Using 4K displays and Ultra HD TVs with Mac computers

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Learn about using 4K displays and Ultra HD TVs with Mac computers.

Supported displays and configuration

You can use 4K displays and Ultra HD TVs with these Mac computers.

  • MacBook Pro (Retina, Late 2013 and later)
  • Mac Pro (Late 2013)
  • iMac (27-inch, Late 2013 and later)
  • Mac mini (Late 2014)

You can use 4K displays and Ultra HD TVs at the following resolutions and refresh rates via the built-in HDMI port.

  • 3840 x 2160 at 30 Hz refresh rate
  • 4096 x 2160 at 24 Hz refresh rate (mirroring is not supported at this resolution)

With OS X Mavericks v10.9.3 or later, the following DisplayPort displays are supported at their default using single-stream transport (SST) at 30Hz.

  • Sharp PN-K321
  • ASUS PQ321Q
  • Dell UP2414Q
  • Dell UP3214Q
  • Panasonic TC-L65WT600

With OS X Yosemite, you can use all of the above displays as well as the following:

  • LG 31MU97 4K display (at 30Hz or 50Hz)

Multi-Stream Transport (MST) displays

MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013, Mac Pro (Late 2013), and iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014) computers also support multi-stream transport (MST) displays at 60 Hz. If you use a 60Hz MST display with the MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013) or iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014), only one additional Thunderbolt display can be supported. See Thunderbolt ports and displays: Frequently asked questions (FAQ) for more information on Thunderbolt displays.

You need to manually configure 4K displays to use MST. Follow the steps below to use the display’s built-in controls to enable this feature.

  • Sharp PN-K321: Choose Menu > Setup > DisplayPort STREAM > MST > SET
  • ASUS PQ321Q: Choose OSD menu > Setup > DisplayPort Stream
  • Dell UP2414Q and UP3214Q: Choose Menu > Display Setting > DisplayPort 1.2 > Enable
  • Panasonic TC-L65WT600: Choose Menu > Display Port Settings > Stream Setting > Auto

Your Mac will automatically detect an MST-enabled display. However, your display may require a firmware update to support 60Hz operation. Please contact your display vendor for details. If your specific DisplayPort display is not listed above, check with the display’s manufacturer for compatibility information.

Adjusting your display

Use System Preferences > Displays to adjust or scale the resolution on your display. This can make text and objects appear larger or give you more space on your screen.

Hovering your mouse over one of the resolution options will show more detail on that option. To get a Detect Displays button to appear, press the Option key. To see all the available resolutions, hold down the Option key while clicking the Scaled button.

If you change display resolutions when mirroring to a 4K display or Ultra HD TV, some distortion can occur. Turn mirroring off and back on to correct this.

Learn more

4K displays and Ultra HD TVs using Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 with Boot Camp use the same rules as OS X. If you upgrade from Windows 8 to 8.1, you should repair Boot Camp drivers.

Learn how to use multiple displays with the Mac Pro (Late 2013)

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Last Modified: Dec 1, 2014
http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202856