How to Connect FireWire 800/400 Devices to a USB-C Mac
If you’ve recently upgraded to a modern Mac with USB-C or Thunderbolt 3/4 ports, you may be wondering how to connect older devices that use FireWire 400 or 800. These legacy ports were once common on camcorders, audio interfaces, external drives, and other peripherals — but Apple phased them out years ago in favor of Thunderbolt and USB-C.Good news: with the right combination of adapters, you can still use FireWire devices on your new Mac. Here’s how to bridge the gap between past and present.
Understanding the Ports
FireWire 400 (IEEE 1394a)
An early high-speed data transfer standard (IEEE 1394a) offering up to 400 Mbps.Commonly used in older Macs, DV camcorders, and external hard drives.
FireWire 800 (IEEE 1394b)
A faster upgrade (IEEE 1394b) with speeds up to 800 Mbps and a new 9-pin connector.Popular with professional audio/video setups and legacy Mac users.
USB-C / Thunderbolt 3 & above
A universal, reversible connector for data, power, and display.Thunderbolt 3/4 offers up to 40 Gbps speeds—ideal for 4K displays, fast storage, and eGPUs.
What You’ll Need
If your device has FireWire 800:
First, use the Apple FireWire to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter, then connect that to the Apple Thunderbolt 2 to Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) Adapter, which plugs into your Mac. This setup works only on Intel-based Macs, as Apple Silicon Macs do not support FireWire via adapters.
If your device has FireWire 400 (4-pin or 6-pin):
To connect a FireWire 400 device to a Mac with USB-C, you can use the same setup as above, but you’ll need either a FireWire 400 to 800 adapter (with a FireWire 400 cable) or a FireWire 400 to 800 cable to connect your device to the Apple Thunderbolt to FireWire (800) Adapter.
Final Thoughts
While FireWire is a legacy interface, Apple’s adapter chain allows it to stay usable even in a USB-C world. It may not be elegant, but it works — and it might just save the day when you need that old project or footage.If you’re unsure which adapters to get, or need help setting it up, feel free to reach out to us at