Surface Laptop Studio - No USB4

Question

Hello,

I have a Surface Laptop Studio (Surface_Laptop_Studio_1964) and it does not appear to have USB4. I am trying to get it to recognize a new docking station (Plugable USB4 Dual Monitor Docking Station with 4K 120Hz HDMI, 100W Ch – Plugable Technologies) at USB4 speeds, but device manager is only showing USB3 and I am unable to achieve the capable resolution/refresh rate.

I have:

1. Completely wiped the machine and manually installed the surface driver/firmware pack
2. Hard reset (hold down power button for 20 seconds)
3. Completely updated via Windows Update
4. Tried different USB4/Thunderbolt 4 cables
5. Have set the following registry setting to have it enumerate the USB4 Hub, but no luck: Universal Serial Bus 4 (USB4™) settings enablement | Microsoft Learn

All to no avail. What gives?

Answer 1

Hello, kulderas.

Welcome to Microsoft Community!

The first thing we can say for sure: Surface Laptop Studio does support USB4 and Thunderbolt 4, as you can see in the link below:

Surface Laptop Studio features - Microsoft Support

Meanwhile, I noticed that you have already tried many steps such as updating the drivers and system, forcing a reboot of the device, replacing the cables, and so on.

I believe you have already obtained the driver and firmware installer for Surface Laptop Studio from the link below:

Download Surface Laptop Studio Drivers and Firmware from Official Microsoft Download Center

If the problem stems from the system or drivers, we can usually solve the problem by installing drivers and getting Windows updates.

But now that the problem persists, we need to further consider hardware or connectivity issues.

For cable accessories for Surface devices, allow me to provide you with the following link:

Accessories Designed for Surface (microsoft.com)

Here are the official cables from Microsoft for Surface devices, using these cables will minimize hardware compatibility issues.

Additionally, I think at this point we need to perform a hardware check on the Surface Laptop Studio's ports. I recommend that you send your device to the Surface support team for a hardware service.

I can direct you to Surface Live support, who can help you create a service order:

1. Use your personal Microsoft account (not your organization account) to access the following links:

Contact - Microsoft Support

2. Type Surface, press Enter, and click "Contact Support" at the bottom:

3. Select Technical Support and select the device model you are currently using in Produce family, then click Confirm:

4. You will see contact options for Chat support and Phone support, please contact them during business hours:

I wish you all the best.

Best Regards.

Leo.L - Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Answer 2

Additionally, if the first reply does not help, we'd be more than happy to take a look to see if the problem is with the Plugable device. Out of respect for the MS Forums, I won't link directly to us, but we should be hard to find.

-Myke from Plugable