Over the past few years, with the pandemic and its aftermath, lots of folks had to get creative with where and how they worked. And computing on a laptop has taken on new norms and forms. Many professionals have moved from office desks to home offices and back again. Sometimes work can get done on a coffee or kitchen table, or in the corporate-office common areas and conference rooms. But at other times, you need a proper desktop-style setup with multiple monitors, more USB ports, and maybe even an Ethernet jack for a more stable internet connection.
If you don't want to manage a pack of dongles and adapters for everything from external displays to USB hubs, a docking station is your best solution short of buying a separate desktop PC. Some laptop makers, such as Dell and Lenovo, offer "official" branded docks for their fleets of computers. But you can also find a whole world of third-party docks with extra features, unique designs, and (sometimes) lower prices.
We'll be concentrating on those here. (If you have a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro, see our rundown of the best MacBook docking stations.) Check out our full list of the top Windows docking platforms to find the accessory that's right for you. (For a higher-level overview of docking-station options, check out our guide to how to pick a laptop docking station.)
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