How To Plug In A USB Cable Correctly Every Time

Somehow, even if we think we know which direction that USB cable is supposed to plug in, you always second guess yourself when it doesn’t go in the first time. Here are a few tips to rid your life of this annoying phenomenon.

Image via 9GAG.

Blogger Royce Eddington made a startling discovery that we’ve never noticed before — every USB cable actually tells you which way is “up”:

Look at the top of your next cable. On one side is the manufacturer’s logo, and on the other is the USB symbol (sometimes with another manufacturer logo underneath the symbol). The USB cable always plugs in with the USB symbol facing UP on your laptop. If you have a vertical monitor with USB ports, the USB cable always plugs in with the USB symbol facing you.

I’d add that if you’re plugging it into the back of a desktop tower (i.e. sideways), the USB logo will always face away from the nearest edge of the case. That is, if your USB ports are near the right side of the case, the USB logo should always face left, and vice-versa.

I looked through all my USB cables and shockingly, they all do have this USB logo on them — something I never noticed. Sadly, flash drives are a different matter, but usually you can tell which side is up just by finding the side with the two square “holes” on it. And until someone invents a true cure for this seemingly simple problem, this method should work most of the time.

Plug In a USB Cable Right the First Time [Royce Eddington]