This will probably be one of the dumbest questions ever asked but… is there a right way or a wrong way to plug in a USB-C cable to a device. I got a Microsoft Surface laptop in the other day and noticed the USB-C cable will fit in to it right-side-up or right-side down. Did someone actually make an intelligent cable or is the USB-C port messed up on this laptop?
42 Answers
USB C connectors are symmetrical and reversible by design.
It doesn’t matter which way you insert it. It just works.
Unlike USB A connectors, there is no one right way to insert a USB C connector. They are symmetrical connectors that can be inserted either way; up or down. As explained here in this Computerworld article:
“Because the USB C plug is symmetrical, it can be inserted either way, eliminating the frustrations of earlier USB ports and putting it on a par with Apple’s reversible Lightning plug.”
And explained here in this ExtremeTech article:
“The reversible Type-C connector is roughly the same size as the existing Micro-USB connector at the bottom of your smartphone, but it’s reversible. If that wasn’t enough, there will also be new USB cables that have a Type-C connector at both ends, finally giving consumers the feeling that they are the ones in charge, not some pesky cable. Just take a moment to imagine it: In a few months, you’ll be able to grab a USB cable and just plug it in without a care in the world. I’m not entirely sure why we had to wait 15+ years for such a breakthrough, but I’m glad we’re finally there.”
The USB C connector is reversible, but not all USB C connections are equal in what they do.
That said, the only issue you will run into that might be more frustrating than the physical connecter is the USB C spec does not require the connection to deliver certain speeds, protocols or even power requirements.
Meaning, some PCs might have USB C connections you can use just as a data connection. While others — like Apple MacBooks — will have USB C connections that are data connections that can also charge the device. And some that are just data connections might deliver transfer speeds of 5Mbits others might be 10Mbits, and some might deliver Thunderbolt 3/4 speed.
But wait! There’s more!
Not all USB C cables are equal: Sometimes performance will be determined by the cable specs themselves. So you — for example — you might have a USB C cable that came with your device that you can use to charge it… But if you use that connector to connect to a USB 3 or Thunderbolt device, it might just give you abysmal data connection speed.
So USB C solves the problem of “Which way do I stick this thing in?” with “Can I use power this device via USB C and can I connect a fast external drive to this USB C connection and get the max speed?”
0Short answer - It doesn’t matter. The device is supposed to sense which way it’s put in.
People got jealous of Apple’s Lightnight cable/port and how hard it was to insert USB-Micro-B
Slightly longer answer - insertion is easy, but beware of cheap chargers. The USB C power spec is much more complicated than before. It’s easy to buy a cheap charger that can fry things.
This is not a stupid question. USB is very confusing. There’s USB-A (the normal one way rectangle) USB Micro-A (almost never seen, looks a lot like Micro-B) USB-B (the one you only see on printers) USB Mini B (the old tiny plug) USB Micro B (what everyone thinks of as tiny USB) and now USB C, a single connector but a slew of specs and retcons.
