USB data · 2000
USB 2.0
The baseline every USB port still speaks. Fine for keyboards, mice and charging; slow for files.
- data: 480 Mbps
- video: No
- power: 2.5 W (port); more via USB-C/PD
Spec card
- Signalling rate
- 480 Mbit/s, half duplex
- Real-world file copy
- about 35–40 MB/s
- Wires
- one data pair (D+/D−)
- Port power
- 500 mA at 5 V (2.5 W) by default
- Max cable length
- 5 m (A-to-B); 4 m for USB-C to USB-C
- Connectors
- USB-A, USB-B, Mini-B, Micro-B, USB-C
Also sold as Hi-Speed USBUSB 2.0 Hi-SpeedUSB 480Mbps
The cable you need
Any USB cable. Many cheap USB-C "charging cables" are USB 2.0 only, which is why they copy files slowly and cannot carry video.
Watch out for
- A USB-C cable that came with a phone is very often USB 2.0 only.
- Video over USB-C needs the high-speed pairs, which USB 2.0 cables do not have.
USB 2.0 is the floor. Every USB port and every USB cable, including every USB-C cable, can carry it. Its single data pair runs at 480 Mbit/s and shares that speed in both directions, so a real file copy tops out around 35–40 MB/s: a 4 GB video takes about two minutes.
The trap today is the USB-C cable that looks identical to a fast one but has only the USB 2.0 pair inside. It charges fine, often up to 60 W or 100 W, but it cannot carry USB 3 data or video. If a USB-C monitor shows nothing, or an SSD crawls, a USB 2.0-only cable is the first suspect.