Looking for a way to connect your 2016 MacBook Pro to an older Apple Cinema display? Here’s the solution. This worked for me connecting my 13 inch MacBook Pro with touch-bar to an old-style Apple Cinema Display with a dual link DVI input. This method won’t work for the Apple thunderbolt cinema displays. So far this is the best solution I’ve found until Apple comes out with an official adapter.
You’ll need three adapters. Yes,#donglelife is real. It will take up two of the USB-C ports, so if you’ve got a 2016 MacBook Pro with only two ports, things are going to get a little tight.
You’ll need a USB-C to USB adapter, which you can get from Apple. Right now it’s $9.
You’ll also need Apple’s mini display port to dual-link DVI adapter, which isn’t cheap. $99
And the little piece of magic that ties it all together is the All Smart Life USB-C to mini display port adapter (affiliate link). $25.99
Hope this helps. It worked for me and my particular hardware set up, but as with all things technical, your mileage may vary. It’s nice to have my cinema display back 🙂
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and the cinema display work full resolutions?
It is for me.
Perfect! Congratulations on figuring out what a bunch of Apple geniuses couldn’t!
I have the MacBook Pro 15inch and I connected the Dual DVI cable but it does not seem to reconize it? I am waiting on another adapter being sent from Amazon. Once I have all the parts listed in your article above I hope it works.
Sterling
I don’t understand how these adaptors link, a photo would be useful. If you only have one USBC port I guess it doesn’t work?
You need 2 usb-3 ports.
Any idea if this setup works with a 2017 MBP with touch bar? Thanks!
It works with my 2016 MBP with touch-bar.
have you had any luck connecting your 2017 MBP?
I have a 2016 MBP.
Thanks. I confirm that it also works with the 2017 MBP with TB at full resolution. Hope this helps others.
I have spent the last several weeks slugging through this, but yes, you basically need Apple’s $99 converter from Dual-Link DVI to Mini DisplayPort, then some manner of USB->Mini DisplayPort conversion plus USB to power the DVI converter.
In my case, I got a USB->DisplayPort dongle, then had a DisplayPort->Mini DisplayPort adapter to make the simple conversion.
Same set-up here. It’s work fine and full resolution…but… only stable for a couple of minutes. Then the signal broke, and start jumping from the macbook pro’s dispaly to the Cinema display. Any idea? Thanks
Hmm, not sure. There seems to be a lot of variables… not all cinema displays are the same.
Dear Trip Ellis,
your post is so helpful but honestly i don’t know what I’m doing wrong 🙁
I have a late 2017 macbook pro with touch bar and a 30 inch apple cinema display – which i love so much – and i can’t make it work 🙁
I have a thunderbolt 3 to 2 adapter and usb c to usb 2 adapter also a OWC dock station with mini display port on it but my display is not working and also my 23 cinema display also.
Is there a way you can help me? I have the apple adapter from dvi to mini display port also.
really look forward if you have any solution
Dear Ellis,
i found the solution through the OWC dock – it has a mini display port and my mistake was that i was using apple’s power cord to connect with the owc dock . But this cable is not transferring data – when i plugged OWC cabel boom – the 30 cinema display worked perfect with full resolution!!!!
Glad you found a solution and thanks for posting. Hopefully it will help others.
I can’t get this working. I have the official apple dual DVI adapter, going to mini displayport > USB-C adapter > macbook. Then USB > USB-C adapter for power going into the macbook. But 30″ display doesn’t fire up at all.
Could be the mini-display to USB-C… some of the work and some of them don’t, from what I understand.
THIS WORKED FOR ME!!!
I purchased a new 2018 MacBook Pro 15″ at the Apple Store on Jan 2, 2018. I purchased Apple’s version of the USB – MiniDisplay Port and it DID now work. Apple said their 30″ monitor will NOT work with these versions of the MacBooks…On a chance, I purchased the All Smart Life USB-C to mini display port adapter from Amazon for $25.99 and it worked perfectly. No issues.
Can anybody confirm if this works with Apple’s USB-C/TB3 to MiniDisplayPort/TB2 adapter?
It works for me : 2017 MBP (touch bar) and Apple cinema Display 30″ in full resolution!
Thanks a lot.
Hi how are you? I’m in Brazil and I’m having the same problem. My mcb 2016 touch bar. The monitor has DVI, firewire and usb output. Does the firewire cable connect to the mini display port cable? have more photos? thanks
Thank you so much for sharing this!
Until I found this post, I was desperately searching for a way to connect my work laptop — a 15″ 2016 MacBook Pro with Touch Bar — to the 30″ Apple Cinema Display that I’ve been using with my slightly older, personal MacBook for some time.
To connect my work MacBook to the display, I knew I needed a mini display port to dual-link DVI adapter (which I already had) and a USB-C to USB adapter, but I couldn’t figure out the final piece — the All Smart Life USB-C to mini display port adapter. After adding this piece, everything is working like a charm!