AI News Feed
Market watch
Man City vs Sunderland: Premier League Kick-off, Form and Streaming DetailsDuolingo Web App Trick Restores Hearts and Removes Ads, Report SaysShanghai to Host 2026 GDPS International Embodied Intelligence Skills Competition for University TeamsAndroid Authority Calls $1,200 iPhone 18 Pro Overpriced, Backs Pixel 11 ProT. rex Teeth Indicate Body Temperature Close to an Elephant's, Researchers SayTechRadar Publishes 30-Question Lord of the Rings Quiz
Man City vs Sunderland: Premier League Kick-off, Form and Streaming DetailsDuolingo Web App Trick Restores Hearts and Removes Ads, Report SaysShanghai to Host 2026 GDPS International Embodied Intelligence Skills Competition for University TeamsAndroid Authority Calls $1,200 iPhone 18 Pro Overpriced, Backs Pixel 11 ProT. rex Teeth Indicate Body Temperature Close to an Elephant's, Researchers SayTechRadar Publishes 30-Question Lord of the Rings Quiz
Products & Applications

Why some monitors have two USB ports and how to use them

Some monitors include USB hubs so keyboards, mice, webcams and drives can connect through the display. Their port roles and capabilities vary by model, and USB-C models can carry video, data and charging over one cable.

AI News Feed · 2026-09-20 02:19

The way the ports work depends on the model. On some monitors, the video connection and the USB hub are separate, so a user may connect HDMI or DisplayPort for the picture and a separate USB cable to make the monitor's USB ports work with the computer. On supported USB-C monitors, one cable can handle both tasks. A keyboard or mouse can be plugged into the monitor, and a USB-C cable to a laptop can send the laptop's picture to the screen, carry accessory data to the laptop and, on some models, charge the laptop.

A monitor with a USB hub has two sides to its connection. The upstream port sends data from the monitor to the computer and links the hub to the PC. The downstream ports send data from connected devices into the hub, and they are where accessories such as a mouse, keyboard or flash drive are plugged in. Data from those devices passes through the monitor and reaches the computer over the upstream connection.

Engadget notes that a monitor with two visible USB ports does not necessarily have one upstream and one downstream port. One model might have two downstream USB-A ports and a separate USB-B upstream port, while another may use USB-C for its upstream connection. Labels or the manual should show how the ports on a given monitor are assigned.

The upstream connection can be easy to overlook when the monitor uses HDMI or DisplayPort. A standard HDMI or DisplayPort cable does not provide the USB data path that the hub needs, so monitors using those video connections need a separate USB upstream cable for their downstream ports to work. USB-C can combine those jobs when the hardware supports it. DisplayPort Alt Mode allows a compatible USB-C connection to carry video alongside data, while USB Power Delivery can add laptop charging. USB-C itself only describes the connector, and support for standards such as USB 3.2, USB4 and USB Power Delivery varies by device.

For everyday use, the simplest option is to leave permanent desk accessories connected to the monitor, especially those that are not speed-dependent. A keyboard, mouse, wireless receiver or webcam can stay plugged into the monitor instead of occupying ports on a laptop or desktop. If a laptop is regularly taken away from the desk, reconnecting the monitor's upstream link reconnects all those USB accessories at once.

Monitor ports can also serve as a convenient place for temporary storage. A side-mounted port is easier to reach than the back of many desktop PCs, making it useful for flash drives and external drives connected occasionally. The monitor's downstream ports share the bandwidth of its upstream USB connection, however, so the hub can become a bottleneck if that connection is slower than the external storage. This arrangement is usually better for quick file transfers than for moving hundreds of gigabytes.

Some downstream ports can charge USB devices as well. Whether they continue supplying power while the display is in standby depends on the monitor and its settings. Dell, for example, has monitors with an Other USB Charging setting that controls whether downstream USB ports remain powered in standby.

A USB-C monitor can make a laptop setup especially tidy. With the right monitor and computer, one cable can carry the image to the screen, connect the monitor's USB accessories back to the laptop and provide power to the laptop. The same single-cable approach appears on some portable monitors, where reducing the number of cables and adapters is particularly useful. A less common but still useful option is a monitor with a built-in KVM switch. On supported models, two computers share the connected monitor, keyboard and mouse, so a user can switch between a work laptop and a personal computer without moving those peripherals.

Port labels and the monitor manual are more reliable than connector shape alone. Identical-looking USB-C ports do not necessarily have identical capabilities. One may support video and laptop charging, while another is intended for downstream USB devices. Transfer speeds can vary too.

Editor's Summary Monitors with USB hubs let users attach keyboards, mice, webcams and storage through the display, but the ports' upstream and downstream roles depend on the model. USB-C can combine video, data and charging over one cable, while HDMI or DisplayPort usually require a separate USB upstream cable. Checking port labels and the manual is important because identical-looking USB-C ports can have different capabilities.