Features:

  • The Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter lets you connect Thunderbolt and Thunderbolt 2 devices — external hard drives and Thunderbolt displays, for example — to any of the Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports on your MacBook Pro.
  • As a bidirectional adapter, it can also connect new Thunderbolt 3 devices to a Mac with a Thunderbolt or Thunderbolt 2 port.
  • Requires macOS Sierra.
  • Compatibility- 13-inch MacBook Air with Retina display, 13-inch MacBook Pro - Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C), 15-inch MacBook Pro - Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C), 21.5-inch iMac - Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C), 27-inch iMac - Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C), iMac Pro, Mac mini - Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C)
Hideously Expensive. It Also Works Great. But Make Sure You Need It Before Purchasing!

I have an expensive portable Western Digital RAID drive (see it at WD 2TB My Passport Pro Portable External Hard Drive - Thunderbolt - WDBRMP0020DBK-NESN) that uses a Thunderbolt 2 connection. When the new MacBook Pro 13 inch models came out, they had nothing but USB-C ports (running Thunderbolt 3: confused yet?). So, my portable RAID drive instantly became useless, because there was no way to connect that existing drive to the new MacBook Pro. This situation may never be a problem for you, unless you, like me, are attempting to connect a Thunderbolt 2 drive to one of the new Thunderbolt 3/USB 3 ports like those found on the new MacBookPros. But if you are, you'll need this adapter, which facilitates such a connection. It's one of the few of its type on the market, but if you need it, you NEED it. It is well-built, and I've had no trouble with it on multiple Thunderbolt 2 drives I have been using. It's physically larger than most dongle-style connectors, with a large, rounded plastic body on one end, undoubtedly where the circuitry and microchips reside to perform the data stream conversion between Thunderbolt 2 and 3. (It also very likely accounts for the high price of the connector, because of the requirement to use controller chips to make the Thunderbolt 2 to Thunderbolt 3 connection possible). So, I recommend it highly because it works so well, and is built with very high quality. But it is quite expensive. However, if you need it, I would go with this model than some third-party brand that might show up, because Thunderbolt (either 2 or 3) is a modern, high-speed transfer format, and you want to ensure maximum transfer speed with uncorrupted data transfer. Note: This entire subject discussion becomes even more complicated because, with the "old" Thunderbolt 2 standard, the physical plug is exactly the same as the "Mini Display Port" connector type. Who dreamed up that bright idea? One (Thunderbolt) transfers DATA AND VIDEO, and the other (MiniDisplayPort), VIDEO ONLY, but they are physically exactly the same! Now, to confuse us further, throw in Thunderbolt 3, and a simultaneous upgrade to USB in the form of USB 3, followed by the decision to make USB 3 and Thunderbolt 3 intra-compatible, you're sitting there, scratching your head sometimes. Do a web search for C|Net's Article on Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3, and they lay it out in all it's intertwined (no pun intended) glory. But, in spite of all the ways you can get confused, if you have a true Thunderbolt 3 connection with a Thunderbolt 3 drive, wow, is it fast (shockingly, up to 40 Gbps). This is the future of connections, so be ready for it. But the thing to note is that USB 3 is a description of a PHYSICAL CONNECTOR. That USB 3 connector might be running Thunderbolt 2, Thunderbolt 3, DisplayPort, and/or USB 3.1 (!). Thunderbolt, DisplayPort, USB 3.1, etc. are examples of PROTOCOLS, and each can run on the physical connector USB 3, but you have to determine what protocol your device and computer support whenever you are using USB 3. The cable may physically fit, but the devices on both ends (plus the cable itself) must all support the same protocol for them to work. Whew.

Solid Solution for Computers with TB2 Ports

This TB3 > TB2 adapter is bidirectional, unlike most others here on Amazon. This means that it can be used to connect TB3 devices to an older computer with only a TB2 port, such as my 2013 Macbook Pro (as well as connect TB2 devices to a computer with a TB3 port). Works like a charm! Solid Apple quality, and the price is very reasonable compared to other similar adapters.

Essential for 2018 MacBook Pro

I have a ton of Thunderbolt 2 RAIDs and other older Thunderbolt peripherals. This is essential for me and works great.

Works perfectly in 'reverse' mode with OWC device

When I first hooked this up it didn't work at all, but that was due to my use of the wrong type of SSD. With the right type it works flawlessly. My challenge was to connect an OWC Express 4M2 enclosure with four M.2 SSDs to my MacBook Pro Retina 15-inch, Mid 2015. The OWC stated unequivocally that this combination would work: "The OWC Express 4M2 is fully backward compatible with Thunderbolt and Thunderbolt 2....Add a Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter along with the appropriate Thunderbolt cable, and you're all set." So, despite all the one-star pans by other reviewers I put my faith in OWC. I purchased four Crucial 1TB SSDs, installed them in the 4M2, and plugged the Thunderbolt Adapter into the enclosure. I connected the computer to the adapter with a Thunderbolt 2 cable. I fired it up, and....nothing. The drives did not show up in the Finder, SoftRAID, or Disk Utility. I contacted OWC support and learned that the 4M2 is designed for NVMe and not SATA drives. I exchanged the Crucial drives for Samsung 970 EVO SSDs (about 50% more expensive but many times faster). The moment I fired it up with the proper SSDs it worked immediately. The bottom line is that in the right situations this adapter does work properly. If you find it's not working it might be due to a compatibility issue with other components in your configuration.

