🗒 A note on the Dell TB16

[rgov]

Many people file bugs here about their Dell TB16 dock.

The USB, Thunderbolt 3, and audio out ports should regain functionality after installing Thunderbolt 3 Unblocker.

However, video output does not work. Unfortunately, this is out of scope for this project.

Thunderbolt 3 Unblocker allows the Thunderbolt 3 driver to recognize the TB16, but other drivers in the system are responsible for activating the downstream peripherals, including the display. For whatever reason, an update to macOS High Sierra broke support for the displays attached to the TB16.

Update

You could try performing a firmware upgrade on the TB16, which has been reported to restore video (HDMI output). However, the firmware upgrade must be performed from Windows. It is unlikely that this will work from WINE or a virtual machine.

[flyingtango]

I have 2018 new macbook pro with mojave, and the mac can recognize tb15. However, the tb15 can only charge, no usb and no video ouput.

[barongun]

@flyingtango me too....ㅠㅠ

[Michaelkire]

@flyingtango & @barongun If you've installed this driver correctly, you should be able to use USB on the tb16. Mine works.

Also I found that I sometimes have to run the install command again, after I have restarted the mac.

You can check in the Apple -> About this Mac -> System report -> Thunderbolt. It should say if its supported or not

[barongun]

@Michaelkire You are Right. Finally, I Use Lan Port, USB Port and earphone Port. Thank You.
But, still no video outputTT

[slvrscoobie]

Thanks guys, just prevented me from picking up a TB16 on ebay for use with my MBP TB3. I need TB3 video out to my apple display and displayport for my dell display so this was so close, and so cheap but i guess ill have to stick with my 3x more expensive StarTech usb c dock. works perfectly if anyones interested

[pmtremblay]

Hey guys,
I have a new Dell: https://www.dell.com/en-ca/shop/dell-laptops-netbooks-and-tablets/new-xps-15/spd/xps-15-9570-laptop/nxps1570_bt_s1649e

Ports & Slots

1. SD card slot | 2. USB 3.1 Gen 1 with Power Delivery | 3. Battery gauge button and indicator | 4. Noble lock slot | 5. AC power | 6. HDMI 2.0 | 7. Thunderbolt™ 3 (4 lanes of PCI Express Gen 3) supporting: Power Delivery, Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps bi-directional), USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10Gbps), Native DisplayPort 1.2 video output, VGA, HDMI, Ethernet and USB-A via Dell Adapter (sold separately) | 8. Headset jack

I thought I could use my old Apple Cinema display (mini-display port) with my Dell (through USB-C = Thunderbolt3 port) running Mojave. Is there anyway to make my Cinema Display to work with an USB-C hub or otherwise?

Suggestions welcome.

Thanks.

[laris]

TB16

• USB2/3 works
• LAN works
• video no work

Hackintosh with DELL P5510

neofetch
                    'c.          MacBookPro.lan
                 ,xNMM.          -------------------------
               .OMMMMo           OS: macOS Mojave 10.14.1 18B75 x86_64
               OMMM0,            Host: MacBookPro13,3
     .;loddo:' loolloddol;.      Kernel: 18.2.0
   cKMMMMMMMMMMNWMMMMMMMMMM0:    Uptime: 21 mins
 .KMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMWd.    Packages: 95 (brew)
 XMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMX.      Shell: zsh 5.3
;MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM:       Resolution: 1920x1080@2x
:MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM:       DE: Aqua
.MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMX.      WM: Quartz Compositor
 kMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMWd.    WM Theme: Blue (Dark)
 .XMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMk   Terminal: iTerm2
  .XMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMK.   Terminal Font: Monaco 14
    kMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMd     CPU: Intel i7-6820HQ (8) @ 2.70GHz
     ;KMMMMMMMWXXWMMMMMMMk.      GPU: Intel HD Graphics 530
       .cooc,.    .,coo:.        Memory: 3261MiB / 32768MiB

[orappold]

TB16 - MacBook Air 2018. Thanks to the unblocked it is recognized, however video does not work.
Any tips, patches, driver update news are always welcome.

