If you bought an LG 32UN880-B to go with your M1 Mac Mini and you’re noticing issues with the USB-C connection, you’ll be glad to know that you’re not the only one.
After facing USB-C issues with the LG 32UN880-B monitor with my M1 Mac Mini, I decided to test it further. In this post, I’ll share my findings so that they may help you understand what’s causing the issues and what you can do about them.
USB C issues with LG 32UN880-B and M1 Mac Mini – You’re not alone
Like many people out there, I upgraded to the 32” LG Ergo 4K HDR on my workstation. I love LG displays (I have two other LG panels at home) and the ergo stand that comes with the LG 32UN880-B was to fit in perfectly with my new desk setup.
Apart from the ergo stand, the USB-C connectivity was the biggest attraction for me. Being able to connect a single cable to a MacBook or Mac Mini and then using the USB ports on the back of the display was going to be a huge convenience for me, especially with a webcam on top and a wired mechanical keyboard in front.
Things were great for a while. And then I started noticing issues with the USB-C connection between my LG monitor and the M1 Mac Mini. Sometimes, the connection would just die. As in, nothing would show up on the display even when the USB-C is connected and the Mac Mini is powered on.
I was using the USB-C cable that was provided in the LG box, so I knew the problem wasn’t in the cable. I tried unplugging the cable several times, switching one end to the other, and nothing would help. But then, it would start working again randomly.
I believed that something was wrong with the display itself. I thought for sure some circuitry inside was broken or something. It wasn’t until I searched on Google and found that the issue with LG 4K display and M1 Mac Mini was pretty widespread.
In a strange kind of way, it made me feel better that it wasn’t my unit, and I wasn’t alone. But at the same time, it made me frustrated. So I put my ‘customer support’ hat on (that’s what I do at my job) and got down to troubleshooting this. I had to figure out a reproducible pattern so that I could at least avoid the issue.
What causes the USB-C connection to die between LG Ergo Display and the M1 Mac Mini
Thankfully, it didn’t take too long to find a pattern. After all, it was not random as I had first thought. The USB-C connection between the M1 Mac Mini and LG 32UN880-B dies every time I restart the Mac Mini while the cable is connected.
That’s it. That was the main trigger. I could put the Mac Mini to sleep and it would wake up just fine with the display working and everything. But as soon as I restarted the Mac Mini while the LG display was connected via the USB-C cable, the display would no longer connect to the Mac Mini.
I’m not sure whether it’s an Apple issue or an LG issue, because I found that when the connection dies, it doesn’t work with any other device. I tried connecting the USB-C cable to a 13” MacBook Pro with M1, a 16” MacBook Pro with M1 Pro, and an Intel MacBook Pro running Windows. The USB-C wouldn’t work with any of those. It wouldn’t even charge those laptops.
What to do when the LG 32UN880-B wouldn’t connect via USB-C
The simple solution to this problem was to restart the LG display. I could do it via the power strip, but a simpler way was to use the control button beneath the display to power it off, wait for a second, and power it back on.
While it’s not an ideal solution, it does fix the dead USB-C connection. Once I restarted the LG display, the USB-C cable started working again on all of those devices, including the M1 Mac Mini itself.
What happens if you restart another Mac while connected to the LG 32UN880 via USB-C?
Next, I wanted to find out how big of a problem this was.
Online, I found several people mention that they had this problem with other Mac laptops as well.
So I connected the USB-C cable from the LG display to my 13” MacBook Pro with M1 and restarted the laptop. Thankfully, the laptop restarted and the LG monitor kept working fine. The USB-C connection didn’t die.
I tried this several times, and the result was the same each time. I even put the lid down and tried restarting that way to see what would happen if the built-in display was not on. You’ll be pleased to hear that the LG remained reliable with both the 13” MacBook Pro with M1 and the 16” MacBook Pro with M1 Pro.
So, the problem is just with the LG 32UN880-B and M1 Mac Mini?
I can’t say that for sure, but for me, the USB-C connection would die (and wouldn’t work until the LG display is restarted) only when I restart the M1 Mac Mini while the USB-C is connected to the display.
I was going to say that this seems to be an issue with just the M1 Mac Mini, but I’m sure something happens on the LG end as well.
If I restart the Mac Mini while the USB-C is connected to the LG display, the LG display stops working (it also stops delivering power through the USB-C cable), and until I restart the LG display, the cable won’t work any other laptop that I tried.
