Heard of the spy who came in from the cold? Here's the laptop that came in from the road. Our guide to desktop docking solutions will keep you ultra-productive when you're in the office—whether that's at your desk at home, or visiting corporate HQ.
I was picked to write PCMag's 40th Anniversary "Most Influential PCs" feature because I'm the geezer who remembers them all—I worked on TRS-80 and Apple II monthlies starting in 1982 and served as editor of Computer Shopper when it was a 700-page monthly rivaled only by Brides as America's fattest magazine. I was later the editor in chief of Home Office Computing, a magazine about using tech to work from home two decades before a pandemic made it standard practice. Even in semi-retirement, I can't stop playing with toys and telling people what gear to buy. type c hub with 2 hdmi
Computing on a laptop has taken on new norms and forms. Many professionals have moved from office desks to home offices and back again. Sometimes work can get done on a coffee or kitchen table, or in the corporate-office common areas and conference rooms. But at other times, you need a proper desktop-style setup with multiple monitors, more USB ports, and maybe even an Ethernet jack for a more stable internet connection.
If you don't want to manage a pack of dongles and adapters for everything from external displays to USB hubs, a docking station is your best solution short of buying a separate desktop PC. Check out our list of the top Windows docking platforms below to find the best accessory for your needs. It's exhaustively researched and based on both our rigorous editorial standards and our extensive experience testing laptops. (For a higher-level overview of docking station options, check out our deep-dive guide to picking a laptop docking station; if you have a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro, see our rundown of the best MacBook docking stations.)
The 11-in-1 Anker 568 dock offers a formidable array of ports if you have a new laptop with a USB4 port. It combines a 40Gbps upstream USB-C port with 100 watts of charging, two 10Gbps USB-C ports (each with 30 watts of charging), two 5Gbps USB-A 3.1 ports, an Ethernet port, two USB 2.0 ports, two DisplayPorts, and an HDMI port.
The monitor ports let you connect three 4K displays to your laptop, while a Kensington NanoSaver lock slot keeps the dock from walking away from your desk. The Anker comes with a 1-meter USB4 cable and carries an 18-month warranty.
Dell's sleek WD22TB4 is a Thunderbolt 4 dock with a difference: a swappable module (containing two Thunderbolt 4 ports out of the box) that allows future changes as your IT department desires. The rear panel also contains two DisplayPort 1.4 ports, one HDMI 2.0 port, a USB-C multifunction DisplayPort, two USB-A 3.2 ports, and a gigabit Ethernet port as well as the power connector.
Up front, the 1.1-by-8.1-by-3.5-inch dock offers two USB 3.2 ports, one Type-C and one Type-A with PowerShare. It supports display resolutions up to 5,120 by 2,880 pixels at 60Hz and provides 180 watts of power delivery, recharging Dell laptops with ExpressCharge technology to 80% capacity in one hour or 35% in 20 minutes.
Combining a slew of ports with up to 85 watts of Power Delivery 3.0 pass-through, the IOGear Dock Pro 100 USB-C 4K Ultra-Slim Station offers three USB 3.0 Type-A ports and three video outputs—DisplayPort and HDMI (both limited to 30Hz for 4K) plus 1080p VGA. You also get a gigabit Ethernet port, SD and microSD memory card slots, and a USB-C pass-through.
The Dock Pro 100's name comes from its 100 watts of power pass-through, but the dock itself draws 15 watts, leaving 85 watts for your laptop. The docking station measures 0.5 by 11 by 2.9 inches and weighs 0.65 pound.
A baker's dozen is the best number of donuts, and 13 is an equally lucky number for Ugreen's Revodok Max 213 Thunderbolt 13-in-1 Docking Station. This dynamo dock uses the power of Thunderbolt 4 to deliver 40Gbps data transfer and either dual 4K 60Hz or single 8K display.
You'll find three 10Gbps USB ports (two Type-A, one Type-C with power delivery) up front, along with a headphone jack and SD and TF flash-card slots. Dual Thunderbolt 4 ports (plus a third for your laptop) are around back, as are an 8K DisplayPort, dual 5Gbps USB-A ports, and 2.5Gbps Ethernet. The Max 213 measures 5.8 by 3.8 by 2 inches.
Its 10Gbps USB-C interface isn't as fast as a laptop's internal PCI Express connection, but J5Create's model JCD552 M.2 NVMe USB-C Gen 2 Docking Station is a unique way to expand your notebook's storage: The 1-by-12.5-by-3.1-inch gray and black aluminum dock has a compartment for an NVMe or SATA M.2 solid-state drive (up to size 2280; not included). It connects to your laptop using two USB-C cables and offers 100 watts of Power Delivery pass-through.
The docking station has 4K DisplayPort and HDMI video outputs, a gigabit Ethernet port, SD and microSD card slots, and three USB Type-A ports (one 5Gbps and two 10Gbps) in addition to the M.2 SSD slot. A security cable lock slot keeps it from walking away from your desk.
