You’ll typically find USB Type B ports on larger devices you connect to your computer, such as printers and scanners. You might also have external storage devices or drives that use them.
Most USB Type B connectors are at one end of a USB Type B to USB Type A cable. You plug the Type-B connector into the printer, scanner or other device and the Type A connector into the standard USB port on your computer.
Are USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports the same?
What are the different versions of USB?
As the USB standard has developed over time, it’s seen improvements in terms of speed and power, making it much quicker to run and charge USB devices and transfer data.
The oldest to newest versions of USB are shown below:
Version | Year | Description | Transfer speed |
|---|---|---|---|
USB 1.0 | 1996 | As the technology was still in its infancy, few USB devices were available to consumers. | 12 Mbit/s |
USB 1.1 | 1998 | The first version to be used widely among the public. | 12 Mbit/s |
USB 2.0 | 2000 | The standard USB. Many older computers feature USB 2.0 ports. | 480 Mbit/s |
USB 3.0 | 2008 | The first USB to feature the new SuperSpeed capability. | 5 Gbit/s |
USB 3.1 | 2013 | Introduced a data transfer speed equal to those achieved with an ethernet cable. | 10 Gbit/s |
USB 3.2 | 2017 | The latest USB version designed to work with USB-C cables to deliver SuperSpeed+ transfer rates. | 20 Gbit/s |
