External monitor not displaying on Macbook Air M1

[DanielYang59]

Hi there, I have been using BetterDisplay for a while and it works generally fine and love it.

However, after updating OS to Monterey 12.5.1 (not sure if related), I noticed several times when I wake up the Macbook and the external monitor somehow just don't show anything (the backlit seems to be on while nothing shown). I only hooked one external display via DP cable from docking station (hardware details would be given below). I also noticed set the external display to "main display" or use it in clamshell mode seems to fix this. Also I would be happy to provide any system log (but I don't know how).

Hardware Details:
Laptop: Macbook Air M1
External monitor: ASUS MG279Q
Docking Station: HP USB-C Dock G5

Software Details:
OS: Monterey 12.5.1
BetterDisplay: Version 1.2.9 Build 8622

Other info might be useful:
Laptop connect to the dock via a TB3 cable, and the external monitor to the dock via DP cable.
External monitor set to 19201080(HiDPI), refresh rate 144 Hz. (Native resolution is 25601440@144 Hz).

[waydabber]

Hi @HaoyuYang59 - does this issue happen with BetterDisplay not running as well?

[DanielYang59]

Hi @HaoyuYang59 - does this issue happen with BetterDisplay not running as well?

Hi thanks for getting back to me. I'm currently testing this and would get back to you once I get anything. Also, I noticed myself unable to set the external monitor as "main display" in system preferences-display with BetterDisplay on. Is there any log I could provide that might be useful? Thanks for your time.

[waydabber]

Hi @HaoyuYang59 - well, you can go to Settings/Displays and click on the display name to reveal extra information about the display. A screenshot of that might be useful. Also a screenshot of the app menu to see how things look like by default.

Take a look at this on how to get more detailed application logs which includes information about display detection process: #445

I noticed the dock has multiple display outputs while the MacBook Air M1 natively supports one display. I am not entirely sure how this circumstance affects the system. It would be beneficial if you could try the display via native, direct connection as well and check if the problem persists then.