Plug in a USB-A Device on the First Try

2024 September 11

It’s a running joke that it takes three tries to plug in a USB-A device:

However, we don’t have to live this way. The key is that USB-A plugs and sockets both have tops and bottoms. Align top-to-top, and you’re in business.

In many cases, there’s a natural up/down orientation to the object with the USB socket, and it’s more likely that the socket mechanicals will respect this orientation. So you rarely have to consciously think about the orientation of the socket half of the pair. But if you need to, the interior sticky-outy part (technical term) of a USB-A socket is at the top, as seen in this monitor stand:

I remember this as the socket being like a mouth and you’re going to stick a thermometer under its tongue. Yum!

The plug side is more often the problem. Sometimes there’s some kind of labeling or context clue that obviously indicates which side is the top, but not always. A more reliable indicator of the plug’s orientation is that the bottom of the plug has the seam in the metal grounding sheath.

There are, of course, exceptions. But once you know what to look for, you can often get things right on the first try, and you can start noticing which devices get things wrong. If you have a USB-to-wall-socket adaptor, make a point of plugging it in using the standard orientation.

Just remember: keep the seam down and you’ll never frown.