
   
   
8. We see the folder ready for transfer. Click Next to begin
   
   
   
9. The progress bar will fill up green as files are transferred
   
   
   
10. Finished, great! At the end we'll get information about the number of files sent, and the amount of data transferred. We can click View Log, to see a log with further information, and click Exit, when finished
    

We hope this was helpful! Feel free to reach out to us directly at: support@plugable.com with any questions or concerns.

What is the Drag & Drop Mode?

The Drag & Drop mode is one of the three main Transfer Modes available in Easy Computer Sync. This is great for accessing specific files and folders, and let's us manually drag and drop files and folders between our computers.

1. Click the Drag & Drop button on the main menu after you've made the connection
   
   
   
2. A screen will pop up with some further information about the Drag & Drop Mode. Click OK to begin
   
   
   
3. Now, we get to the main screen of the Drag & Drop mode. Here, we can see the computer we're currently using in the top of the screen and the connected computer below. We can also see any additional hard drives automatically, like this Second Drive. Some folders aren't accessible right away, and we may need to click the Show System Folders button to get access to certain items
   
   
   
4. We can click the arrows  that are next to drives and folders to expand them out, and see the content inside. Now, we can see into the folders and get the content we need. Simply click, and drag files between computers to drop them to start a transfer
   
   
   
5. A green progress bar will fill up a files transfer
   
   
   
6. Great! Now we have all of the items on the top computer
   
   
   

We hope this was helpful! Feel free to reach out to us directly at: support@plugable.com with any questions or concerns.

What is the Sync Files Mode?

The Sync Files mode is one of the three main Transfer Modes available in Easy Computer Sync. Let's say we have photos from 2021 on the first computer, and photos from 2020 on the second computer. We want to sync the computers up, and get all of the photos on both computers. That's where the Sync Files mode comes into play, and here's what we need to do:

1. Click the Sync Files Button on the main menu after we've made the connection
   
   
   
2. In the top-left corner of the page we'll see the main folders where files are kept in Windows. We can click the boxes to pick folders. Please note,  clicking these boxes will select all content in the folder. At this point we could:
   
   
   • Click Next, to start syncing
   • Click Add Folder, to look for specific folders to sync up
   
   In this example, we're going to look for specific folders to sync up, so let's click Add Folder
   
   
3. Now, we see a screen with the first computer we're using on the left, and the second computer on the right. As a precaution, folders such as Users, Program Files, Documents, Pictures and more aren't available when the software is started. Click the box in the bottom-left of the screen that says Show Protected Folders, and we can get further access to files and folders
   
   
   
4. A screen will pop up with some information about accessing files. Click Yes, when ready to move on 
   
   
5. We can click the arrows here that are next to drives and folders to expand them out, and see the content inside. Once we've found the folders needed, click OK
   
   
   
6. Now, we can see that the folders we've selected are ready to be synchronized. Click Next, to begin 
   
   
7. The Progress bar will fill up green as files are synced up
   
   
   
8. Finished! At the end, we can see the number of files sent and received and the amount of data transferred. We can click View Log, to see a log with further information, and click Exit, when finished
   
   

We hope this was helpful! Feel free to reach out to us directly at: support@plugable.com with any questions or concerns.

What is the 'Control Other Computer' Mode?

We've talked before about the different Transfer Modes available for use between computers using Easy Computer Sync, but, did you know the software is capable of remotely controlling another computer?

With the ability to reach speeds up to 10gbps, our TBT-TRAN Easy Transfer Cable is the perfect fit for the Control Other Computer mode, which allows us to remotely control one computer from another.

This is a valuable tool to have in your belt whether you're maintaining computers at the office, home, or really anywhere because of the direct Thunderbolt-to-Thunderbolt connection!

The TBT-TRAN is Compatible with Windows 10 and Windows 11, and systems must have at least one free Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 4, or USB4 port to plug the cable into. See the quick steps below to get started:

1. Using the computer you want connect from, click the Control Other Computer button on the main menu after you've made the connection to start the mode.    
   
