WhatCable

In plain words

WhatCable is a menu bar app for Mac that displays detailed information about USB-C cables in plain language. It shows charging speed, power delivery capacity, and e-marker data, helping users understand why their devices charge slowly or quickly. The tool is designed for MacBook users who want clarity about their cable specifications without technical jargon.

written from the facts on this page · September 2026

From the sources

Why is my MacBook charging slowly? WhatCable shows USB-C cable speed, charging power, and e-marker data in plain English so you don't have to guess.

Why is my MacBook charging slowly? WhatCable shows USB-C cable speed, charging power, and e-marker data in plain English. Free Mac app for Apple Silicon.

Plug in a cable. WhatCable shows its speed, power capability, display path, and the weak link in your connection, using what macOS reports, not what the packaging promises. A cable never works alone. WhatCable reads the port, cable, charger, adapter and connected device together, then explains the result in plain English. See what the charger offers, what the cable supports, and whether the Mac is drawing all the power it needs. WhatCable explains the result instead of leaving you to swap components at random. Read the cable's e-marker identity, advertised speed, power rating and active transports. Turn on technical details when you need the underlying values from macOS. WhatCable reads the…from whatcable.uk

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  WhatCable, a tiny menu bar app for inspecting USB-C cablesMay 2026 · github.com · ▲566

  USB-C cables can be a mess. One cable charges at 5W, another does 100W and Thunderbolt 4, and they look identical in the drawer. WhatCable sits in your menu bar and reads the cable data your Mac already has access to. Plug in a cable and it tells you in plain English what it can actually do: charging wattage, data speed, display support, Thunderbolt, etc. Built in Swift/SwiftUI. Open source, free, no tracking. GitHub: https://github.com/darrylmorley/whatcable

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