THX

[pitzor]

I also have the new macbook air 2018 but the dell tb16 will only charge after applying the script, no video (using the Apple Cinema Display 27), no usb. Had to Modify the script to make it work with 10.4.1. Also looking for a solution...

[kurikomoe]

Me too, tb15 is recognized, usb is working but hdmi dp are all not working.

Macbook 13.3 2018 with Mojave

[rgov]

I'm locking this topic. Video does not work on TB16. That's the message I wrote above. If you try it, and it doesn't work, please don't be surprised. It doesn't work. This project doesn't fix it. No additional data points are necessary.

[rgov]

Update

If you are still interested in a solution, please try performing a firmware upgrade on the TB16, which has been reported to restore video over the HDMI port. However, the firmware upgrade must be performed from Windows. It is unlikely that this will work from WINE or a virtual machine.

[orappold]

Works for me like a charm - thank you so much for the update!

edit: I thought both screens on the TB worked fine but apparently the screens are synced and I only see one screen on the MAC monitor settings page. So it's not possible to use the extend screen mode on two screens from the TB. (I use HDMI and mDP)

[kurikomoe]

thanks for your update, however I am using the out-of-date tb15 dock. Hoping dell can release some firmware updates

[bikerwhocodes]

Tried Updating the firmware using win10 bootcamp and got "unable to get system info" error. anybody run into this error before..?

[tekwreck]

Just FYI folks

The Dell D6000 docks work with the Macbook using DisplayLink software. I have one for work and one for home. Home uses Dual 4k and at work I'm using triple 1080p monitors. No issues plus it charges the macbook.
https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-universal-dock-d6000/apd/452-bcyt/pc-accessories

[jackie099]

Tried Updating the firmware using win10 bootcamp and got "unable to get system info" error. anybody run into this error before..?

I am getting the same error. Tried on both macbook pro 2018 amd razer blade 15. I guess we need a xps 15 to update it.

I was playing with different TB3 drivers from Intel NUCs and now I am getting "Could not find valid policy or resource payload"

[c-po]

Using

• macOS 10.14.3
• Thunderbolt3Unblocker v0.04
• DELL TB16 Firmware Version 1.0.2

I can confirm the HDMI output is working as already mentioned. The Display ports are (yet) not working but I can confirm them working with Windows 10.

Connection a second display to a mDP downstream port for MST the second disaply is not recognized. Also the fancy LED inside the TB3 cable is not illuminated, indicating connection to the TB16 dock.

Anyone tried connecting a second display via USB-C/TB3 downstream port of the DELL TB16?

[bikerwhocodes]

@c-po What computer did you use to update the firmware?

Thanks

[c-po]

@NihalPandit I have a DELL 7370, too which is used for FW updating through Windows 10.

I can confirm the Ethernet Port is working, too

[AndrejKocis]

@NihalPandit I have a DELL 7370, too which is used for FW updating through Windows 10.

I can confirm the Ethernet Port is working, too

Hi mate, whre you find Thunderbolt3Unblocker version 0.04 ???

[bikerwhocodes]

@NihalPandit I have a DELL 7370, too which is used for FW updating through Windows 10.
I can confirm the Ethernet Port is working, too

Hi mate, whre you find Thunderbolt3Unblocker version 0.04 ???
https://github.com/rgov/Thunderbolt3Unblocker/releases/download/v0.0.4/Thunderbolt3Unblocker.zip

[c-po]

I was indeed referring to v0.0.4 and not v0.04, sorry!

But I can confirm that the USB-C downstream port on the TB16 can drive one DisplayPort Display, too.

Together with the HDMI output one could connect up to two displays to this Dock. Using Windows one could drive up to 4 displays with the TB3 downstream port

[pavanagrawal123]

@jackie099 and @NihalPandit I had that same issue and I was able to resolve it by updating to an older version of the dock firmware and then updating to the newest version. Jumping to the latest from very old firmware doesn't seem to work, but hopping between works.

