From USB-A to Thunderbolt: The definitive guide to the ports on your Apple devices

Apple devices come with a range of ports into which you plug accessories, chargers, and other external devices. But, with technology constantly changing and bringing new hardware solutions to old problems, how can you keep up with the current openings on your Apple devices?

From HDMI to USB-C and everything in-between, here’s our quick reference guide. The first section lists the ports on each major Apple device. The second section explains what each port does and what it’s used for.

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Thunderbolt/USB 4 FAQ

What does Thunderbolt/USB 4 look like? The Thunderbolt/USB 4 port is a rectangular oval. If you look inside a device port, you’ll see a thin line directly across the center–that’s a male connector within the port. If you look inside a Thunderbolt/USB 4 cable connector, you won’t find that thin line, meaning it’s a female connector.

Some Apple devices have both Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports and USB-C ports (see the next section below). On certain machines, Apple identifies the Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports with a Thunderbolt icon atop the port.

What does Thunderbolt/USB 4 do? The Thunderbolt/USB 4 port is a little more complicated than most. The reason for the dual name is that the port takes on the physical properties of USB-C, but the whole thing is powered by Thunderbolt 4 technology. Learn more about Thunderbolt and USB 4.

Apple uses Thunderbolt/USB 4 as its high-performance port; it offers fast 40Gbps data rates. The USB-C ports that Apple also use implement the USB 3.1 protocol that tops out at 10Gbps. It’s also capable of sending electricity at the same time, so it can power or charge a connected device.

What can I connect to Thunderbolt/USB 4? As with all previous USB ports, Thunderbolt/USB 4 is a one-stop shop for connecting all peripherals, accessories, docks, hubs, and anything else you want to connect to your Apple device. You can connect Thunderbolt or USB-C devices to the port. It also supports displays, but you’ll need to check with each Mac’s specifications to see what the limits are. If you have a peripheral that has a different connector, you may be able to use a USB-C adapter.

USB-C FAQ

What does USB-C look like? A USB-C port/connector looks exactly like a Thunderbolt/USB 4 port. If an Apple device has both Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports and USB-C ports, the USB-C ports are the ones without a Thunderbolt icon.

What does USB-C do? Apple’s implementation of USB-C relies on the USB 3.1 protocol, which support data rates of 10Gbps. It’s not as fast as Thunderbolt/USB 4, but it’s cheaper for Apple to use, so it’s in devices that don’t need high-speed data rates (like AirPods) or devices that are at Apple’s consumer price level. It’s also capable of sending electricity at the same time, so it can power or charge a connected device.

What can I connect to USB-C? USB-C is for connecting all peripherals, accessories, hubs, docks, and anything else you want to connect to your Apple device. It also supports displays, but you’ll need to check with each Apple device’s specifications to see what the limits are. If you have a peripheral that has a different connector, you may be able to use a USB-C adapter. Since Thunderbolt and USB-C use the same connector, you might be wondering if you can connect a Thunderbolt device to USB-C on an Apple device. A device implements Thunderbolt to take advantage of the faster data rate–a rate that USB-C doesn’t match. So, you can connect a Thunderbolt device to a Mac’s USB-C port, but it may not work properly or at all.

USB-A FAQ

What does USB-A look like? The USB-A slot is rectangular, with smaller plastic rectangles taking up one half of the space inside. You’ll find it only on the Mac mini and Mac Studio in Apple current Mac lineup.

What does USB-A do? The Universal Serial Bus has been around since the late 1990s to standardize how peripherals connected to various computers. The USB-A type port was used for many years, so it’s often the port you find on USB devices.

The USB-A ports on the Mac mini and Mac Studio implement the USB 3.1 Gen 2 protocol, which has data rates of 10Gbps. It’s slower than the Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports found on most Macs,

What can I connect to USB-A? The little rectangular ports can be used with external keyboards, disk drives, thumb drives, microphones, desk lights, and a multitude of other peripherals. It can even connect an iPhone or iPad if you have the proper cable. USB-A can also be used to charge or power devices.

MagSafe FAQ

What does MagSafe look like? On a MacBook, it’s a thin oval with a black sliver in the center with five metal contacts. On an iPhone, you can’t see it, but it’s underneath the back panel.

