Five practical ways to use your TV’s USB port

Most modern TVs include one or more USB ports that can do more than charge a phone or collect dust. Plugging a flash drive or other USB device into these ports can unlock extra features and, in some cases, make an older TV more useful. One common use is turning the TV into a slideshow or media player: most sets will recognize an attached thumb drive or external hard drive and let you play photos and videos directly from it.

Many newer models ship with two USB 2.0 ports and sometimes a USB 3.0 port for faster transfer. Keeping media on the drive avoids copying files into the TV’s cache or internal storage, which can preserve the TV’s performance. Other practical uses include turning a large TV into a basic workstation by attaching a Bluetooth adapter and USB peripherals such as a mouse and keyboard, or powering older streaming sticks from the TV’s USB port instead of an outlet—earlier-generation Fire Sticks and some Chromecasts can run that way, and one author described using a Roku Streaming Stick powered by a TV’s USB.

That setup can work but may cause issues like overheating, interruptions, or underperformance because the device still needs its own CPU power. In a pinch, TV USB ports can charge low-energy devices, though they typically deliver power slowly because they are designed for data transfer and light powering tasks.

Key Topics

Tech, Usb Port, Smart Tv, Usb Flash Drive, Roku Streaming Stick, Amazon Fire Stick