I recently shared a post talking all about how you can use your iPad as a portable display for your Mac mini. Surprisingly the number one question i got was “can you use an old iMac or Macbook to do the same thing?” Amazingly, the answer is absolutely yes! So in this post I am going to show you how to easily get this done!
Final thoughts
I recommend watching the iPad as a mobile display video below. Although we dont show off how to use a MacBook or iMac as a display, the concept is exactly the same.
If you have an old iMac or an old MacBook laying around and you want to put it to use again then this is a great way to extend the life of those computers but you will need a few things.
Once you have these items you are ready to use your iMac as a display!
The setup process is also very simple.
Apple should fully allow external display mode on older Macs again.
Repurposing an old iMac or MacBook into a display is an genius way to breathe new life into aging Apple hardware. With just a $20 HDMI capture card and a straightforward setup, you can turn these devices into versatile, secondary displays for your Mac Mini, gaming consoles, or even other laptops. Not only does this extend the usefulness of your older machines, but it also provides a sustainable, budget-friendly alternative to purchasing a new monitor.
So whether you’re looking to maximize the potential of your Apple ecosystem or simply repurpose tech you already own, this method offers incredible value and flexibility. Give it a try—you might be surprised by how much mileage you can get out of your old devices!
Team Analysis
The awesome thing about this is that it does not stop at just being a Mac mini display. You can use your old iMac as a display for anything that has an HDMI out. So you can use this with your Xbox, PS5, Switch, Steamdeck, Apple TV, and anything else you can think of. This new use case truly brings a second life to the older Apple hardware. You could even use this method with your new Macbook Pro and bring your Xbox on a vacation and be able to game on the go!
