In this guide, we will be discussing a method to fix the missing 2K and 4K resolutions for the external display on macOS Ventura. The thirteenth iteration of the OS has just been rolled out by the Cupertino giant and there are quite a few intriguing features to look forward to. Some of the noteworthy ones include the introduction of Stage Manager and Continuity Camera, changes to Spotlight search and System Settings; and the ability to unsend messages and emails.
On the flip side, a few bugs seem to have crept in as well. Among them, the inability of the OS to detect a second monitor has been documented ever since Beta 1 and as surprising as it may sound, has survived 9 additional beta builds and has finally made its way to the stable version as well. As a result of which, when users are trying to connect their display via a thunderbolt USB-C dongle, then it isn’t being recognized.
A few other users are on a slightly lucky end as they are at least able to connect their second display, however, this is where things begin to go south. Many of them have voiced their concern that both the 2K and 4K resolutions are missing for the external display on their macOS Ventura. To re-verify the same, users have tried some of the popular apps like EasyRes, BetterDisplay, and one-key-hidpi, but none of them are able to detect either 2560×1440 or 3840 × 2160 resolution on Ventura. So this begs the all-important question:
How to Fix 2K and 4K Resolution missing for External Display in Ventura
As of now, the only workaround that is spelling out success for some users is using the Apple USB-C to Digital AV Multiport Adapter. While we are not pointing out any co-relation here but this seems to clearly answer two questions here- why Apple wasn’t able to fix this second monitor display issue over all these months and how come even after so many stages of regressive testing, the bug manages to creep into the stable build.
All in all, shelling out some hefty bucks seems to be the only way out when it comes to fixing the missing 2K and 4K resolutions for the external display on macOS Ventura. This neither qualifies for the most viable approach nor the most feasible one, but as of now, this seems to be our only way out of this fiasco. And, if this is the light at the end of the tunnel that Apple wants us to look up to, then it’s better to walk on a dark path.
On that note, we round off this guide. What are your views on this? Do share your valuable opinion with us in the comments section below. And if you know of any other tweak through which you managed to address this bug, then please share it with us in the comments.
Marco
Still no other solution here?
Sadique Hassan
Hi Marco, could you ‘Force Quit’ the WindowServer process from Activity Monitor? As soon as you do so, you will now be logged out of your Mac. So log back in, give the WindowServer a few seconds to restart, and then let me know the results [make sure to carry out this step while the external display is connected].