[fenneclabs]

@pavanagrawal123 do you mean you got TB16 displays to work with some firmware combination?

[TheJMan211]

My wife got a Macbook Air recently and I am using a TB16 dock. The Mac has the latest update, 10.15.2. I'm seeing behavior that it seems is different than what others describe. First, it never showed "Unsupported" for the dock in the System Information, but nothing worked anyway besides charging. I updated the dock firmware and now if I reboot the Mac with the docking station attached I get display on my DP monitor that I can extend or mirror but if the computer goes to sleep or turns off displays or is unplugged from the dock and plugged back in the display does not come back. Rebooting is the only way it comes back. In addition, none of the USB ports seem to work. Not using ethernet so I can't test that. I tried installing the unblocker anyway to see if it would get the USB working but I can't tell if it installed since it never said that it was unsupported anyway but the USB ports still don't work. I don't have an HDMI monitor to test with to find out if HDMI would work better than the DP.

Additional info: Dock works fine on my Dell laptop so I know it's not the dock just being a lemon.

Update: I tried a miniDP to DP adapter to see if miniDP was working like others report and with that plugged in it wouldn't come up at all.

[threadripper]

Also have this problem in my TB15 cable, USB2.0/3.0 RJ56 mic work well, except video output.

[dnasir]

List of things that work on my 2019 MacBook Pro 16" (Catalina 10.15.3) on the TB16 (updated to latest firmware):

• Display connected to the Thunderbolt port
• USB
• Ethernet

I haven't tested the other display ports because I have no need for them.

[tmerten]

Here is what I found with a TB16 and MBP 13" 2019:

• USB working
• Ethernet working
• Sonnet EGPU via Thunderbolt port (daisy chain) working (although might be slower than direct connect)

However, I also have a weird issue:

• After the firmware update on the TB16, when I now connect it to OSX, the Mac detects an additional, non existing display which is shown as Non. Anybody seen this?

[tinhtruong]

After upgrading the firmware of the dock to the latest version 1.0.4 which can be downloaded at https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-ng/drivers/driversdetails?driverid=fp58v using a Dell laptop on Windows 10
My machine: MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018) with Touchbar - macOS Catalina 10.15.5
Thunderbolt3Unblocker: v0.0.4
What works:

• HDMI port
• Thunderbolt port (USB-C) at the back
• MiniDisplayPort (partially, there are lines running across my Dell monitor)
• Audio output
• All USB ports
• Charging
  What DOES NOT work:
• Displayport

I have not tested the Ethernet port.
I can have 2 monitors hooking up with the dock (one from HDMI and one from the Thunderbolt(USB-C) at the back) working. If I open the laptop screen then I have 3 screen working (no mirroring)
I hope this will help someone out there searching for a solution like me 1 month ago :).

[tinhtruong]

Just upgraded my macbook pro to Catalina 10.15.16 and the dock still works as expected.

[mr-perseus]

I managed to get it to work with two displays, LAN, power, USB keyboard and mouse (macOS 10.15.6, MacBookPro14,2):

• Update the dock's driver (see above).
• Install Thunderbolt3Unblocker on macOS
• Use MiniDisplayPort (or HDMI) and Thunderbolt 3 for the displays. VGA and DisplayPort didn't work for me. You can't use MiniDisplayPort and HDMI together because they are daisy chained (not supported by macOS).

I also installed the DisplayLink driver on macOS (brew cask install displaylink) before enabling Thunderbolt3Unblocker. However, I'm uncertain if this is necessary.

Edit: typo and added macOS version

[dnasir]

I recently noticed that the charging is a bit unstable at times, and there have been several instances where my MBP16 is simply not charged while connected to the dock. I plug it in, I see the thunderbolt symbol in the battery icon in the top right hand corner, but when I click on it, it tells me that it's not charging.

A system restart solves this problem.

