The Best USB Extension Cord | 2023

If you’ve got gadgets, you’ve got a USB cable or three. These innocuous little cords that connect, power and transfer data between our devices have become commonplace around any modern home or office, so much so that you’re likely to take them for granted — until they don’t quite reach the item you’re trying to connect to. That’s when you need a USB extension cord.

USB stands for “Universal Serial Bus,” and these days they truly are universal. In the early days of USB they were used fairly exclusively to connect a computer to peripheral of some kind, like a monitor or keyboard. Today, you can hook them up to everything from vaping devices to video game controllers.

If data or power is being delivered from a given device, that device is usually called the host. A USB cable will almost always hook up to a host via a USB-A connection port. Depending on what device is meant to be at the other end, your main cord might have a USB-B, Micro-B, Mini-B, Lightning connector or any one of a dozen others — but since you’re shopping for an extension cord, all you’ll need is a flat, rectangular USB-A male connector at one end and a USB-A female receptacle at the other end.

That USB-A connector has evolved a bit over the years. The first generation of USB cords were all USB 1.x, but you’re unlikely to find many of those still in use today. Gradually, USB 2.0 was introduced, and with it came faster data transfer speeds and the ability to connect to the fledgling Mini and Micro-B ports. Those are still in use today, but the fastest speeds can be found in USB 3.x cords. These are the connections used for flash drives and other devices that handle a lot of data traffic. USB 3.x cords have a few extra contact points on the port, but you’ll be able to recognize them most easily by the blue coloring on the inside of the connector.

That 2.0 or 3.x designation is the one you’ll want to look for first and foremost when choosing a USB extension cord. (Some USB 3.x ports have an additional SS designation, which stands for Super Speed.) If you’re not too concerned with how quickly your phone charges or your photos upload, don’t fret too much: USB 2.0 connectors will still connect to a USB 3.x port, and vice versa. Just don’t expect a USB 3.x cord to deliver the same speed when hooked up to a slower port.

• Pricier USB cables or extension cords might show off gold plating on their connectors, touting them as more resistant to corrosion and signal interference. If you’re buying them for the bling, go ahead. But the reality is, gold plated connectors won’t be any more effective as a conductor and are only marginally more resistant to tarnishing — which isn’t much of an issue with indoor USB cords to begin with.
• One thing that will increase the longevity of your cables is some sort of outer protection. If you plan on using that extension cord on the go, consider one that has nylon or some other fiber braided around the inner cable. Such cords are typically rated by the number of bends they can withstand, and those in the 8,000-10,000 bend range should be plenty strong for everyday use.