Does Surface Go have a USB-A port?

Question

Is there a full-size USB port on the Microsoft Surface Go?

Answer

No, it doesn’t! There is no full-size USB (USB-A) port available on any generation and model of Surface Go. I think it’s reasonable to omit a full-size USB port on slim and lightweight tablets like the Surface Go, which is only 8.3 mm thick.

Model	USB-A	USB-C	Speed
Surface Go (2018)	No	Yes	USB 3.1 (5Gbps)
Surface Go 2 (2020)	No	Yes	USB 3.1 (5Gbps)
Surface Go 3 (2021)	No	Yes	USB 3.1 (5Gbps)
Surface Go 4 (2023)	No	Yes	USB 3.1 (5Gbps)

Table 1: Surface Go USB ports

USB ports over a USB-C Hub

The Surface Go has a USB-C 3.1 port that can transfer data at speeds of up to 5Gbps. You can use a USB-C adapter or hub with a full-size USB (USB-A) port to connect USB peripherals such as external hard drives, flash drives, printers, and more.

Surface Go USB-A port — Figure 1: How to connect Surface Go to USB peripherals using a USB-C hub

USB ports over Surface Dock

Microsoft offers a range of adapters and docking stations that are compatible with all generations of Surface Go. These include the 1st Gen Surface Dock, Surface Dock 2, and Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock, which come with multiple USB ports for easy connection to your preferred peripherals such as keyboard, mouse, storage, printers, and many more.

Model	USB-A	USB-C	USB4/Thunderbolt 4
Surface Dock	2 x front USB 3.1 Gen 1 2 x rear USB 3.1 Gen 1	No	No
Surface Dock 2	2 x rear USB 3.2 Gen 2	1 x front USB 3.2 Gen 2 2 x rear USB 3.2 Gen 2	No
Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock	1 x front USB 3.1 Gen 2 2 x rear USB 3.1 Gen 2	1 x front USB4/TB4 2 x rear USB4/TB4	Yes Required USB4/TB4 compatible Surface