Do you and your laptop sometimes venture from the comfort of your own desk to a time-shared or client's workspace? Check out Kensington's compact UH1450P USB-C Mobile Dock, a driverless plug-and-play device that lets you plug in your laptop's USB-C AC adapter (85W or greater) for pass-through power to the notebook. Alternatively, it can power itself and connected devices from the laptop's battery when traveling.
The UH1450P offers two 10Gbps USB Type-A ports, one 10Gbps USB Type-C port, two DisplayPort 1.4 ports, a gigabit Ethernet port, and a USB-C power pass-through port. It supports dual or single 4K 60Hz monitors on Windows devices (with mirror-mode dual video for macOS and single-monitor support for iPadOS and Samsung DeX).
If your laptop has a USB4 port, Targus has a flexible desk accessory for you: The company's USB4 Triple Video Docking Station (model DOCK460) combines up to 100 watts of power delivery with one HDMI 2.1 and two DisplayPort 1.4 ports, supporting one 8K monitor at 60Hz or two 8K at 30Hz or three 4K displays at 60Hz.
The 1.4 by 7.7 by 3.6-inch device also has one 10Gbps USB-C 3.2 port, two 10Gbps USB-A 3.2 ports (one with fast charging), two 5Gbps USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports, an audio jack, and a 2.5Gbps instead of the usual 1Gbps Ethernet port. A lock slot keeps it from leaving your desk, while a VESA mounting bracket lets you hide the dock behind one of your many new monitors.
Laptops with USB-C ports compatible with the DisplayPort 1.4 Alt Mode can add a bonanza of connectivity at a low price with the Monoprice 7-in-1 USB-C Multiport 4K HDMI Adapter. This pocket-size (0.6 by 5.4 by 1.3 inches) peripheral provides an HDMI video output supporting resolutions up to 4K at 60Hz (30Hz with DisplayPort 1.2); one USB-C and two USB-A ports with data transfer rates up to 5Gbps; another USB-A port with 7.5-watt charging power; SD and microSD card slots; and a gigabit Ethernet port.
The Monoprice 7-in-1 offers up to 100 watts of USB-C Power Delivery pass-through and works with Thunderbolt 3 as well as USB-C ports; the two flash card slots can be used simultaneously. Its attached USB-C cable is 6.7 inches long.
Plugable's UD-MSTH2 USB-C Dual HDMI station packs a lot of connectivity. The Windows laptop and Chromebook accessory offers two HDMI ports for dual 4K/60Hz displays, three 5Gbps USB 3.0 ports (two Type-A and one Type-C), a USB 2.0 port, and audio and Ethernet jacks. It also provides 65 watts of laptop charging.
The dock requires no software drivers (though updated MST graphics drivers are suggested and the dock is not recommended for macOS) and comes with a 1-meter USB-C cable as well as an AC adapter and power cable. It's backed by a two-year warranty.
Want to decorate your desk with anything from a single 8K display up to four 4K monitors, all with a 60Hz refresh rate? Check out Satechi's Thunderbolt 4 Docking Station, which can drive two screens via Thunderbolt 4 and two via HDMI with DisplayLink software. The device combines a Thunderbolt 4 upstream port for your laptop (with up to 96 watts of charging) with three Thunderbolt 4 downstream ports (up to 15 watts) and two HDMI 2.0 ports.
It also provides two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, an Ethernet port, an SD card slot, and an audio jack. The device comes with an 0.8-meter Thunderbolt cable.
You'd expect the maker of peak-performance gaming gear and laptops to come up with something special for its first docking station, and the Razer USB 4 Dock doesn't disappoint. Powered by cutting-edge USB4 connectivity, this 14-port hub combines dual-display (4K 120Hz plus secondary monitor) output with continuous 100W power delivery and ultra-low latency for attached devices.
Up front are SD and microSD memory-card slots, a 7.1 surround sound audio jack, two USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 ports with device charging, and a 10Gbps USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 port. Around back, besides power and USB4 host connectors, are HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4 ports, gigabit Ethernet, two 5Gbps USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports, and a 480Mbps USB 2.0 port. Another USB 2.0 port for a 2.4GHz keyboard or mouse dongle is on one end. Available in black or mercury, the aluminum-alloy Razer dock weighs just under a pound.
The Best Docking Stations for MacBook Air and MacBook Pro Laptops
The Best Accessories for Your MacBook
How to Increase Your Laptop Battery Life
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I was picked to write PCMag's 40th Anniversary "Most Influential PCs" feature because I'm the geezer who remembers them all—I worked on TRS-80 and Apple II monthlies starting in 1982 and served as editor of Computer Shopper when it was a 700-page monthly rivaled only by Brides as America's fattest magazine. I was later the editor in chief of Home Office Computing, a magazine about using tech to work from home two decades before a pandemic made it standard practice. Even in semi-retirement, I can't stop playing with toys and telling people what gear to buy.
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