      
    
2. Now, we'll see a remote image of the connected host computer's desktop. The icons here are just as they are on the host system, which can make software a breeze. This can be particularly useful for systems that are kept offline to restrict access, like this one we're using for this example. (Please note, the background is meant to be blank for minimal resource usage.)    
   
     
    
3. We can navigate folders and access files just as we would on the machine itself. This network disconnected system is now a great local resource for shared files and tools!   
   
     
    
4. We can open files using programs installed on the host computer. Here, we have a Word Processing document open    
   
     
    
5. Once you've finished, it's easy to close the Remote Connection! Click File > Exit to finish, or Back To Tools, if you have other tasks to do   
   
    

There we have it. This is another great tool included with Easy Computer Sync software that can make the task of setting up a remote connection easy!

We hope this was helpful! Feel free to reach out to us directly at: support@plugable.com with any questions or concerns!

No. 

Programs and games must be installed using the original discs, installation files, or installed from the original service platforms like Steam, and Adobe for example.

Our Transfer Cables and Bravura Easy Computer Sync software are designed for use with two monitors (one monitor, mouse, and keyboard for each computer which is the most convenient) but, we realize this isn't always possible.

You can set up the transfer with one monitor, but you will need to either physically unplug and plug in each monitor, or switch over to a different input if your monitor supports this. Here's a basic summary of the steps you'll need to take to set up and perform transfers:

1. Plug the Transfer Cable in between both computers.
2. Connect one computer to the monitor, start the Easy Computer Sync software, and get the software to the point where it is waiting for the connection from the other computer.
3. Unplug the current computer from the monitor, and plug the other one in. (Or, switch inputs over if your monitor supports it).
4. Start the software on the other computer, and complete the connection.
5. Once the connection is made between the computers you can control the transfer process from one computer.

We hope this was helpful. Feel free to reach out to us directly at: support@plugable.com, if you have any further questions or concerns.

Thank you!

No. Computers must be in full working order to both install, and run the Bravura Easy Computer Sync software to perform transfers. We would suggest finding a local and trusted technician to see about data recovery if your computer cannot turn on.

My laptop turns on, but the screen is broken and I can't see anything. Can I still transfer?
Possibly. Are you able to to connect the laptop to an external monitor or TV with an HDMI or other compatible video cable and see your computer screen? If you can, it should be possible to transfer. Ultimately, it may be your best bet to take the computer to a trusted technician for further help, especially if this doesn't work.

Feel free to reach out to us directly at support@plugable.com with any questions or concerns, and we'll be glad to help you!

No. Our Transfer Cables are not compatible with any macOS version, Linux, Chrome OS, iOS, Android, or any other operating systems. Our Transfer Cables are compatible with:

• Windows 11 and 10 - (Please note, this is not compatible with Windows S mode. Please see this official FAQ from Microsoft for more information: Official S mode FAQ)
• Windows 8.x
• Windows 7
• Windows Vista
• Windows XP

Please note: Thunderbolt transfer cables are only compatible with Windows 10 and newer. For macOS systems, any of our Thunderbolt cables will work with Apple's macOS Migration Assistant without additional software.

We hope this was helpful! Please reach out to us directly at: support@plugable.com if you have any questions or concerns.

** This is a legacy article. Updated information may be available. Please see the product pages for the USB-EASY-TRAN, and USB3-TRAN for more details on current topics.

Many recent computers combine a small, speedy solid-state drive (SSD) for system files with a larger, slower hard disk for data files. This can pose a problem when migrating from an older computer using the Plugable Windows Transfer cable because the data files and operating system files should go to two different drives. In some cases, even without an SSD, people want to put their data on a second drive separate from their system drive.

These scenarios are not well supported in the Bravura Easy Computer Sync software supplied with the Plugable Windows Easy Transfer cable. By default, Easy Computer Sync tries to transfer all the data from the main drive on the old computer to the main drive on the new computer. If the main drive on the new computer can’t hold all that data, an error message will complain that there is not enough space on the destination drive.

