Microsoft promises it is “ending USB-C port confusion” with its updated Windows 11 Windows Hardware Compatibility Program (WHCP) initiative. Going forward, it pledges to ensure all USB data, charging, and display functionality “just works” on all your USB-C ports. Moreover, an additional rule means USB 40Gbps ports will be fully compatible with both USB4 and Thunderbolt 3 peripherals. The Microsoft blog indicates that these rules should already be in place with certified Windows 11 laptops and tablets that come with Windows 11 24H2 installed.
Senior Product Manager at Microsoft, Ugan S., asks readers of his blog whether they are “Tired of USB-C ports that don’t behave consistently?” To illustrate the problem, he retells a story about ‘The Blank Display’ and laments that such issues still happen in the present day. It isn’t the USB-C port that’s the problem, says the Microsoft exec, it is “the inconsistent implementations of USB-C port capabilities across the PC ecosystem.” Or in other words, not all USB-C ports are created equal.
