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USBPeek

How to use USBPeek to see every USB and Thunderbolt device on your Mac, the speed each one negotiated, and why a fast drive can be running slow.

Updated

The question it answers: what is connected, and at what speed?

What you see

  • USB devices as a tree per bus. Hubs contain the devices behind them. Each device shows its name and vendor; expand it for the vendor:product ID, link speed, the USB version it declares and its device class.
  • Thunderbolt / USB4 ports below, with their status (“No device connected” or what macOS reports) and speed.
Field Meaning
Link speed What macOS negotiated with the device, for example 480 Mb/s or 5 Gb/s
Declared USB version What the device says it supports. It is not proof of the port or cable
Device class The kind of device, for example hub or storage

How to use it

  1. Open USBPeek. It reads when the screen opens and then updates every few seconds while the screen is open, so plugging or unplugging a device shows up without reopening it.
  2. Click a device to see its details and copy them.
  3. Press ⌘R to read immediately.

Good to know

  • If a fast drive seems slow, check its link speed. A device that negotiated 480 Mb/s on a 10 Gb/s port is usually limited by its cable, hub or its own USB version. USBPeek shows the result, not the cause.
  • Devices attached through docks and hubs appear under the hub, as macOS presents them.
  • If Thunderbolt information is unavailable on your Mac, USB devices are still listed.

Privacy

Serial numbers are never read, displayed, copied or logged. Read-only, and nothing runs when the screen is closed. See See USB devices on Mac.