I've got a MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019) running Catalina 10.15.3 (cant upgrade OS since its a work laptop) and 3 external monitors. All 3 external monitors are connected and working fine.
All external monitors are connect via a HyperDrive GEN2 USB-C Hub 18-in-1. In particular the HyperDrive has 2 HDMI ports and 1 VGA port (all of which I am using). The HyperDrive is connected to my Mac via a USB-C port.
My MacBook has 4 x USB-C ports and seemingly no other ports.
I want to extend the display to all 3 monitors (like I can on Windows).
When I choose to extend the displays via … System Preferences > Displays > Arrangement tab
and then uncheck "Mirror Displays" … It extends the display on the laptop monitor to the 3 external monitors, however, the display on the 3 external monitors duplicates/mirrors the display on the other external monitors (but not the laptop monitor).
I don't want any of the displays to be duplicated! Is this possible on Mac out the box or is there any software to support this?
I read here … https://hypershop.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360044788432-Does-the-12-or-18-port-allow-me-to-display-multiple-monitors- … that:
Mac OS only supports Single Stream Transport (SST) meaning it can only support one extended display over a single USB-C connection. The 2nd display will a mirror of the 1st display.
Windows OS supports Multi-Stream Transport (MST) on supported computers and can support 3 extended displays over a single USB-C connection.
So I'm starting to lose hope that I can achieve what I want on my Mac which is 4 extended displays (including the laptop monitor). Any thoughts or help on this?
Best Answer
No, second screens are addressed as separate windows and not spanned. You can run 6 plus displays on the macOS window manager even without external GPU, so it’s not about ports or cables or protocols. It’s the window manager design you’re fighting.
This came about in Mavericks and there’s no sign Apple is reversing decision on this.
The best you can do is in mission control, enable displays have their own spaces.
You also might be very happy with an external GPU since it simplifies cable management and unlocks performance far past the MacBook Pro / Intel chipset alone can deliver.