Otherwise, the data will end up on the wrong drive. In this post, we will look at a method for getting your data stored where you want it on the new computer. I will assume the common scenario where all the user files are transferred to the second drive on the new computer. I will use a Windows XP computer as the old one and a Windows 8.1 computer for the new one, but this will work with any combination of supported operating systems. With appropriate modifications, this same method can be used to select any collection of files or folders from any fixed disk on the old computer and send them to any location on any fixed disk on the new computer.

I’ll assume you have downloaded the Bravura Easy Computer Sync software, installed it on each computer, and entered your Product Key. If you haven’t, follow the Install Instructions section of this article.

Preparing the Old Computer:

1. Plug the Windows Transfer cable into each computer and start the Bravura Easy Computer Sync software. You will see the Welcome window.

2. On both computers, click Next twice until the screen says “Waiting for Connection.”

3. In a moment, the on-screen message should change to “Connection Detected.” If it doesn’t change within a minute or so, temporarily disable any anti-virus or firewall software and try again. If this doesn’t work, contact Plugable support for help.

4. After the connection is detected, Easy Computer Sync will display the Tools window. This is where you select the type of transfer you want to do. Since we are transferring files from an old computer to a new one, select Transfer Data to New Computer.

The Sync Files option is used when you want to send data back and forth between two computers on an ongoing basis. However, the technique mentioned here will work for the Sync Files function also. The Drag & Drop function is used for manually transferring individual files and folders.

5. Easy Computer Sync will display a list of user folders it wants to transfer to the main drive on your new computer. Although the user folders under the user name—such as My Documents and Pictures— are frequently accessed, the individual files they contain are infrequently accessed and should go to the second drive on your new computer. Unfortunately, the software will not allow you to change the transfer location in this window. If these folders are left in their currently selected state, they will go to the smaller SSD drive, which is the system drive (usually the C drive).

6. Since you don’t want these user folders on your SSD, clear the check mark next to each folder here, including the Public folder. In another window, you will individually select the destination disk and folder on your new computer for each user folder you see here

In the following Steps 7 through 17, we will select the destination for a single user folder on the old computer. This procedure must be repeated for each user folder you want to transfer from the Select Items to Transfer window. At the end of this post, I will show you how to make the newly transferred folders the default user folders on your new computer.

7. To make a gathering place for those folders on your new computer, start by creating a folder on the destination drive with your Windows user name. Do this before proceeding to the next step.

In this example, I want to transfer folders belonging to the user named “David” on the XP computer to a folder named “David” on the second drive of the new computer. So I use Windows Explorer to create a folder named “David” on that drive.

Setting up a folder for transfer to the second drive of the new computer (repeat for each folder)

Do Steps 8 through 17 for each user folder you want to transfer from those shown in the Select Items to Transfer window. You can also use this procedure to transfer other data folders on your old computer if you know where they are. In this example, I will transfer the My Documents and Desktop folders from the David user in the XP computer to folders I will create with the same names in the David folder on the second disk of the new computer. In real life, you will probably want to transfer all the folders shown under your user name in this window.

8. Click Add Folder

9. This opens a new window that shows drives on the old computer and the new computer. You can expand a drive and reveal its folders by clicking the + (plus) sign next to it.

10. Unfortunately, in this view Easy Computer Sync does not automatically show the user folders we want to transfer, such as Documents, Pictures, Desktop, Music, Videos, and the like. This is because they are located under Documents and Settings folder on the system disk in Windows XP or under Users in later Windows versions. Easy Computer Sync hides these folders to protect them. To display and transfer them, you have to make these protected folders visible. To do this, click Show Protected Folders at the lower-left

11. A confirmation window will appear. Click Yes.

12. Expand the local disk again by clicking the + (plus) sign

13. The User folders are now visible. Expand the Documents and Settings folder in Windows XP or the Users folder in later Windows versions to view them. Expand the folder of the user you are transferring (David in this example.)

14. In the left-side panel, highlight the folder on the old computer (such as My Documents) that you want to transfer. With it still highlighted, go to the right-side panel and expand the drive you want to transfer that folder to, and highlight the user name folder you made on that drive in Step 7.

