The following guide provides historical and up-to-date information about the various ports and connectors in use with Dell computers.
We provide a picture of the port, a picture of the corresponding connector, and the name of the technology in use.
These ports and connectors are each limited to one purpose: Facilitating the flow of information into your computer. They are only found on older computers. Plug-and-play USB connectors and Wireless connections have replaced these connectors on newer computers.
Color Code | Port | Connector | Name |
---|---|---|---|
Green | PS2 for Mouse | ||
Purple | PS2 for Keyboard | ||
Gold | Game Port or Midi |
These ports and connectors are associated with audio output from your computer to external devices or speakers.
Color Code | Port | Connector | Name |
---|---|---|---|
Pink | Analog line level: Audio input, mono, or stereo - Microphone | ||
Light blue | Analog line level: Audio input | ||
Lime Green | Analog line level: Audio output for the main stereo signal - Front speakers or headphones | ||
Black< | Analog line level: Audio output - Surround sound rear speakers | ||
Silver | Analog line level: Audio output - Side speakers | ||
Orange | Analog line level: Audio output - Center speaker and subwoofer | ||
None | Universal Audio Jack (UAJ) Tip Sleeve (TS): Mono sound from headphones | ||
None | Universal Audio Jack (UAJ) Tip Ring Sleeve (TRS): Stereo sound from headphones | ||
None | Universal Audio Jack (UAJ) Tip Ring Ring Sleeve (TRRS): Stereo sound and Microphone |
These ports and connectors allow devices to communicate with each other. (Where the name is blue and underlined, it is a link that takes you to a Dell Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) article about that technology.)
Color Code | Port | Connector | Name |
---|---|---|---|
None | Power Desktop | ||
None | Power Laptop | ||
None | Universal Audio Jack (UAJ) Combo Connector | ||
Black | USB 1.0 | ||
White | USB 2.0 | ||
Blue | USB 3.0 | ||
None | USB 4-pin Micro | ||
None | USB 5-pin Mini | ||
None | USB A/B | ||
None | USB Male to Female extension | ||
None | USB 3.2 | ||
None | USB Type-C | ||
None | Thunderbolt Mini DisplayPort | ||
None | Thunderbolt 2 Mini DisplayPort | ||
None | Thunderbolt 3 Type-C | ||
None | Thunderbolt 4 Type-C | ||
None | ESATA | ||
None | ESATAp | ||
Gray | Firewire IEEE 1394, 6-pin | ||
Gray | Firewire IEEE 1394, 4-pin | ||
Burgundy | Parallel Port | ||
Teal and Turquoise | Serial Port | ||
None | Ethernet Local Area Network (LAN), Network Adapter, or RJ45 | ||
None | Modem RJ11 |
These are the most common types of video port and connectors: (Where the name is blue and underlined, it is a link that takes you to a Dell Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) article about that technology.)
Color Code | Port | Connector | Name |
---|---|---|---|
Yellow | SVideo Mini Din | ||
Yellow | TV Aerial | ||
Yellow | SCART | ||
Yellow | Radio Corporation of America (RCA) Composite | ||
Blue | VGA | ||
White | DMS59 | ||
White | DVI-I single link | ||
White | DVI-I dual link | ||
White | DVI-D single link | ||
White | DVI-D dual link | ||
Blue and White | DVI-A VGA DVI-I | ||
Black | DisplayPort | ||
Black | Display Port Mini DisplayPort | ||
None | Thunderbolt Mini DisplayPort | ||
None | Thunderbolt 2 Mini DisplayPort | ||
None | Thunderbolt 3 Type-C | ||
None | Thunderbolt 4 Type-C | ||
Black | HDMI Type-A | ||
Black | HDMI Type-B | ||
Black | HDMI Mini to a Type-C | ||
Black | HDMI Micro to a Type-D | ||
Black | HDMI Automotive Type-E |
If you need additional assistance, contact: Dell Technical Support
Here are some recommended articles related to this topic that might be of interest to you:
Out of warranty? That is not a problem. Browse to the Dell.com/support website and enter your Dell Service Tag and view our offers.