DisplayLink Manager Now Supports External Display Rotation on M1 Macs

Synaptics today released a new beta version of DisplayLink Manager for macOS with long-awaited support for external display rotation on M1 Macs. A company representative said a final release is planned by late December provided that beta testing is successful.

macos external displays displaylink
DisplayLink adapters have proven popular with M1 models of the MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro, as they allow for multiple external displays to be connected, despite Apple's tech specs indicating that the notebooks only support one external display. DisplayLink Manager helps with setting up external displays via DisplayLink.

As seen in the above screenshot shared on Reddit, the new version of DisplayLink Manager allows for external displays connected to an M1 Mac with DisplayLink adapters or docks to be used in both landscape and portrait orientations.

DisplayLink Manager 1.6 beta is compatible with all macOS Monterey and macOS Big Sur versions and is free to download on the Synaptics website.

The new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models officially support up to two external displays with the M1 Pro chip, or up to four external displays with the M1 Max chip, without the use of DisplayLink adapters or other workarounds.

Related Forums: macOS Monterey, macOS Big Sur

Popular Stories

Apple Wallet ID Illinois

Apple Plans to Expand iPhone Driver's Licenses to These 7 U.S. States

Wednesday December 24, 2025 8:40 am PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. The feature is currently available in 13 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, and it is expected to launch in at least seven more in the future. To set up the...
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Next Year With These 12 New Features

Tuesday December 23, 2025 8:36 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another nine months, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we have recapped 12 features rumored for the iPhone 18 Pro models. The same overall design is expected, with 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes, and a "plateau" housing three rear cameras Under-screen Face ID Front camera in...
maxresdefault

Where's the New Apple TV?

Monday December 22, 2025 11:30 am PST by
Apple hasn't updated the Apple TV 4K since 2022, and 2025 was supposed to be the year that we got a refresh. There were rumors suggesting Apple would release the new Apple TV before the end of 2025, but it looks like that's not going to happen now. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said several times across 2024 and 2025 that Apple would...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Adds These 8 New Features to Your iPhone

Monday December 22, 2025 8:47 am PST by
Earlier this month, Apple released iOS 26.2, following more than a month of beta testing. It is a big update, with many new features and changes for iPhones. iOS 26.2 adds a Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more. Below, we have highlighted a total of eight new features. Liquid Glass Slider on Lock Screen A new slider in the Lock...
airpods color prototypes

Apple Tested AirPods in Bright Colors

Saturday December 27, 2025 6:06 am PST by
Apple reportedly tested a version of the first-generation AirPods with bright, iPhone 5c-like colored charging cases. The images, shared by the Apple leaker and prototype collector known as "Kosutami," claim to show first-generation AirPods prototypes with pink and yellow exterior casings. The interior of the charging case and the earbuds themselves remain white. They seem close to some...
maxresdefault

10 Mac Apps Worth Trying in 2026

Wednesday December 24, 2025 9:27 am PST by
2026 is almost upon us, and a new year is a good time to try out some new apps. We've rounded up 10 excellent Mac apps that are worth checking out. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Alt-Tab (Free) - Alt-Tab brings a Windows-style alt + tab thumbnail preview option to the Mac. You can see a full window preview of open apps and app windows. One Thing (Free) -...
top stories 2025 12 27

Top Stories: iPhone Fold Mockup, Where's the New Apple TV?, and More

Saturday December 27, 2025 6:00 am PST by
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from MacRumors! News in the Apple world has unsurprisingly been relatively slow over the past week, but Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone managed to make its way back into the news, while we also shared updates on current and future Apple TV news. iOS 26.3 will be bringing some new features, particularly for users in the EU, so we'll look for additional...

Top Rated Comments

Mick-Mac Avatar
53 months ago
I remember trying my best to work with displaylink a few year back - it was never quite right and there was always something broken. I just gave up on it. Frankly, I'm kind of amazed it's still a thing.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
audioadrenaline Avatar
53 months ago
We wouldn't have to screw with this if Apple would just support Multi-Stream Transport.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
colinsky Avatar
53 months ago
I'm running an LG 5K Ultrafine and two Dell U2715 2560x1440s on my m1 Mini with DisplayLink. Eager to see if the DisplayLink Manager update resolves my wake-from-sleep problem--all the windows in all the monitors re-collect in the center monitor upon waking from sleep.

Sigh, nope, still all collected in the center monitor. If I restart, the windows stay in their proper places.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chrizel Avatar
53 months ago
Bought a DisplayLink dock in August with one of the newer DisplayLink chips which support 4K/60. Using it at home with my 13” M1 work MBP and my personal M1 MBA to drive an LG 5k and a Dell monitor. Besides some rare situations when connecting the device where the screen won’t turn on (which can be fixed by reconnecting the cable) - I’m satisfied with DisplayLink. Can recommend. But do your research and buy one of the newer devices with the 4K/60 chip.

What I really like: the DisplayLink dock is connected to the LG 5k, so to the MacBooks I still have one single cable that provides power, all screens, networking, usb devices etc.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AppleTO Avatar
53 months ago
I hope these new drivers work better than DisplayLink used to years ago.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
saudor Avatar
53 months ago

I hope these new drivers work better than DisplayLink used to years ago.
yeah it's substantially smoother these days. The update during the mojave era was a big improvement where for basic tasks, it became super smooth

EDIT: should also add that these things are useful even for intel. Radeon dGPUs are dumb in the sense that as soon as you connect a different display to it, it never properly enters an idle state even without load. The memory clock and sometimes the core clock (depending on the differing resolutions, refresh rates, and scaling factor) gets stuck at higher/max and pumps a ton of heat.

Things like displaylink and sidecar (depending on the Mac) partially uses the iGPU/T2 for hardware acceleration so the dGPU doesn’t freak out and the system remains much cooler
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)