15. Use the Create Folder function to create a new folder for the contents of the folder you are transferring. The new folder will be created under the one highlighted in the right-side panel.

16. Click Create Folder

17. A text entry box will appear. Type in the name of the folder and click OK. The new folder will be created in the Select Folders Window. Making sure both the source folder and the destination folder are highlighted, and click OK in the Select Folders window to save this pair of folders.

The Select Folders Window will close, and you will be returned to the Select Items to Transfer window, where you should see a checkmark next to the name of the folder you just added.

18. Use the same procedure to add each folder you want to transfer. The screenshot below shows the Desktop folder being added

19. When finished adding each new folder to be transferred, click OK in the Select Folders window. After the final folder has been selected, make sure each folder you selected has a checkmark next to it in the Select Items to Transfer window, as shown below. Make sure any folders you don’t want to be transferred are not checked. Easy Computer Sync will remember these settings for future transfers between the two computers.

20. When all is ready, click Next in the Select Items to Transfer window to start the transfer. The Transferring Files window will show a progress bar while the files are being transferred. This may take a long time for large amounts of data.

21. When the transfer is finished, the Finished window will be displayed, showing how many files were transferred.

22. Click View Log to see a detailed view of which files were transferred. This is useful if Easy Computer Sync reports some files are not transferred. The log opens in Notepad as a text file and can be saved from there.

This completes the procedure for transferring the user folders to your new computer. If you want to make those newly transferred folders your default user folders, follow the procedure below.

Changing your default user folders to the ones you transferred

After transferring your user folders to the second drive on your new computer, you may wish to set those folders as the default user folders in place of the original ones on your SSD drive. Windows and many programs automatically select the default folders as the save location for files. For example, Word saves documents in the Documents folder. Photo programs like Picasa save photos in your Pictures folder. Many music programs save music in your Music folder. You change the default separately for each user folder. Please note that this will permanently alter your computer’s setup.

1. Open Explore, and navigate to the current default folder. Right-click and select Properties.

2. In the Properties Window, select the Location tab.

3. In the Location tab, edit the text box to show the location of the newly transferred folder. Clicking the Find Target… button will open another Explorer window where you can locate the target. Enter the location of that folder in the text box.

4. Click OK. You will be asked if you want to move your documents and other files from the current default folder to the new one. Click Yes here to consolidate all the files in one folder. A window will appear showing the transfer operation.

If you have any questions or issues following these instructions, please leave a comment on this post, or contact us at support@plugable.com

We can help with this! Please note, Easy Computer Sync can't directly access or otherwise communicate with other programs. But, files can be exported, transferred between computers, and then imported for access. Bookmarks and Favorites from Edge (or other browsers) must be exported into HTML files first, which can then be transferred over to another computer.

Content from Outlook can be exported and transferred over as well, and then imported into another computer. There are more specifics to Outlook to pay attention to, so please see the Outlook section below for more information. Let's get started!

Exporting Bookmarks and Favorites

1. Open the Edge browser on the first computer and click the three dots in the top-right side of the browser which will open the browser options. Then, click on Favorites
   
   
   
2. Now, we can see the favorites we have. Click the three dots in this Window which will give us the option to export
   
   
   
3. Click Export Favorites, which will get our favorites ready to export
   
   
   
4. Choose the folder to export the favorites. The exported HTML filename will default to a Month/Date/Year format, but, feel free to rename it to something else. Click Save to start the export
   
   
   

Great! We've exported the HTML file with our bookmarks from the first computer, and can transfer it to the second computer. We have a step-by-step guide available at the following link if you'd like to see a demonstration of transferring or need more information:
Plugable USB Transfer Cables - Step-By-Step Instructions.

Importing Bookmarks and Favorites

Importing our bookmarks and favorites is easy to do as well. Let's go over to the second computer and get started:

1. With our Edge browser open on the second computer, click the the three dots in the top-right side of the browser which will open some browser options. Then, click on Favorites
   
   
   
2. Next, click on Import Favorites
   
   
   
3. Then, we'll get a drop-down menu, and be able to choose where we want to import the data from. Select Favorites or bookmarks HTML file, from the drop-down menu, and then click Choose File, which will open up a File Explorer window.
   
