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My laptop has a yellow USB port. Is it USB 3.0?

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  • 7
    Did you consult your Notebook user guide?, edit your post to include your Make and specific model if you wish a correct answer instead of an educated guess.
    – Moab
    Commented Dec 3, 2010 at 17:16
  • 1
    @DaveRook maybe in 2010, when I asked this question, there were no answers on Google?
    – ripper234
    Commented Dec 16, 2013 at 12:55
  • No. The standard color for USB 3.0 ports is blue. A yellow port is likely to be a sleep-and-charge port.
    – bwDraco
    Commented Apr 25, 2016 at 5:51

4 Answers 4

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A yellow USB port usually denotes an "always on" port. It supplies power to the device plugged into it even when the laptop is off.

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    This tends to be the standard but it is not always the case. That said, I have yet to see a USB3 port that isn't blue.
    – Shinrai
    Commented Dec 3, 2010 at 18:10
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    @Shinrai Apple MacBooks have white USB3 ports
    – RoXX
    Commented Jan 21, 2013 at 17:40
  • I've seen a USB 3.0 port in WHITE as a keystone jack - no, it's just the casing that is white. The inner bar of the port is still blue.
    – bgmCoder
    Commented Feb 11, 2013 at 23:41
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If it's a Lenovo ThinkPad chances are it's the "always on USB", which is a special port that remains powered when the computer is asleep, or when the computer is fully powered off and the AC adapter plugged. This allows you to, for example, keep charging your phone or wireless gamepad without having to keep your computer running.

http://www.asprangers.com/post/2012/10/02/What%E2%80%99s-in-color-Yellow-Blue-Gray-color-USB-Ports-on-Lenovo.aspx

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It can be whatever colour that your manufacturer wants it to be - I do not think there is a standard.

That being said, every product I have seen that supports USB 3 seems to have a blue socket, so there may be one!

If it is yellow, my guess is that it may be a way to indicate enhanced/increased/special power output.

What model do you have? If you write the model number, I can take a look to be sure.

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    Actually, section 3.1.1.1 of the USB 3.0 spec says, "As an aid to users, USB 3.0 mandates standard coloring for plastic portions of USB 3.0 plugs and receptacles." However, the spec later only "recommends" Pantone 300C as the color for USB 3 connectors.
    – rob
    Commented Sep 20, 2012 at 0:05
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I Have tested with CrystalDiskMark and 128GB JetFlash USB3 Transcend JetFlash®810

In my Thinkpad E530c the right side single yellow port is USB2 enter image description here

but with one of 3 left side blue USB ports the below result returned showing the blue ones are USB3 in this Thinkpad Edge

enter image description here

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