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I have a older 2015 MacBook Pro which has thunderbolt ( I think 2) ports, I want to attach a new external hard drive that has thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) port

I Found an adapter that goes from thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to thunderbolt 2. But I want to do the opposite.

How do I do that.

I Need a way to attach a USB-C to my MacBook Pro thunderbolt port.

Posted on Jul 23, 2021 9:49 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jul 24, 2021 1:34 PM

First and most important you need to determine which protocol your external drive uses. USB-C is a connector style and not a connection protocol. Most external drives using a USB-C connector are likely only using the USB3 protocol. I know this is can be very confusing since I'm a firm believer the connector style should have been given a different name to minimize confusion.


If the external drive uses the USB3 protocol, then you will need a USB-C to USB-A Adapter.


If the external drive uses the Thunderbolt protocol, then you will need to find a USB-C Thunderbolt to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter/Cable. What you need depends on whether you are connecting to the ports on the back of the external drive or whether the external drive has a built-in USB-C cable that you need to interface with. There are cables/adapters out there, but it requires making sure you have the correct male/female connectors on those cables/adapters.


If the external drive only uses the USB protocol, then you cannot connect the drive to a Thunderbolt port as the protocols are not the same.

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jul 24, 2021 1:34 PM in response to Modocfrank

First and most important you need to determine which protocol your external drive uses. USB-C is a connector style and not a connection protocol. Most external drives using a USB-C connector are likely only using the USB3 protocol. I know this is can be very confusing since I'm a firm believer the connector style should have been given a different name to minimize confusion.


If the external drive uses the USB3 protocol, then you will need a USB-C to USB-A Adapter.


If the external drive uses the Thunderbolt protocol, then you will need to find a USB-C Thunderbolt to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter/Cable. What you need depends on whether you are connecting to the ports on the back of the external drive or whether the external drive has a built-in USB-C cable that you need to interface with. There are cables/adapters out there, but it requires making sure you have the correct male/female connectors on those cables/adapters.


If the external drive only uses the USB protocol, then you cannot connect the drive to a Thunderbolt port as the protocols are not the same.

I have a older 2015 MacBook Pro which has thunderbolt ( I think 2) ports, I want to attach a new external hard drive that has thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) port

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