Fraying cable from old Apple Thunderbolt display to new Macbook Air is held on with sticky tape

suzy_AU wrote:

I’m not sure what to be searching for. The cable that splits into two parts? What’s that called?

People often call that cable a "hydra cable", because it has multiple heads. (There is a limit to the analogy: "Cut off one head, two more will take its place" won't get you anywhere with a "hydra cable.")

The key is that you do not need to install a new hydra cable in place of the old permanently-attached one … or even to bypass the old-style MagSafe head (a head that would go unused anyway).

The type of cable which D.I. Johnson is talking about has Mini DisplayPort type connectors on both ends – but is built to Thunderbolt standards, and certified to carry Thunderbolt. It is this Thunderbolt support that may make the cable expensive and hard to find.

I have used, at my own risk, shrink tubing for my older iPhone lightening cables.

But this only works, if it is not too damaged.

Did you check the internet for certified 3rd part products?

Simply buy a Thunderbolt 1 or 2 cable and connect it from the Mac to the Thunderbolt port on the Thunderbolt Display. I had been running my TB display that way for years when its built in cable went wonky.

Search Amazon for "Thunderbolt 2 cables". They will be expensive.

As @woodmeister50 posted, you'll be searching for "Thunderbolt 2 cable".

Use it instead of the damaged cable. Plug one end of the Thunderbolt 2 cable into the adapter you have connected to the computer and the other end to the Thunderbolt port on the back panel of the display.

You're welcome.