macOS 26 Tahoe introduced support for high refresh rate modes for compatible HDMI 2.1 displays on compatible Apple Silicon Mac systems. Plugable adapters with compatible chipsets, such as USBC-HDMI8K and UD-7400PD, support these higher modes if the adapter is running the correct firmware. Please also note that high refresh rate is not available on all displays. Consult your monitor’s user manual to check what it supports
System Requirements
HDMI 2.1 high refresh rate support is available only on the following Apple Silicon Mac processors:
- M1 Pro
- M1 Max
- M2 Pro
- M2 Max
- M3 and newer
Base M1 and base M2 systems do not support HDMI 2.1 high refresh rate output. On these systems, 4K high refresh rate modes will not be available.
Note that if 4K high refresh rate modes are not available in System Settings > Displays, your unit may require updated firmware to enable this functionality. Without the updated firmware, the adapter may operate in HDMI 2.0 mode and high refresh rate options may not appear, even when using:
- macOS 26 Tahoe or above
- A compatible HDMI 2.1 display
- A HDMI 2.1 cable
- A supported Pro/Max or M3+ Mac system
What You Need
To update the firmware, you will need:
- A HDMI 2.1 Cable
- A Windows PC with a USB-C port that supports DisplayPort Alt Mode (video output)
- The VmmTool firmware update application: https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9nrk6tg8vcnx?hl=en-US&gl=US
- The appropriate firmware (.fullrom) file
Note: The firmware update cannot be performed in macOS. A Windows system with USB-C DisplayPort Alt Mode support is required. Please contact Plugable support at support@plugable.com if you don’t have access to a system for performing the update.
How to Update
To ensure the best possible experience we ask that you contact our support team directly to request the firmware update instructions. Please contact Plugable support at support@plugable.com.
