How to Label Cables and Chargers So You Can Tell Them Apart

Six black cords run into one power strip and you need to unplug the printer. Which one is it? Without labels the usual answer is to trace each cord by hand, or to pull one and see what goes dark.

Knowing how to label cables removes that guesswork. The job is small: a tag at each end of every cord, written in words you will still understand next year. It takes roughly half an hour for one desk, and it pays off every time you move a device, pack for a trip or sort the spare-cable box.

What to gather

• Write-on cable tags, or a roll of paper-based or cloth tape that takes pen
• A fine permanent marker
• Colored tape or small colored bands, if you want a color code
• Scissors
• A dry cloth
• An index card for the color key

Choose a labeling method

Four methods cover almost every cord. Pick one as your main method so all the labels look and read alike.

How to make a tape flag

1. Cut a strip of tape about as long as your finger.
2. Lay the cord across the middle of the sticky side.
3. Fold the tape over the cord and press the two halves together, lining up the edges.
4. Write on the flat tab, on both faces if it will be seen from either side.

Label both ends of every cord

A cord has two ends, and you are rarely looking at both. At the power strip you need to know which plug is the monitor. At the back of the monitor you need to know which of three cords is power. So each cord gets two labels carrying the same word.

1. Switch off and unplug the device before handling its cord.
2. Wipe the cord with a dry cloth where the label will sit, so the adhesive holds.
3. Place the first label a short distance from the plug, about two finger widths back, on the cord itself.
4. Follow the cord by hand to the other end and place the second label the same distance from that connector.
5. Plug the cord back in, then move to the next one.

What to write on the label

Write the device, not the cable type. “Printer” tells you what happens if you pull the plug. The name of a connector standard does not, and several cords on the same desk will share it.

• Use the name you say out loud: “Lamp”, “Monitor”, “Kitchen speaker”.
• Add a second word only when two devices would otherwise match: “Monitor left”, “Monitor right”.
• For cords with a job at each end, name both: “Laptop to monitor”.
• Add the owner’s name or initial where a household shares similar chargers.
• Print in capitals with a fine marker. Small handwriting on a narrow tag is hard to read under a desk.

Keep the wording in line with the rest of the room. If your boxes and folders already follow a pattern, use the same one here. The guide to home office labels covers choosing a single wording style and sticking to it.

Add a simple color code

Color works well alongside words, because you can pick out a blue band among six black cords before you can read anything. Keep the scheme small:

• one color per person in a shared household, or
• one color per group of equipment, such as computer, printer and lighting.

Write the key on an index card and keep it where the cords are, for example taped inside the lid of the cable box or to the underside of a shelf. A code that lives only in your memory stops working the first time someone else needs it.

Label chargers and adapters as pairs

Many chargers come in two parts: a plug-in adapter block and a detachable cable. Once separated they are easy to mix up, and not every block suits every device. Use the charger the device maker supplies or recommends, and label so the pair stays together.

• Put the same word on the block and on the cable: “Tablet” and “Tablet”.
• On the block, place a small label on a flat side, away from the pins and any printed information you may need to read later.
• On the cable, label near the end that plugs into the block.
• For travel chargers, add the owner’s name.

Label the cords in the spare-cable box

Spare cables need labels most of all, since there is no device attached to give a clue. Tag each one with what it is for before it goes into storage, and mark any whose purpose you cannot work out with a question mark and a date.

How to coil, contain and arrange the spares is covered in the guide on how to store spare cables, chargers and adapters.

Keep the labels useful

Labels go stale when devices change. When you replace a device, peel off the old label and write a fresh one instead of crossing out.

If labeling shows that the cords themselves are in a tangle, sort the routes next with the steps for desk cable organization. Labeled cords are much quicker to group and guide.