The Best Docking Stations for Windows Laptops in 2022

Belkin's Thunderbolt 3 Dock Mini HD ($139.99) is a compact (0.8 by 5.1 by 3.1 inches) docking station with 6.8-inch cable that provides a USB 3.0 Type-A port, a Gigabit Ethernet port, and two HDMI ports supporting 4K resolution at 60Hz. You also get a legacy USB 2.0 port for an external keyboard, mouse, or printer.

Protected by a sturdy aluminum enclosure, the dock carries a two-year warranty. At just 6.3 ounces, it won't weigh down your day bag any more than your mouse will.

The Corsair TBT100 Thunderbolt 3 Dock ($259.99) turns a Thunderbolt 3 port into nine ports: two data-only USB-C ports, two data-only USB-A ports, two DisplayPorts supporting 4K at 60Hz, a Gigabit Ethernet port, a headset audio jack, and an SD card reader. You also get a Kensington-style security-cable lockdown notch to keep your docking station tethered to your desk.

The dock stands 0.9 inch tall and has an 8.9-by-3.3-inch footprint. It includes a 100-watt-capable power supply for keeping power-hungry laptops and peripherals charged.

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 ($139.95) 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 for your laptop. The docking station measures 0.5 by 11 by 2.9 inches and weighs 0.65 pound.

If you're looking for a docking station that won't take much desk space (0.6 by 5.1 by 2.1 inches) or much out of your wallet ($99.99), J5Create's model JCD381 USB-C Dual HDMI Mini Dock might be right up your alley. Clad in champagne metallic aluminum, the Mini Dock has two HDMI ports for adding one 4K or two 2K (2,048 by 1,152) external monitors. The ports permit one 4K and one 2K output when both are in use.

There are also two 5Gbps USB 3.0 Type-A ports, as well as a Gigabit Ethernet port if you're working in an office that prefers wired to Wi-Fi connectivity. USB-C power pass-through charges your laptop while connected. The dock comes with a 7.8-inch USB-C cable and weighs just 4 ounces.

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 ($149.99) 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.

Kensington has stepped into the modern age with a compact Thunderbolt 3 dock in the form of the SD2500T Thunderbolt 3 Dual 4K Hybrid Nano Dock ($199.99).

This dock supports MacBooks and Windows laptops and provides you with one USB-C port, two DisplayPorts, three USB 3.2 Type-A ports, a Gigabit Ethernet jack, a 3.5mm audio jack, an SD card reader, and even a microSD card reader. The included power adapter supports 60-watt power delivery.

The Kensington family of docking stations has a long history of wide compatibility, and the Kensington SD5300T ($209.99) is no exception. This dock supports dual 4K displays at 4,096 by 2,160 pixels with 30-bit color at 60Hz, or a single external monitor at 5K resolution.

One Thunderbolt 3 port connects to your laptop, and the SD5300T provides five USB 3.1 Type-A ports, one SD card reader, a Gigabit Ethernet jack, and a headset audio jack, as well as another Thunderbolt 3 port and one HDMI port, both of which support external monitors. Of course, as a Kensington product, the SD5300T comes with Kensington Standard and Nano security-cable lockdown slots to keep your docking station secure.

The OWC Thunderbolt 3 Dock is a portable docking station that turns a single Thunderbolt 3 port into a desktop-worthy array of one USB 3.1 Type-A port, one USB 2.0 Type-A port, two HDMI ports (both supporting 4K displays), and a Gigabit Ethernet port.

The compact (0.7 by 4.9 by 2.6 inches, HWD) aluminum dock also includes OWC's Dock Ejector software, which safely disconnects external drives connected to the dock and ensures all data is written before disconnection.

Plugable's TBT3-UDV Thunderbolt 3 Dock ($249) is a single-display docking station—it has a 4K (4,096 by 2,160 pixels at 60Hz) DisplayPort, though you can use an HDMI monitor instead since the dock comes with an active DisplayPort to HDMI adapter. Other ports on the device's rear include four 5Gbps USB 3.0 Type-A, one Gigabit Ethernet, and two Thunderbolt 3 (one for downstream Thunderbolt 3 or USB-C devices, and one that provides up to 60 watts of power to your laptop).

Up front are a headset audio jack and a fifth USB-A port with battery charging. The dock comes with a vertical stand, a power supply, and a 1.6-foot Thunderbolt 3 cable.

The latest version of the Wavlink Thunderbolt 3 Docking Station ($209.99) supports 85-watt Thunderbolt 3 host charging and converts a single Thunderbolt 3 port into a desktop-worthy baker's dozen of ports.

This is an ideal docking solution for photographers and videographers using SD and microSD cards to transfer images and video files to the PC for editing. The model UTD01 dock delivers one pass-through Thunderbolt 3 port, four USB 3.0 Type-A ports, a single DisplayPort with 4K/60Hz support, a Gigabit Ethernet jack, both SD card and microSD card reader slots, and a headset audio jack.

If one 4K monitor isn't enough to satisfy your desktop computing needs, the Wavlink UG69PD2 USB-C Dual 4K Docking Station ($269.99) could be the right fit for you. Besides supporting up to 5K resolution (5,120 by 2,880 pixels at 60Hz) on a single DisplayPort monitor, this dock supports two 4K (4,096 by 2,160 at 60Hz) external displays using both HDMI and DisplayPort. It also delivers up to 60 watts of upstream charging (if your laptop supports USB-C host charging).

The Dual 4K Docking Station gives you two USB-C ports, four USB-A 3.0 ports, two HDMI ports, two DisplayPorts, Gigabit Ethernet, and front-mounted 3.5mm jacks for audio output and microphone input.