Luna Display Setup Error

If you are getting an error message similar to the one below, this typically indicates an issue with hardware compatibility.

Why would I get this message?

Even if your computer meets our minimum system requirements, there could be other things that are affecting how Luna is able (or not able) to communicate with your Mac.       

Your computer has reached its external display limit

Luna uses the same industry standards as a regular monitor, so it behaves like a regular monitor and would count as a USB-C display, HDMI or Mini DisplayPort display.

Macs can only output to a certain number of external displays, which can be found in your Mac's technical specifications. This number will vary depending on the year and model of your Mac. You can find the technical specifications for your specific Mac here:

Understanding your Mac's technical specifications

Once you have found your Mac's technical specifications, scroll down until you find the Video Support section. For example, here is the Video Support section for a 2020 M1 Mac mini:

These specifications tell us that the M1 Mac mini can support two external displays: one display connected using Thunderbolt (USB-C) and one display connected using HDMI. Since a USB-C Luna would be connected using the Thunderbolt (USB-C) port, Luna would count as a USB-C display. The only other display that can additionally be connected to the Mac mini would need to be connected using the HDMI port.

The same may apply to PCs.  

Luna is plugged into an incompatible port or adapter

We highly recommend plugging Luna directly into a compatible port on your Mac, instead of using an adapter, dock, or hub. → Learn More

Luna needs to be plugged into a port that can support video or display output. The USB-C Luna uses DisplayPort Alt Mode protocol, so it needs to be plugged into a port that supports this or Thunderbolt protocol. The Mini DisplayPort Luna only supports mini DisplayPort and DisplayPort protocols and is only compatible with Mac. HDMI Luna is only compatible with PC. 

For example, the 2021 M1 24-inch iMac comes with an option for an expanded model of two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports and two USB 3 (Type-C) ports, as shown on the right of the image below. Luna can only work if it is plugged into one of the Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports, as those have support for display output. Even though the USB 3 ports have the same shape, they do not have support for display output and are only used for data transfer.

This is also true for Mac Studio devices. The Mac Studio comes with two ports on the front that are only basic USB-C ports and will not support Luna. The Luna Display hardware will need to be plugged into one of the four Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports on the back in order to work properly, otherwise, you will see the error stating that "something went wrong".

Other USB devices are preventing your computer from recognizing Luna

If you have other Thunderbolt or USB devices plugged into your computer, they may be using up all of your port resources and not leaving any resources for Luna to communicate with your computer.

On Intel-chip Macs, even if there are multiple Thunderbolt ports, each pair of Thunderbolt ports share one Thunderbolt bus controller. By sharing a Thunderbolt bus controller, the ports share the same Thunderbolt bandwidth with each other. 

For example, a 2019 Macbook Pro has four Thunderbolt 3 ports (two on each side of the Macbook Pro). Each side of the Macbook Pro has one Thunderbolt bus controller, which is shared by both Thunderbolt 3 ports on that side.

If you have a Thunderbolt or USB device connected to the same Thunderbolt bus controller as Luna, there is a chance that the Thunderbolt or USB device is using most or all of the bandwidth from the Thunderbolt bus controller, and not leaving enough bandwidth for Luna. This is common with Thunderbolt docks or hubs, or external monitors with resolutions of 4K and higher.