What does MagSafe do? It’s used for charging. On MacBooks, it’s a magnetic connector that will break away if it’s yanked with a decent amount of effort. It’s a handy connector to use if you’re charging while using the MacBook in a remote location–if someone trips over the cable, the connector breaks away and saves the laptop from falling off a table or your lap. (On MacBooks, Apple refers it is as “MagSafe 3.”)

On iPhones, it’s also a magnetic connector, but it’s a ring on the back–you can’t see it because it’s underneath the panel. An iPhone MagSafe charger looks nothing like a MacBook MagSafe charger; the iPhone version can take many shapes but it’s often a circular disc. (On iPhones, Apple refers to it as “MagSafe.”) On many cases for MagSafe iPhones, there’s ring on the back to denote where a MagSafe connector should attach.

Lightning FAQ

What does the Lightning port look like It’s a small rectangular oval port that looks a lot like a smaller USB-C or Thunderbolt/USB 4 port. Lighting is a female connector, so it doesn’t have a line at the center. A male Lightning connector has four metal contacts on each side.

What does the Lightning port do? When Apple launched the iPhone 5 and the 4th-generation iPad, it replaced the 30-pin connector that had featured on all the previous models with Lightning technology. As well as being much smaller (and thus allowing more room for technology inside the devices) Lightning was fully digital and could be inserted either way up.

The Lightning port is primarily employed for charging devices but can also carry data to and from connected Macs or PCs. Lightning can also be used to connect wired headphones; Apple supplied Lightning earphones, or a Lightning to 3.5mm Headphone Jack Adapter can be used.

What can I connect to Lightning? Older iPhones and iPads use Lightning. Apple’s Mac input devices still use Lightning, as do some models of the AirPods. Apple is phasing out Lightning in favor of USB-C, so it won’t be on new Apple devices.

HDMI FAQ

What does the HDMI port look like? The HDMI port is a long rectangle with the two lower corners cut off. Inside there is a thin line across the center, which is a male connector. HDMI cables have female connectors and thus lack the center connector.

What does HDMI do? High-Definition Multimedia Interface allows you to send high-definition video and audio from your Mac to an external display. This display can be a desktop Mac’s main display or a second display on a MacBook Pro.

What can I connect to HDMI? Any display, projector, or TV that offers HDMI. The resolutions your display can run depends on the protocol the HDMI port is using. The M2 Mac mini’s HDMI port is running version 2.0 of the HDMI protocol, so its maximum display resolution and refresh rate is 4K at 60Hz. The other Macs with HDMI use version 2.1, which support a maximum of 8K resolution at 60Hz or 4K resolution at 240Hz.

Ethernet FAQ

What does the ethernet port look like? The ethernet port is a square with two rectangles in the top left and right hand corners, and a grill-like rectangle along the bottom.

What does the ethernet port do? An ethernet port allows you to plug directly into a router, using an RJ-45 cable, to get the best possible signal for your internet connection. It can be faster and more reliable than Wi-Fi.

If you have a Mac with both ethernet and Wi-Fi, you can use only one at a time to connect to a network.

What Apple devices have ethernet? The Mac mini and high-end iMac have gigabit ethernet ports, while a faster 10Gb ethernet port is an option on the Mac mini, and standard on the Mac Studio and Mac Pro. On the Apple silicon iMacs, the ethernet port is built into the charger since the device itself is too thin to support it.

SDXC FAQ

What does the SDXC slot look like? The SDXC slot is a thin rectangular opening, about an inch long.

What does the SDXC slot do? SD cards are a form of storage usually associated with digital cameras. You can take an SD card from a device and insert it into the Mac’s SDXC slot, and it will read the card as an external storage device.

What types of SD Cards can the SXDC slot read? The SDXC slot will accept any type of SD card, except for the Micro SD cards you might find in some camera, recording devices, or Android phones. For this you’ll need an adapter.

3.5mm headphone jack FAQ

What does the 3.5mm headphone jack look like? A small circular port found on the sides of MacBooks and the iMac, and the back of the Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro.

What does the 3.5mm headphone jack do? This aperture allows you to plug in wired headphones or earbuds when you want to escape the noise and distraction of the world at large.

The jack in Apple current Mac lineup supports high-impedance headphones, which are often used in audio production or audiophiles. The jack can be used with typical consumer-level wired headphones.

Even though it’s called a headphone jack, it can be used with speakers with a 3.5mm wired plug.

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