Network port symbol
Network port. Linked boxes mark a wired network (Ethernet) port.
How to read it
The linked boxes mark the socket for a wired network cable. Apple’s guide to the ports on a Mac shows the Ethernet port as the one for networks and devices that connect with an Ethernet (RJ45) cable, and Windows has an Ethernet icon in Microsoft’s Segoe Fluent icon set. Gizmodo reported in 2010 that the symbol was designed by David Hill at IBM as one of a set for the local area network connections of the time, and that each block stands for a computer or terminal, arranged on purpose so that none ranks above another.
Also searched as: ethernet symbol, LAN symbol.
Read next
More power and device symbols
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with lines or squares and rectangles.
Sources
- Identify the ports on your Mac, Apple Support, Ethernet
- The Secret Histories of Those @#$%ing Computer Symbols, Bryan Gardiner, 16 August 2010, Gizmodo, Ethernet
- Segoe Fluent Icons font, Windows apps design documentation, Microsoft Learn
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed September 26, 2026. How we research
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