All that makes me think when I restart the Mac Mini with the LG connected via USB-C, something gets borked on the LG monitor as well which leads the connection to stop working completely, even with other devices, until the display is restarted.
Is it an LG problem or an M1 Mac Mini problem?
Given the reproducible nature of the problem, I’m going to say it’s a combination of both. People have been reporting this issue for some time now, and I think LG and Apple should get together to understand what’s causing this and fix the underlying problem.
FAQ – LG 32UN880-B USB-C connection issues with the M1 Mac Mini
LG 32UN880-B doesn’t connect with the M1 Mac Mini via the USB-C cable
This seems to happen if you restart your M1 Mac Mini while the LG display was connected via the USB-C cable.
How to fix the USB-C connection not working between M1 Mac Mini and LG 32UN880-B
While it’s technically not a fix, you can restart the LG display and that should make the USB-C connection work again.
LG 32UN880-B is not delivering power via USB-C to MacBook Pro/Air
Try restarting the display to see if that works.
USB-C connection not working between LG 32UN880 and other Macs
In my testing, the problem only occurs when the LG display is connected via USB-C and the M1 Mac Mini is restarted. Once this occurs, you need to restart the display so that the USB-C connection starts working again.
How to avoid USB-C connection issues with the LG 32UN880-B and M1 Mac Mini
I wasn’t able to find any solution to the problem that occurs when restarting the M1 Mac Mini. You can use an HDMI cable instead or restart the LG display every time you restart your Mac Mini (between these, I’d prefer the HDMI cable route).
Does LG 32UN880-B have USB-C connection issues with MacBook Pros?
In my testing, the USB-C connection issue only occurred after restarting the M1 Mac Mini. However, if there is no Mac Mini involved, the problem doesn’t occur at all.
That means, when the USB-C connection is working properly, I can use it with the 13” MacBook Pro with M1 and the 16” MacBook Pro with the M1 Pro chip just fine. Even restarting these laptops doesn’t cause any USB-C connection issues.
In conclusion
Understandably, it’s not a fix. But I hope knowing how to reproduce this error and what you can do to avoid it might save you some stress and time. While I’m frustrated with this experience, I’m somewhat happy that the LG display works without any issues, even when restarting, with my other Macs.
Over to you
Are you facing issues with the USB-C connection on your LG 32UN880-B display? Did the problem occur on a device other than the M1 Mac Mini? Let me know your experience below.
Many thanks for your in depth analysis. It takes the heat out of this issue. I experienced the same issue with the combination of (two) LG 32un880b and a MacBook Pro 14″ of 2021.
Thanks! Glad you found it helpful!
Thank you. I am experiencing the same issue with my M1 Macbook pro. What also works for me is to Reset the monitor to initial settings.
Thanks for sharing what else worked for you!
I found this article helpful. I’ve been experiencing this issue with my 16″ MBP M1 Max. And the first time it happened, I thought that perhaps it had fried the cable. The replacement temporarily worked for me until a crash caused the issue once again. I’m wondering if using the power adapter instead of just the USB-C cable would make for a more reliable transfer of power in the case of an unplug, or an unexpected shutdown.
Regardless, I’m happy not to have to purchase another replacement cable!
That makes sense, actually. I haven’t used a dedicated power adapter since getting the LGs as they provide power directly. I’d do some testing, but I don’t have the Mac Mini anymore, and the issue is less frequent (if at all) with my M1 Pro MacBook Pro.
Thanks for your comment!
I’m having the same issue with my 14″ M1 2021 MBP and LG 32UN880-B
But as I remember it started right after the 12.5 update, So may be someone whose still on older version of macOS can check this.
I’m having the same issue with the LG 32UN88A (which I think is the same as the -B but with a white back) when using USB-C cable from the monitor to a Mac Studio. You mentioned switching to using a HDMI cable which keeps the video working after a Mac reboot. I’m wondering though if the USB-C input/hub on the monitor still doesn’t work after rebooting the Mac which would mean that any USB devices that are plugged into the monitor wouldn’t work until the monitor is restarted. Did you test this?
Thanks for posting this article… it’s a shame the issue still hasn’t been fixed by LG or Apple.
I did, actually. I had a Logitech webcam connected via the monitor’s USB A port. And it stopped working every time I faced that issue. I haven’t faced the whole thing on my 16″ MBP (M1 Pro) though. It was only on the Mac Mini.