Does what it’s supposed to. Can’t ask for much more.

It does its job. I’ve used it to connect a new 2018 iMac with older Thunderbolt drives and to use a 2011 iMac as an external monitor. No issues at all. I was initially worried a bit about the weight of the adapter causing wear on the USB C plug and port, but the fit is snug and secure and running the attached cable through the hole in the IMac stand takes the weight off. Yes, there are (much) cheaper options, but the build quality on this is quite good and there are no concerns about compatability or reliability.

Works very nicely

I use it to interface a Promise Raid device with Thunderbolt-3 connector to my existing Mac Mini that only supports Thunderbolt 2. While it does not provide full T-bolt 3 throughput, it works. Maybe someday Apple will bring out an updated Mac Mini. For now my current setup provides a large amount of RAID-5 storage that I can share with my Macs, Win 10 box and Linux system.

It Works! Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 to Firewire 800. But You'll Pay

The 2018 MacBook Pro only has those usb-c/Thunderbolt 3 inputs (yes, and the standard 1/8" audio jack, thank god), so how do you get an old Firewire 800 input? I spent hours perusing the internet and buyers' purchases here on Amazon to figure out how to get my "old" Sony miniDV Camcorder videos to import to iMovie. The older MacBook Pro from 2011 or so had many inputs, including the Firewire 800. So all I had to do was use the $10 DV out to Firewire cable and no problem. With these usb-c/Thunderbolt 3 inputs, you need to daisy-chain two adapters. And it's a little pricey. But it is the only way under $100 that I could see to do it. For a grand total of $94+tax, I purchased the $29 Apple FireWire to Thunderbolt adapter. But don't stop there, because the Thunderbolt is Thunderbolt 2, and not Thunderbolt 3 (usb-c) that you will need for the new MacBook Pro. So, taking a risk of roughly $50 (not cheap), I also purchased an Apple Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter. I figured that I would return it for my money and try some option down the road that might come up. So, the two Apple adapters and the cable I was using before with the old MacBook. But hey, it worked! Very pleased. Pricey option for two pricey adapters, but it will be worth it for the 30 to 40 miniDV tapes I have. And I will be able to import any video output through this particular Sony Camcorder DCR-TRV33. For those interested, three adapters/cables: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SQ2CJUS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MQ26QIY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002RB84P8/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 For those further interested, I will post a pic or video of the configuration.

Crucial if you have a Apple Thunderbolt Display, but make sure you need it

Is it expensive? YES Is there an alternative? NO Do I need it? READ MORE Okay there's a lot of confusion about this item and I needed one because I have an Apple Thunderbolt Display and wanted it to work with a MacBook Pro with a USB-C port. This adapter is the only adapter on the market that seems to work after an exhaustive research. Do you really need it? The question lies within which Apple Display you got - there's the Apple Cinema Display that uses a Mini Display Port, and there is the Apple Thunderbolt Display that uses Thunderbolt 2. The confusion lies within the connector because they shares the same physical connector much like TB3 and USB-C. The only distinction here lies within the little thunderbolt or a little monitor printed on the computer. They are however different even thou they appear the same. I have BOTH displays and I can tell you that the Apple Cinema Display has 3 cords coming out from one end, a Macsafe power cord, the Mini Displayport, and notably a USB cord that you plug into the computer and the display acts as a hub and has USB ports on the back; where the Thunderbolt Display has only has 2 cords coming out - a MacSafe power cord, and a Thunderbolt 2 connector. TB2 acts as a hub to give you 3 USB 2.0, 1 TB port, 1 FireWire 800, and a Gigabit Ethernet port. It's a lot more powerful and carries power and data and that's why it's not compatible with a Mini DisplayPort adapter. So again, double check which display you have before you buy this connector. This is for the Thunderbolt Display, and if you have that you don't have an alternative this is it.

Perfect adapter to complete my connection from Thunderbolt 2 to Thunderbolt 3 (needed a TB2 cable)

The adapter that I received definitely appears to be an authentic Apple product and it certainly is performing exactly as expected. I used this adapter to connect a Thunderbolt 3 device to a 2013 Mac Pro with Thunderbolt 2 ports. I connected a Thunderbolt 2 cable to the Mac Pro TB 2 port and then to the Thunderbolts 2 port on this adapter and then connected the adapter to a Thunderbolt 3 device. Everything worked exactly as expected. I am very pleased!

Don’t settle! This is the only adapter that will allow you to migrate data manually.

Apple products do exactly what they’re intended. DO NOT settle for a generic brand. I’m all about cheaper, but with Apple products you want to stay as close to their own products as possible to get the job done. My mother in law bought a brand new MacBook Pro so she asked me to migrate her data and settings. I tried to keep it cheap but did not realize there was a difference between “Thunderbolt” and “Mini-Display Port” because the connector ends are identical. There IS a huge difference! If you need to migrate data from an old MacBook to a new MacBook, you have to spend the money (unless you already have one) on an actual Thunderbolt cable and in case the Migration Assistant doesn’t migrate all data successfully, you’ll also need the Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 adapter.

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