   
   
4. Now, we'll be able to choose the favorites files we've transferred over. Navigate to the folder where the HTML File is, select the file, and click Open
   
   
   
5. Once our favorites are imported, we should get a message to confirm
   
   
   
6. Ok, we've imported our favorites into our new computer. But, let's check and make sure everything is there
   
   
   
7. Great! All the favorites we've imported are there, and now we can pick up where we left off with the old computer

I use a different browser, what do I do?

The process for exporting and importing bookmarks on other browsers should similar, if not the same. Here are links to steps for some of the other major browsers to get you started:

• Mozilla Firefox
• Google Chrome
• Brave

Can I transfer my Outlook content?

Yes. But, like bookmarks and favorites, Outlook content must be exported first. There are some specific actions to take depending on the Outlook platform and version that you use, so you'll want to take a look at this official link from Microsoft:
Import and Export Outlook Email, Contacts, and Calendar

We hope this was helpful! Feel free to reach out to us directly at: support@plugable.com with any questions or concerns.

Yes!

With our Plugable Transfer Cables you have the power to:

• Transfer more than once
• Transfer whenever you want, and transfer as much data as your want
• Install the Bravura Easy Computer Sync software on as many computers as you need
• Register the software on those computers with your unique Product Key

We hope this was helpful! Feel free to reach out to us directly at: support@plugable.com, and you can find our other support resources by clicking here.

That's a great question! The cable is a 20Gbps Thunderbolt cable when connected to a dock for example. But, when in this linked mode between two computers, 10Gbps is the maximum the cable can achieve at this time.

We hope this was helpful! Feel free to reach out to us directly at support@plugable.com with any questions or concerns and we'll be glad to help!

No. The TBT-TRAN is compatible with Thunderbolt 4, Thunderbolt 3, and USB4 equipped computers only.

If your computer is not equipped with these technologies, we would instead suggest to use our USB3-TRAN (USB 3.0) or our USB-EASY-TRAN (USB 2.0) Transfer Cables. Our USBC-AF3, is available if you need to adapt the cable to USB-C.

We hope this was helpful! Feel free to reach out to us directly at: support@plugable.com

Our TBT-TRAN Thunderbolt Transfer Cable uses Easy Computer Sync software to transfer files, but a baseline Thunderbolt Connection between computers is still needed. Thunderbolt 3, 4, and USB4 capable computers that are kept up-to-date should have the necessary drivers to make the connection.

With that said, you may need or want to install Thunderbolt software and drivers directly to manage your Thunderbolt Connections. There are different sources for installing Thunderbolt software, but we will focus on three main methods of installation (in priority order) which are:

• Installing Thunderbolt Software from your OEM - Plugable Recommended Option
• Installing Thunderbolt Control Center from Microsoft
• Installing Thunderbolt Control Center from Intel (Experts Only)

See each section below for further details.

Installing Thunderbolt Software from your OEM

• You may want to download Thunderbolt software and drivers directly from your Original Equipment Manufacturer, also called an OEM.
  
  
• Please note, we do not have specific instructions for OEMs. A guide with further information and resources is available at the following link:
  How to - Download Thunderbolt software from your OEM

Installing Thunderbolt Control Center from Microsoft

• Click the link below to head over to the Microsoft Store
  Microsoft Store
  
  
• We have an installation guide with further information available at the following link:
  How to - Download Thunderbolt Control Center from Microsoft

Installing Thunderbolt Control Center from Intel

• Click the link below to download the installer directly to your computer:
  Thunderbolt-Win10_Win11-1.41.1193.0.zip
  
  
• We have an installation guide with further information available at the following link:
  How to - Download Thunderbolt Control Center from Intel

We hope this was helpful. Feel free to reach out to us directly at: support@plugable.com with any questions or concerns, and we'll be here to help.

Why get Thunderbolt software from an OEM?

