4 ways I add more USB ports to a Mac or Windows PC

• USB hubs
• Thunderbolt docks
• USB expansion cards
• A quality monitor

As much as some companies might like to pretend that everything is ready to go wireless, you really can’t get around the need for USB ports on a computer. On my work laptop, it’s hard to imagine writing all day without access to a mouse and full-sized keyboard. Still, other people need to connect monitors, external storage, game controllers, or security keys. At the least, it’s a convenient way of charging your smartphone when you’re not sitting by your nightstand charger.

With USB ports sometimes in short supply, what can you do? There are a couple of obvious answers to expanding the number of connections available, but there’s more you can do if you’re willing to spend a little extra, or (in the case of a PC) know your way around motherboards and cases. I’ll explain which scenarios each option tends to be better for. You can combine multiple solutions if maximizing flexibility takes a higher priority than your budget.

USB hubs

Fast, cheap, and often enough

A USB hub is, frequently, the most cost-effective approach. If your demands aren’t particularly heavy, you can find one for less than $20 online, maybe even $10, although it’s worth remembering that you get what you pay for. A cheap USB-A-based hub isn’t going to offer much in the way of bandwidth, build quality, or port options. Its best use may be in hooking up a mouse, keyboard, and gamepad, as well as slower forms of external storage, like flash sticks and SD cards.

Bus-powered hubs are more portable and convenient, but limit the amount of power accessories can draw, and will naturally accelerate battery drain on a laptop.

For anything more intense, you’ll want to step up to USB-C. Not all USB-C ports are the same, but they can potentially support more data and power throughput, making it realistic to hook up things like 4K monitors or external SSDs. Some hubs include things like HDMI ports, Ethernet jacks, and built-in SD readers. Typically, the USB extensions on these hubs offer a mix of USB-A and USB-C connectors. The link to your computer should run at USB 3.2 or 4 speeds, if at all possible. USB 3.1 may be acceptable.

An important distinction here is the difference between bus- and wall-powered hubs. Bus-powered hubs are more portable and convenient, but limit the amount of power accessories can draw, and will naturally accelerate battery drain on a laptop. Wall-powered hubs are potentially essential for some use cases, but shop carefully — a number of them are more focused around charging than data. There’s no sense buying something with five charging ports when what you really need is 10Gbps data.

Thunderbolt docks

The best foundation for a workstation (or battlestation)

As their name implies, Thunderbolt docks are normally meant to stay in one place. My Razer dock is technically portable, but it’s larger and heavier than most USB hubs, and completely dependent on wall power. Many other models are the same. So why would you want one? The answer is that Thunderbolt 4 (compatible with most USB 4 ports) supports data transfers up to 40Gbps, twice as fast as USB 3.2 Gen 2×2. Thunderbolt 5 is yet faster, enabling speeds up to 80 or even 120Gbps, though you’ll only get those via USB 4 v2. Unfortunately, that’s pretty rare and sold at a premium.

With Thunderbolt 5, power capacity rises to between 140 and 240W — often enough to recharge a laptop without a separate adapter.

This extra bandwidth makes Thunderbolt docks ideal for expanding computer ports without compromise. Depending on a dock’s configuration, you may be able to connect multiple 4K monitors, 10Gbps Ethernet, and/or the fastest possible external SSDs. Any additional Thunderbolt ports will support daisy-chaining, and at least 100W of power delivery. With Thunderbolt 5, power capacity rises to between 140 and 240W — often enough to recharge a laptop without a separate adapter.

A Thunderbolt dock could be de facto if you want the convenience of a laptop, but the ability to plug into a full workstation when you’re at home. That’s the main reason I have one. It may also be the preferable way of extending a desktop PC, since there’s no need to perform any tricky hardware installs (see below), and a dock can be swapped to a new machine in a matter of seconds.

USB expansion cards

Best reserved for niche cases

In a desktop tower PC, you can permanently increase the number of USB slots with an expansion card. A modern card is going to plug into one of your motherboard’s PCIe slots, and most likely add two to four USB-C or USB-A connections, or possibly a mix of both. As a note, you should probably insert any card into the slowest available slot — the fastest ones should be reserved for components like your graphics card.

This option isn’t practical for most people. Assuming you own a tower PC, the benefits still probably aren’t worth the hassle. You’ll not only have to power down your system, open it, and insert the card, but screw it into one of the tower’s available bay mounts — if there is one — and it’s properly aligned. After you power on, you’ll have to install any necessary USB drivers.

I know I’d much rather get state-of-the-art rendering than slightly improve my port selection.

It’s just much simpler to use an external hub or dock that you can switch between devices at will. Depending on your rig, you may not even have enough free room on your motherboard. Some of AMD and Nvidia’s better graphics cards can actually block your spare PCIe ports, and that’s all the more true if you install elaborate cooling tech. I know I’d much rather get state-of-the-art rendering than slightly improve my port selection.

A quality monitor

Two birds with one stone

While you can buy barebones monitors with video inputs and nothing else, many monitors include multiple USB ports as a matter of course. The right one may eliminate any need for an external hub or even a Thunderbolt dock. As a bonus, you get these connections without any additional clutter on your desk, apart from the cables you’re using.

There are a few caveats, the most obvious being that you may not need a new monitor. The better models will also be far more expensive than a Thunderbolt dock, while not necessarily being as well-equipped on the connectivity front. Even Dell’s best, most expensive gaming display limits its expansion ports to 5Gbps, and just one of them includes USB-C. An LG monitor with Thunderbolt 5 can potentially cost as much as the computer you’re connecting it to.

Another issue is placement. Many people do indeed want their USB accessories near their monitor, but a hub or dock can help push cables and peripherals out to the corners of your desk — which tends to be more aesthetically pleasing. If nothing else, it’s nice to have extra freedom in choosing where things go.