How to check USB connection speed on Mac

Check the device in System Information

macOS includes a hardware report, so you can make an initial check without installing another app. Apple documents the Option-key shortcut for opening it.

1. Connect the device using the cable and hub you want to check.
2. Hold Option, open the Apple menu, and choose System Information. You can also open System Settings → General → About → System Report.
3. Under Hardware, select USB and find the connected device. Expand the relevant bus or hub if needed.
4. Look for the Speed field in the selected device’s details. If it is missing, that view has not provided a usable speed reading.
5. For Thunderbolt or USB4 equipment, also inspect the Thunderbolt/USB4 section. A USB device attached to a dock can still appear in the USB tree.

Follow the connection in Porty

Porty puts the reported devices and their parent hubs in a connection map. This is useful when several accessories share a dock: start at the accessory and follow its branch back toward the computer.

1. Open Porty and refresh the hardware scan after connecting your device.
2. Find the device in the connection map or port inventory and select it.
3. Read its current link and inspect any parent hub. Compare those readings with the port’s listed capability.
4. If the current link is unreported, use the OS report and the device manufacturer’s specifications for more context. A missing reading does not prove a slow connection.

Understand what the number measures

A reading such as 480 Mb/s describes a USB link rate. It is not a live measurement of bytes copied each second. File transfers also depend on the storage device, file sizes, protocol overhead, and other traffic.

A port capable of 10 Gb/s can have a slower device attached. Likewise, a cable that can deliver substantial charging power may only support USB 2.0 data. Check its data specification separately from its wattage.

Compare one part of the setup at a time

Porty reads the operating system’s hardware information. It does not benchmark storage or change a device’s negotiated speed. Use a separate transfer test if your question is how quickly a workload actually completes.

1. Record the current device and hub readings before changing the setup.
2. Eject any mounted storage, then connect the same device directly to the Mac if possible. Refresh the scan.
3. Try a cable with a documented data rating suitable for the device. Keep the device and computer port the same.
4. Reconnect the hub and compare again. If the slower reading returns only through the hub, check its upstream cable and the specification of that particular downstream port.