TargetBridge Revives iMac 5K Display Mode for Apple Silicon Macs

TargetBridge is an open-source tool that lets you use a 27-inch 5K iMac as a display for Apple Silicon Macs via Thunderbolt. Supports up to 5K at 48fps.

By Marek Novák

Published May 20, 2026 7:16 PM

TargetBridge Revives iMac 5K Display Mode for Apple Silicon Macs

A new open-source tool called TargetBridge lets users turn an Intel-based 27-inch 5K iMac from 2014 or later into a display for Apple Silicon Macs. Apple removed Target Display Mode in 2014, but this software revives the functionality using a single Thunderbolt 3 or 4 cable.

Tool requires macOS Sonoma on sender and Ventura on receiver.

The sender Mac must run macOS 14 Sonoma or later, while the receiver iMac needs macOS 13 Ventura or later. TargetBridge supports mirror or extended desktop modes at resolutions up to 5K (5120×2880) at 48 frames per second using HEVC encoding. The latest stable version is v1.3.0, released on May 20, 2025.

TargetBridge v1.3.0 enables 5K iMac as display for Apple Silicon Macs — TargetBridge allows using an Intel iMac as a 5K monitor for newer Macs.

TargetBridge is available globally as a free download on GitHub under the MIT license. The developer claims latency and quality are comparable to mainstream cloud desktop solutions.

The tool fills a gap left by Apple's removal of Target Display Mode, which previously allowed iMacs to function as external monitors. It offers a way to repurpose older high-resolution iMacs rather than discarding them.