Thanks, I think it’s the USB-C HUB on the Monitor that stops responding after a reboot, so no USB-C video or USB devices plugged into the Monitor work for me until the Monitor is power-cycled. Strange that this only happens with Mac Mini and Mac Studio. I read something a while back about a similar issue with USB-C docks that were plugged into the Thunderbolt ports on Macs having issues after resuming from sleep, but true Thunderbolt docks didn’t have the same issue. Some kind of USB-C/Thunderbolt non-compliance issue perhaps. Not sure if it’s a hardware issue which can’t be resolved or if a firmware patch could fix it… but nothing forthcoming from LG or Apple yet.
Thanks for the article. I realized my new 32UP83A-W on an M2 Air had the same issue and realized that it only triggers upon restarts, matching your observation. Additionally, I got to test this behavior with a Samsung M7, also via USB C and it did not have this problem, leading me to believe that is is more likely an LG thing than an Apple thing.
Interesting. Thank you for sharing your observations!
Thank you for this! I have the same issue with macbook M1 and switched to HDMI, to avoid the frustration.
Hi,
I’ve set this monitor up with a new M2 mini pro this evening. I’m having the same issue. USB C display not responding on a restart. Not every restart, just randomly. The power reset resolves it. Shame really but not a deal breaker. It’s a great monitor otherwise.
Oh wow! Thanks for letting us know that. It’s pretty surprising that the new Mac Mini with the new chip still has this issue.
Thank you so much for your analysis and tip. It really solved my problem!
You’re welcome! Glad it helped! 🙂
Thanks for this! I’ve been trying to figure out this nonsense for over a month now. I have the 32UP83A connected to an M1 Studio Mac with the same problem. I prefer the USB-C connection over the HDMI because I use the USB-A ports on the back of the display and the HDMI cable keeps working it’s way loose, causing the display to flicker. Turning the display off and on again did the trick.
Having the same issues you described plus, the monitor will not run in 4k via the thunderbolt connection on my M1 Mac mini. 4k works perfectly when connected to HDMI. I would keep both plugged in for the sake of the hubs availability but that then forces my mac to behave as if I’m running a second monitor. It worked beautifully via the thunderbolt connection only until I installed Ventura.
That’s interesting. I’ve never had issues with the monitor running at full 4K resolution via USB-C, although I no longer have the Mac Mini, as it was sold before Ventura was a thing. (My current MBP with M1 Pro is connected via USB-C to the same monitor, and it’s running the latest macOS without any issues. I get full 4K.)
Just like mentioned by Steve before, I can confirm that the issue happens with the M2 Mac mini as well. My work around so far is also to cycle power on the LG 32UN88B. This fixes the problem every time – until I have to reboot the Mac mini…
thanks alot bro. Save lots of time and energy. Facing problem with Mac Book Pro M1
Hi:
Mac Studio M1 here and same issue happens. Didn’t know any solutions until found your post.
Thanks for your investigation: Still saving lives in 2023 😅
I have the same problem with a LD DualUp and a Mac Mini Intel 2018.
It’s even worse: As my setup includes an external GPU and multiple screens, i wish to feed all the monitors in the external GPU. I had done so with multiple screens, usually 4: An HP 24″ 10:9 1080p, 2*samsung 32″ 4K, and even sometimes an old Apple monitor from 2012 (via adapter, still stunning) and a 34″ samsung ultra wide).
Wanting to declutter the work station i kept the 2 Samsungs and got a DualUp. The plan was still to use the GPU for all monitors to save the mini’s juice, guts and intakes.
Using DP between the LG and the GPU causes different problems, usually it’s not recognized and as the Mac likes to try to use the LG as start screen / lock screen, if the display doesn’t work it doesn’t even try with the other monitors. When it does work it usually creates conflict if i try connecting the USB-C from the LG to the mini to use the hub. So in the end i had to compromise and link the LG to the mini with USB-C, which on the top of not being the way i want it, had the issues you and other also are experiencing (and the hub is not working reliably when the image does work).
With 2021 MBP M1 Pro, no problem whatsoever over USB-C with the provided cable. Image, hub and charging work as they should.
I’m having the same issue with a macbook pro m2. I have found rather than pulling the cable out you can reset the monitor via the on screen display – i havent changed any of the settings so it isnt an issue for me, though I would guess if you have tweeked any of the settings then pulling the power is probably best.
I have the t same monitor but a Windows laptop. The monitor does not work at all with the USB-C display. I tested with Samsung DEX as well. It does not work. I am trying to do what you have said here.