Definition: Thunderbolt

A peripheral interface from Intel introduced in 2011. First used on a MacBook Pro laptop, Thunderbolt provides simultaneous transfer of DisplayPort graphics for the monitor and PCI Express data for storage and other devices.

Up to six peripherals can be connected in a daisy chain, providing an expansive external interface over one port. However, computers (mostly Macs) generally have several Thunderbolt ports. See DisplayPort, PCI Express and USB.

USB-C Data, Charging and Interface
Starting with Thunderbolt 3 in 2015, USB data transfer and charging are supported, and USB-C plugs and sockets replaced Mini DisplayPort (mDP). See table below.

Thunderbolt 5 (TB5)
Introduced in 2024, TB5 provides bi-directional transfer for a total of 80 Gbps. Following are the Thunderbolt generations, and each is backward compatible with the previous one. See Thunderbolt Display and Thunderbolt Bridge.


          Data
 TB       Rate   ---Interfaces---   Port
 Gen     (GBps)  DP    PCIe   USB   Type

 5 (2024)  80   v2.1   v3 x4  4     USB-C
 4 (2020)  40   v1.4   v3 x4  4     USB-C
 3 (2015)  40   v1.2   v3 x4  3.1   USB-C
 2 (2013)  20   v1.2   v2 x4  ---   mDP
 1 (2011)  10   v1.1a  v2 x4  ---   mDP

Mini DisplayPort and USB Type C

TB1 and TB2 used the Mini DisplayPort (mDP) plug and socket; however, TB3 switched to USB-C. Four TB4 ports (bottom) are showing on a 2024 Mac mini with the M2 Pro chip. (Bottom image courtesy of Apple Inc.)

Thunderbolt on a Desktop Mac

Before Thunderbolt supported USB Type C, this 2nd-generation Mac Pro had six TB 2 ports. The black cable delivered DisplayPort signals to the monitor, and the orange cable transferred data between an external drive over PCI Express. See Mac Pro.

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Definition: Thunderbolt