Also, it's charging at just 60W according to System Report, but I know this dock is capable of doing 120W, because I've used it with an XPS15 in the past. I'm guessing that there's some sort of low level flag that enables 120W power delivery when it's connected to a Dell laptop.

[orappold]

Yes, same happens to me - re-pluging does work for me without restarting.
Also I do have issues that sometimes my Mac crashes completely. I then need to unplug it and boot it manually, then plug it again. Anyone having the same issue?

[micahqcade]

If/when you update to macOS Catalina 10.15.6 you have disable SIP again, rerun the command

"
sudo sh -c 'chown -R root:wheel /Library/Extensions/Thunderbolt3Unblocker.kext &&
chmod -R g-w,o-w /Library/Extensions/Thunderbolt3Unblocker.kext &&
kextcache -i / &&
nvram -d t3u-incompatible &&
kextload -b es.govost.ryan.Thunderbolt3Unblocker'
"
and reboot, then the dock should work. I just updated to 10.15.6 and the kext stopped working even though it was still in the
Library/extensions folder

[peacechen]

☝️ That should be added to the Readme.

[ioExpander]

Hi. I have a 2020 13 inch Macbook Pro with 4 TB ports. It's running Catalina 10.15.6.
My TB16 dock is running 1.0.4 flashed through a Dell PC running windows. I can get USB ports working fine, however the HDMI or Mini Display port do not output anything to my external 4k monitor (from Acer). I've tried downgrading the dock to 1.0.2 with no success... and now running out of ideas 😞
Did anyone with a similar configuration manage to get any video out signal ?

Here is the output config from the dock :

system_profiler SPThunderboltDataType

Thunderbolt Bus 1:

  Vendor Name: Apple Inc.
  Device Name: MacBook Pro
  UID: 0x4C374C4D19030011
  Route String: 0
  Firmware Version: 0,0
  Domain UUID: FA3C6DE8-11FD-4A5A-B573-715468623053
  Port:
      Status: Device connected
      Link Status: 0x2
      Speed: Up to 40 Gb/s x1
      Current Link Width: 0x2
      Receptacle: 0
      Link Controller Firmware Version: 1.38.0
  Port:
      Status: No device connected
      Link Status: 0x7
      Speed: Up to 40 Gb/s x1
      Current Link Width: 0x1
      Receptacle: 0
      Link Controller Firmware Version: 1.38.0

    Dell Thunderbolt Cable:

      Vendor Name: Dell
      Device Name: Dell Thunderbolt Cable
      Vendor ID: 0xD4
      Device ID: 0xB051
      Device Revision: 0x1
      UID: 0x80865F31B489C910
      Route String: 1
      Firmware Version: 16,16
      Port (Upstream):
          Status: Device connected
          Link Status: 0x2
          Speed: Up to 40 Gb/s x1
          Current Link Width: 0x2
          Link Controller Firmware Version: 0.25.0
      Port:
          Status: Device connected
          Link Status: 0x2
          Speed: Up to 40 Gb/s x1
          Current Link Width: 0x2
          Link Controller Firmware Version: 0.25.0

        Dell Thunderbolt Dock:

          Vendor Name: Dell
          Device Name: Dell Thunderbolt Dock
          Vendor ID: 0xD4
          Device ID: 0xB054
          Device Revision: 0x1
          UID: 0x00D45F31E0F04300
          Route String: 301
          Firmware Version: 27,27
          Port (Upstream):
              Status: Device connected
              Link Status: 0x2
              Speed: Up to 40 Gb/s x1
              Current Link Width: 0x2
              Link Controller Firmware Version: 0.36.0
          Port:
              Status: No device connected
              Link Status: 0x7
              Speed: Up to 40 Gb/s x1
              Current Link Width: 0x1
              Link Controller Firmware Version: 0.36.0

[snowspirit]

sudo sh -c 'chown -R root:wheel /Library/Extensions/Thunderbolt3Unblocker.kext &&
chmod -R g-w,o-w /Library/Extensions/Thunderbolt3Unblocker.kext &&
kextcache -i / &&
nvram -d t3u-incompatible &&
kextload -b es.govost.ryan.Thunderbolt3Unblocker'

Thank you for this! This should be in the Read me for sure as it's what got it to work on Catalina 10.15.6

[ThinkCode]

Just checking to see if anything has changed with dual monitor support (extend mode). It is glitchy and is simply not usable in its current form. Wondering if anyone else had better success.

