Using iMac

[mashmaster]

i would like to use my iMac as a monitor to accompany my laptop which does have a thunder bolt 3 port but my iMac doesn't i was looking online and could not figure how to do it

i would like to know for certain how to do it before i buy adapters or anything 

thank you 

[Electronics Wizardy]

which imac?

[knightslugger]

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204592

 

System Requirements

You need the following to use Target Display Mode:

• A Mac notebook or desktop with a Mini DisplayPort or Thunderbolt port. If your Mac has Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, you can connect it using the Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter.
• A Thunderbolt cable or a Mini DisplayPort to Mini DisplayPort cable  
• A supported iMac with OS X v10.6.1 or later

See the list below for iMac models that support Target Display Mode, the type of cable you need to connect that model of iMac, and the kind of port you need on your other Mac.

iMac models you can use as a display	Cable you need	Port you need on your other Mac
iMac (27-inch, Late 2009)	Mini DisplayPort to Mini DisplayPort	Mini DisplayPort or Thunderbolt
iMac (27-inch, Mid 2010)	Mini DisplayPort to Mini DisplayPort	Mini DisplayPort or Thunderbolt
iMac (Mid 2011-Mid 2014)	Thunderbolt	Thunderbolt

iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014) and later iMac models can't be used as Target Display Mode displays.

[mashmaster]

1 minute ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

which imac?

Imac (21.5 inches) mid 2014

[Electronics Wizardy]

2 minutes ago, mashmaster said:

Imac (21.5 inches) mid 2014

well it seems that you need osx to do this, so you can't use it as a monitor

[mashmaster]

1 minute ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

well it seems that you need osx to do this, so you can't use it as a monitor

is there no way possible

if not thank you

 

[lieder1987]

not unless you have OSX running. The system has to be running for the commands to work. It uses basically a software pass through.

[mashmaster]

3 minutes ago, lieder1987 said:

not unless you have OSX running. The system has to be running for the commands to work. It uses basically a software pass through.

thank you anyway it's a shame apple are a money sucking corporation

 

[Squirrel724]

16 minutes ago, mashmaster said:

thank you anyway it's a shame apple are a money sucking corporation

 

It's an all in one computer, not a monitor. Why should it even work as a display for another computer in the first place? OSX is required on both computers because it is an entirely software solution.

[lieder1987]

1 hour ago, mashmaster said:

it's a shame apple are a money sucking corporation

they are a money sucking corp but like Squirrel724 said its not supposed to be a monitor and it is good that it even does work. Most all in ones dont allow this at all.