How to mount your 27" iMac and/or Thunderbolt Display

I have a 27” iMac and a 27” Thunderbolt Display on my desk. These monitors are (unsurprisingly) huge, and their footprint is also pretty large. Between a keyboard, mouse, and trackpad as well as these two monitors, I was running out of space for notebooks and other reference materials, so I decided to clamp them to the desk and get their stands out of the way. There’s a pretty huge lack of material about this, so after scouring random forums, I found a way that works great.

To mount either monitor, you need two things:

  1. Apple VESA Mount Adapter Kit (affiliate link) (one for each monitor/iMac, of course)
  2. Ergotron MX Desk Mount (again, one for each monitor)

The MX is expensive, but it comes with a variety of mounting options and supports the ~30 pound weight of each monitor.

Assembly

All the tools you need are included in these two kits. I think the VESA mount adaptor is the only Apple product that requires any assembly, which entertains me for some reason.

Adaptor Kit

  1. Place the monitor flat on its screen.
  2. Slide the included card into the crack between the stand and the device to unlock the stand and reveal the 8 Torx screws.
  3. Unscrew them, remove the mount, and attach the fitting with the same 8 screws you just removed.
  4. Lay the plate on top of the fitting.
  5. Screw in the top bolt. Until you screw the top bolt, the side bolts will not fit.
  6. Screw in the side bolts.

MX Desk Mount

  1. Attach the plates you need, depending on if you’re mounting to the wall, through a desk hole, or clamping to the side of a desk. I clamped it to the desk and I found that it’s easier to clamp it to the desk before attaching the monitor.
  2. Attach the monitor.
  3. Tighten the hex bolt in the arm to increase the tension and make the arm support the weight of the monitor. This hex bolt can be adjusted using the Allen wrench they give you and is coaxial to the arm. It’s hidden inside, so you just have to feel around with the wrench until you find it.

I have a pretty crappy particle board desk from Ikea, and the clamp seems to hold fast to it. I was a little worried that the stress from the mount would break the desk, but it seems to be okay.

If I’m typing very vigorously, sometimes the monitor shakes a little. Other than that, I’m very happy with my new-found desk space and with these mounts.

Get in touch via Twitter at @khanlou or via email at soroush@khanlou.com if you have any questions about the setup.