Microsoft gives Windows 11 support for USB 4 2.0. This standard doubles the transmission speed to 80 Gbit/s.

Microsoft is integrating support for USB 4 2.0 into Windows 11. This standard uses the same USB Type-C connector and is backwards compatible, but has a higher maximum transfer speed. USB 4 2.0 must reach 80 Gbit/s, while the current standard is limited to 40 Gbit/s. That’s still faster than what most peripherals can do today.

Not so clear

There is a lot of confusion for the average user because even though Windows 11 is now compatible with the latest USB standard, you can only benefit from it if your laptop, your external device and the cable between them support USB 4 2.0. Fortunately, regular USB 4 cables are still compatible as long as you purchase a quality cable first.

The USB-IF, which manages the USB standard, has introduced a logo intended to provide some clarity, although this logo uses different names (USB80Gbit/s instead of USB 4 2.0).

With support for USB 4 2.0 in Windows, manufacturers seem to have been given the signal to start rolling out the devices. Expect more hardware like this in the coming year. The standard can be particularly interesting in combination with external SSDs, for example for technicians. In practice, the regular USB 4 standard is actually fast enough. So don’t worry if you have a system that doesn’t support USB 4 2.0.