October 6th, 2020

How to plug in your USB Type A connector correctly the first time

Raymond Chen
Raymond Chen

Nearly every USB plug has a USB logo printed on one side. Use this one weird trick: Plug it in with that side facing up.¹

Make sure it’s the USB logo that’s facing up. The manufacturer logo, if present, faces down.

When I find a plug that lacks a logo. I put a small sticker on the “top” side.

Most power adapters in the United States are unpolarized two-prong Type A, which means that they can be plugged into the wall in either orientation. I write the amperage on a small sticker and stick it to the “top” side of the adapter.

There are some manufacturers who install their USB receptacles sideways or (heaven forfend) upside-down. I use a small sticker to identify the “logical top” side of those receptacles.

¹ “Rule of thumb: Thumb on the logo.”

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Old New Thing
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Author

Raymond Chen

Raymond has been involved in the evolution of Windows for more than 30 years. In 2003, he began a Web site known as The Old New Thing which has grown in popularity far beyond his wildest imagination, a development which still gives him the heebie-jeebies. The Web site spawned a book, coincidentally also titled The Old New Thing (Addison Wesley 2007). He occasionally appears on the Windows Dev Docs Twitter account to tell stories which convey no useful information.

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  • Péter Ádám

    My XtremeMac A to C cable is bidirectional on the A side, too.

  • dexi lin 
    while (true)
{
    FacingUp = !FacingUp;
}
  • aidtopia

    I suspect the convenience of Type C's reversibility comes at the cost of lifespan. The contacts are much smaller than the ones on a Type A connector (for a variety of reasons, including reversibility). As cables are disconnected and reconnected, the contacts will wear, and, presumably, smaller contacts will wear out faster. And the higher current ratings of Type C means the smaller contacts are already closer to the minimum size required....

    Read more
    • Jernej Simončič

      I’ve had a few permanently connected USB-C cables stop working for no visible reason (the cable simply wouldn’t be held in the socket any more). These were USB-C to DisplayPort used on NUCs.

    • David Walker

      If it’s a connector you are plugging and unplugging a lot, you’ll probably lose the cable (or other device) before the contacts wear out….

  • ben@decadent.org.uk

    I’m not sure the logos are all that consistent. I orient USB A plugs using the join in the metal shielding, which seems to always be on the underside.

  • Krisztian Hegyvari

    You try to plug it in, it doesn`t work, you turn it, retry, it doesn`t work either so you turn it again and in it goes. Works every time.

  • Ivan K

    I eventually discovered the 2 "holes" on the top idea to detect the orientation of A cables. This works for me for most cables and sticks with no logo or black on black logos (I find the silver metal easy to see even in low ambient light). The top has the "holes" punched "through" the metal and the other side has them "filled in".
    All my devices (luckily?) have the orientation correct and vertical recepticles...

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    • Dan Bugglin

      I can feel for the two “prongs” on one side of Micro-USB connectors which I use to orient the cable for plugging into my headset.

      Would still prefer USB-C of course.

  • Gunnar Dalsnes

    I checked a random collection of 10 cables in arms reach. 2 of 10 has a usb logo. 2 of 10 has no logo. 6 of 10 has vendor logo where the first 2 had usb logo. So “The manufacturer logo, if present, faces down” was a 100% miss for me.
    Edit: no cables had both usb logo and vendor logo.

    • M. W.

      I suspect Raymond has less experience with cheap Chinese cables than some of us. 🤔

    • Ian Boyd

      In order to manufacture USB components, you’re supposed to be part of the USB Implementors. If you pay the dues, and follow the technical requirements, you get to put a usb logo on the “top” of your cable.

      I feel the cables you bought may have been manufactured by someone who didn’t belong to the USB association. 🙂

  • David Walker

    I read that one of the inventors of the USB specification (or the form factor, or something) recently passed away. He was buried upside down at first, so he had to be taken out and turned over.

    (I hope that's not disrespectful!)

    And yay to the designers of USB-C so that it works in both orientations.

    I looked at sixdifferent brands of USB flash drives in my desk. None of them has a USB...

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    • cheong00

      At least he’s not the one who designed the PS/2 plug. 😛

      • M. W.

        Would they have to shut down the Earth before re-inserting him into the ground? 🤔

    • Dan Bugglin

      Presumably, though, the flash drives have a clear “top”. Most likely proudly declaring their company name.

    • Raymond ChenMicrosoft employee Author

      He was buried upside down at first, so he had to be taken out and turned over.

      They should have used a sticker.

  • Jonathan Smith

    Works great until you’ve got a vertical USB port and it’s unclear whether left or right is “up”. 😀
    (And a special raspberry to micro USB ports on devices that are mounted “upside down”; so the micro USB logo needs to be pointing down when the device is screen up; I’m looking at you unnamed popular ebook reader)

    • Clockwork-Muse

      Hence why:

      There are some manufacturers who install their USB receptacles sideways or (heaven forfend) upside-down. I use a small sticker to identify the “logical top” side of those receptacles.

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