[AdaLollA]

I just updated my TB16 with an XPS15 in an attempt to get a connection to a 2019 MacBook Pro.

I followed the tb3unblockers instructions to the best of my abilities and i am pretty sure all should be good on that side.

The problem is that none of the Thunderbolt Buses show a device connection. They both are showing "no device connected". The MacBook is charging, but none of the ports on the Dock are working.

Anybody have an idea what is going on / what I did wrong? Seems to me that the device isn't even attempting to use TB3? To the MacBook it seems to just be a "charging cable"?

I get the following system information from the system report:

Port:
Status: No device connected
Link Status: 0x101
Speed: Up to 40Gb/s x1
Current Link Width: 0x1
Receptacle: 2
Link Controller Firmware Version: 1.41.0
Port:
Status: No device connected
Link Status: 0x101
Speed: Up to 40Gb/s x1
Current Link Width: 0x1
Receptacle: 1
Link Controller Firmware Version: 1.41.0

[jackie099]

I am so close to getting it working. I bought a Dell XPS15 to upgrade the firmware of the dock to 1.0.4...
Got the double monitor setup working with XPS15 after the firmware upgrade.

Here is the monitor setup:

1. 4k 60hz monitor -> usb-c to HDMI 2.0 cable connecting to tb3 port of tb16
2. 1440p 60hz monitor -> HDMI to HDMI cable connecting to HDMI port of tb16

I have a MacBook Pro 16 2019, running Catalina 10.15.7. Both monitors work after connecting to MacBook Pro 16, but the 1440p monitor flickers every 5 seconds...

I've tried to reset smc/nvram, reinstall displaylink driver, play with different resolution/refresh rate, trying different tb3 port, and had no luck.

I gave a try with my old MacBook Pro 15 2018 at the end, and it just works... without flickering or anything. I quickly Googled and found someone has the same issue with TB16 and mbp16. https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/379778/macbook-pro-16-and-dell-tb16

Anyone experiencing the same with a solution?

Update:
I updated my MacBook pro to Big Sur today, the tb3 unblocker still works... However, the monitor still flickers/blinks every 5 seconds.

[jackie099]

It seems the issue of blinking/flickering on Macbook Pro 16 only is caused by CPU/USB driver: https://www.dell.com/support/article/de-de/sln306731/kaby-lake-systems-with-usb-type-c-dp-only-non-thunderbolt-connections-using-wd15-or-ds1000-may-have-blanking-external-video?lang=en

I don't see a solution on macOS yet, anyone?

[jackie099]

Another quick update, I just tried to install windows 10 with bootcamp, and guess what... It works out of the box and no driver install required. It's definitely macOS + MacBook Pro 16 issues combined...

[tanpengsccd]

Just FYI folks

The Dell D6000 docks work with the Macbook using DisplayLink software. I have one for work and one for home. Home uses Dual 4k and at work I'm using triple 1080p monitors. No issues plus it charges the macbook.
https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-universal-dock-d6000/apd/452-bcyt/pc-accessories

Dose BigSur work too?

[mr-perseus]

My setup still works on Big Sur after reinstalling this kernel extension:

• MacBookPro14,2 (macOS 11.0.1)
• Updated driver on Dell TB16 (see OP)
• Display 1 on MiniDisplayPort (or HDMI), Display 2 on Thunderbolt 3. (DisplayPort and VGA don't work for me, MiniDisplayPort and HDMI are daisy chained so you can only use one of them)

The DisplayLink driver was not necessary for me.

