USB-C

USB Type‑C connector
	Illustrations of the Full-Featured Type‑C connectors (receptacle left, plug right)
Type	Digital audio/video/data/power – connector
Production history
Designer	USB Implementers Forum
Designed	11 August 2014 (published)
Produced	12 August 2014–present
Superseded	All earlier USB connectors (Type‑A, ‑B, and ‑AB, and their different sizes: Standard, Mini, and Micro); DisplayPort; Mini DisplayPort; Lightning
General specifications
Pins	24

USB‑C, or USB Type‑C, is a 24-pin reversible connector (not a protocol) that supersedes all previous USB connectors, designated legacy in 2014, and also supersedes Mini DisplayPort and Lightning^[3] connectors. USB‑C can carry data, e.g. audio or video, power, or both, to connect to displays, external drives, mobile phones, keyboards, trackpads, mice, and many more devices; sometimes indirectly via hubs or docking stations. It is used not only by USB technology, but also by other data transfer protocols, including Thunderbolt, PCIe, HDMI, DisplayPort, and others. It is extensible to support future protocols.

The design for the USB‑C connector was initially developed in 2012 by Intel, HP Inc., Microsoft, and the USB Implementers Forum. The Type‑C Specification 1.0 was published by the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) on August 11, 2014.^[4] In July 2016, it was adopted by the IEC as "IEC 62680-1-3".^[5]

The USB Type‑C connector has 24 pins and is reversible.^[6]^[7] The designation C distinguishes it from the various USB connectors it replaced, all termed either Type‑A or Type‑B. Whereas earlier USB cables had a host end A and a peripheral device end B, a USB‑C cable connects either way; and for interoperation with older equipment, there are cables with a Type‑C plug at one end and either a Type‑A (host) or a Type‑B (peripheral device) plug at the other.

The designation C refers only to the connector's physical configuration, or form factor, not to be confused with the connector's specific capabilities and performance, such as Thunderbolt 3, DisplayPort 2.0, USB 3.2 Gen 2×2. While USB‑C is the single modern connector for all USB protocols, there are valid uses of the connector that do not involve any USB protocol. Based on the protocols supported by all, host, intermediate devices (hubs), and peripheral devices, a USB‑C connection normally provides much higher data rates, and ofter more electrical power, than anything using the superseded connectors.

A device with a Type‑C connector does not necessarily implement any USB transfer protocol, USB Power Delivery, or any of the Alternate Modes: the Type‑C connector is common to several technologies while mandating only a few of them.^[8]

USB 3.2, released in September 2017, fully replaced the USB 3.1 (and therefore also USB 3.0) specifications. It preserves the former USB 3.1 SuperSpeed and SuperSpeed+ data transfer modes and introduces two additional data transfer modes by newly applying two-lane operations, with signalling rates of 10 Gbit/s (SuperSpeed USB 10 Gbps; raw data rate: 1.212 GB/s) and 20 Gbit/s (SuperSpeed USB 20 Gbps; raw data rate: 2.422 GB/s). They are only applicable with Full-Featured USB‑C cables and connectors and hosts, hubs, and peripheral devices that use them.

USB4, released in 2019, is the first USB transfer protocol standard that is applicable exclusively via USB‑C.

^ Universal Serial Bus Type‑C Cable and Connector Specification Revision 1.3 (14 July 2017), Revision History, page 14.
^ Universal Serial Bus Type‑C Cable and Connector Specification Revision 1.3 (14 July 2017), Revision History, page 14.
^ ^a ^b "Apple to complete its USB‑C transition for AirPods and other accessories by 2025". 2023-09-17. Retrieved 2023-09-21.
^ "Universal Serial Bus Type‑C Cable and Connector Specification" (PDF). 1.0. USB 3.0 Promoter Group. 2014-08-11. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2025-02-13. Retrieved 2025-02-26.
^ "IEC Formally Adopts USB Type‑C, USB Power Delivery and USB 3.1 Specifications" (Press release). 2016-07-13. Archived from the original on 2021-01-30. Retrieved 2022-09-10.
^ "USB Type‑C Cable and Connector: Language Usage Guidelines from USB-IF" (PDF). Usb.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-11-05. Retrieved 2018-12-15.
^ Hruska, Joel (2015-03-13). "USB‑C vs. USB 3.1: What's the difference?". ExtremeTech. Archived from the original on 2015-04-11. Retrieved 2015-04-09.
^ "USB Type‑C Overview" (PDF). usb.org. USB-IF. 2016-10-20. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-12-20.

[1] Universal Serial Bus Type‑C Cable and Connector Specification Revision 1.3 (14 July 2017), Revision History, page 14.

[2] Universal Serial Bus Type‑C Cable and Connector Specification Revision 1.3 (14 July 2017), Revision History, page 14.

[lightning-3] "Apple to complete its USB‑C transition for AirPods and other accessories by 2025". 2023-09-17. Retrieved 2023-09-21.

[Promoter_Group-4] "Universal Serial Bus Type‑C Cable and Connector Specification" (PDF). 1.0. USB 3.0 Promoter Group. 2014-08-11. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2025-02-13. Retrieved 2025-02-26.

[5] "IEC Formally Adopts USB Type‑C, USB Power Delivery and USB 3.1 Specifications" (Press release). 2016-07-13. Archived from the original on 2021-01-30. Retrieved 2022-09-10.

[auto-6] "USB Type‑C Cable and Connector: Language Usage Guidelines from USB-IF" (PDF). Usb.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-11-05. Retrieved 2018-12-15.

[extremetech-7] Hruska, Joel (2015-03-13). "USB‑C vs. USB 3.1: What's the difference?". ExtremeTech. Archived from the original on 2015-04-11. Retrieved 2015-04-09.

[USB-C_HK2016-8] "USB Type‑C Overview" (PDF). usb.org. USB-IF. 2016-10-20. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-12-20.

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