Our TBT-TRAN Thunderbolt Transfer Cable uses Easy Computer Sync software to transfer files between computers, but, a baseline Thunderbolt connection must be made as well. We recommend downloading Thunderbolt software directly from your OEM to receive the most appropriate software for your computers. Click the following link to see Additional Thunderbolt Software and Connection Information for TBT-TRAN.

Please note, OEM software delivery platforms are specific to each brand, therefore we do not have direct instructions. Below is an alphabetical list of four of the most common Windows PC Manufacturers. Click the link for your manufacturer to look for software, drivers, and instructions. for your computer:

• ACER
• Dell
• HP
• Lenovo

Now, you're ready to download and install Easy Computer Sync onto your computers! You can follow along with this step-by-step guide below:
How to Install Easy Computer Sync

We hope this was helpful! Feel free to reach out to us directly at support@plugable.com with any questions or concerns.

Overview

With the release of Apple’s M3 CPU chips and the Sonoma 14.6 update your base MacBook Air and MacBook Pro systems with M3 chips can now host two external displays natively in clamshell mode. This guide will walk you through the process of setting up and using two external displays with the lid closed on your MacBook Air or MacBook Pro equipped with an Apple M3 chip.

Requirements

Before getting started, ensure you have the following:

• MacBook Air or MacBook Pro with an Apple M3 chip.
• macOS Sonoma 14.3 or later for an M3 MacBook Air or macOS Sonoma 14.6 or later for an M3 MacBook Pro.
• Two external displays with compatible video inputs (e.g., HDMI, DisplayPort, USB-C).
  • A dock or graphics adapter can be used as well.
• External keyboard and mouse (wired or wireless).
• Power adapter or power source for your MacBook
  • A docking station that provides adequate charge can be used in place of the native power adapter, be sure to check the wattage your dock provides.

Steps to Set Up Dual External Displays with the Lid Closed

1. Set Up Your External Keyboard and Mouse

• If you’re using a wired keyboard and mouse, connect them directly to your MacBook or Plugable dock.
• For wireless peripherals, ensure they are paired with your MacBook and functioning properly.
• An AC adapter/power cable of some kind will also need to be connected for clamshell mode to function properly. This adapter can be one from a docking station or the included Apple adapter.

2. Connect Your Displays

• Connect the first external display to your MacBook using the appropriate cable (e.g., HDMI, DisplayPort, USB-C)
• Close your laptop’s lid.
• Connect the second external display using a similar method.
• Ensure both displays are powered on and set to the correct input source.

3. Configure Display Settings

• Open System Settings on your MacBook.
• Go to Displays.
• You should see both external displays listed. Arrange them according to your preference by dragging the display icons.
• Adjust the resolution, refresh rate, and other settings as needed.

4. Enable "Clamshell Mode" (Lid Closed Mode)

• With your external displays connected and set up, close the lid of your MacBook.
• Your MacBook will automatically switch to "Clamshell Mode," where the internal display turns off, and the external displays become your primary screens.
• Ensure your MacBook is connected to a power source to prevent it from entering sleep mode.

5. Check the Display Arrangement

• With the lid closed, check that the external displays are functioning as expected.
• If necessary, re-open the Displays settings to adjust the arrangement, resolution, or other preferences.

Troubleshooting Tips

• No Display on External Monitors: If the external displays are not showing anything, open the lid of your MacBook and check the connections.
• MacBook Sleeps When Lid Is Closed: Make sure your MacBook is connected to a power adapter. Clamshell Mode requires the MacBook to be plugged into an external power source.
• Performance Issues: If you experience lag or performance drops, try lowering the resolution or refresh rate of the external displays.

Thunderbolt Dock Users

With these steps, one can use Plugable Thunderbolt docks to enjoy a dual-display setup without the need for additional software installation. The dock leverages the native capabilities of the MacBook Air M3 and MacBook Pro M3, providing a straightforward and efficient solution for expanding your workspace with additional USB ports, audio, and ethernet (as well as the dual displays).

Additional Resources

If you should need any assistance with your setup, please feel free to reach out to our support team at support@plugable.com.