[Kostya950]

I have problem with Big Sur macOs 11.1 - doesn't work for me...
Update - everything works fine, after reloading tb16 dock station.

[mrkita]

I was using this more or less fine for 2 years on my macbook pro 2016 model. I would occasionally not charge, but replugging it solved the problem, and I could use the usb-c/thunderbolt with a hdmi convertor cable to my monitor without problems.

Flash forward and I have a macbook 2019 16" pro model, and it just doesn't charge correctly. It always says "not charging", and drains directly. I checked the system report as mentioned above, and indeed it only lists it as a 60w charge, but also says "not charging".

Anyone have any clues on this? I'm getting really sick of this dock...

[jackie099]

I was using this more or less fine for 2 years on my macbook pro 2016 model. I would occasionally not charge, but replugging it solved the problem, and I could use the usb-c/thunderbolt with a hdmi convertor cable to my monitor without problems.

Flash forward and I have a macbook 2019 16" pro model, and it just doesn't charge correctly. It always says "not charging", and drains directly. I checked the system report as mentioned above, and indeed it only lists it as a 60w charge, but also says "not charging".

Anyone have any clues on this? I'm getting really sick of this dock...

MacBook Pro 16 draws as much as 100 watts under full load. Using external monitors will trigger the usage of discrete graphics, which easily causes the whole system to draw more than 60 watts...

[alexchandel]

Anyone have any recent success with TB16 + video?

[Sicmatr1x]

Anyone have any recent success with TB16 + video?

nop, just USB success, and if you connect your time machine backup harddrive on the TB16, it couldn't work fine and hint could not begin to backup because your mac is battery mode, but my mac is charging, seems it could not recognize charging

[laris]

I have a tb16 dock and tried to upgrade firmware to 1.0.5 (latest version in 2022 April) but only Dock NVM firmware failed to upgrade to 0.0.27. I'm trying to get Dell support to fix this.

Now the dock can work with usb type-c to 4k monitor, but system cannot show it, and sometimes usb can work and sometimes usb cannot work.

kextstat|grep -i unblocker
Executing: /usr/bin/kmutil showloaded
No variant specified, falling back to release
  210    0 0xffffff7f9a5bf000 0x4e000    0x4e000    es.govost.ryan.Thunderbolt3Unblocker (1) E6321B23-449C-366C-A128-F6B88439C8C0 <209 84 9 7 6 3>

system_profiler SPSoftwareDataType SPHardwareDataType SPThunderboltDataType
Software:

    System Software Overview:

      System Version: macOS 12.3.1 (21E258)
      Kernel Version: Darwin 21.4.0
      Boot Volume: MacBookPro
      Boot Mode: Normal
      User Name: Laris (laris)
      Secure Virtual Memory: Enabled
      System Integrity Protection: Disabled
      Time since boot: 7:15

Hardware:

    Hardware Overview:

      Model Name: MacBook Pro
      Model Identifier: MacBookPro16,4
      Processor Name: 8-Core Intel Core i7
      Processor Speed: 2.3 GHz
      Number of Processors: 1
      Total Number of Cores: 8
      L2 Cache (per Core): 256 KB
      L3 Cache: 16 MB
      Hyper-Threading Technology: Enabled
      Memory: 32 GB
 

Thunderbolt/USB4:

      Thunderbolt/USB4: No drivers are loaded.

[Tuan2002]

I updated to lastest fw 1.0.5 but video out don't work... Anyone help me!. macos 12.6

[AlexMohanMD]

Hi, to anyone struggling with this, with the latest fw and unlocker for ventura, you can use a cheap usb-c to hdmi adapter which works perfectly without flickering! just connect it to the daisy-chain port

[conanslash]

what the latest firmware and how can i get it? from dell official website, the latest releases is 2019...

[smastilovich]

I have a Macbook Pro 13" 2017 with latest version of Ventura 13.5, as well as a TB16 dock with latest firmware. Anyone know where I can get the "unlocker for Ventura"? The latest version of Thunderbolt3Unblocker is from 2018?