External drives · Speed, cables and hardware
How do I know whether my Mac's ports support Thunderbolt?
Short answer: Look for the lightning-bolt symbol by the port, or open System Information (Option-click the Apple menu) and check the Thunderbolt/USB4 section, which lists each port and what's connected. Most recent Macs have Thunderbolt on their USB-C ports, but not every port on every model.
Look for the lightning-bolt symbol next to the port, or check System Information: hold Option, choose Apple menu → System Information, and select Thunderbolt/USB4 (or Thunderbolt) under Hardware. It lists each Thunderbolt port and what's connected to it.
Most recent Macs have Thunderbolt on their USB-C ports, but some ports on some models are USB-only — Apple's specifications page for your model lists them. The same System Information screen also shows the connected drive and its link, which helps when a drive seems slower than it should be — see why an SSD can be slower than advertised.