how do I increase the number of thunderbolt 3 ports on my MacBook Pro 2020

The short answer is that you don’t. TB3 cannot be ‘split’, only daisy-chained. So, you can connect a TB3 dock to the Mac, a TB3 display to the dock, then a TB3 external drive to the display. But, you won’t find a dock/hub that you can connect to your Mac where you can connect both a display and an external drive directly to the dock.

One of the big differentiators (for some people) between the two ‘levels’ of 13” MBP —in fact, it’s the shorthand way they’re differentiated even on Apple’s info pages— is two TB3 vs. four TB3 ports. There’s a good reason for that – you can’t just ‘increase the number’ of them with an external device. If you need more ports, you need to get a Mac with more ports.

anonyme4321 wrote:

What about this one? https://www.amazon.com/Elgato-Thunderbolt-Dock-Ethernet-aluminum/dp/B01MZ2ATGK/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=Elgato+Thunderbolt+2+Dock&qid=1597934843&sr=8-3

Nope. I have that dock, in fact. There are two TB3 ports, one connects to the Mac, the other to a peripheral.

Note that USB-C (which is the same port/plug style as TB3) can be ‘sort of’ split. Belkin makes a mini-hub that connects to USB-C (so would plug into your Mac) and has two USB-C output ports as well as two USB-A. The catch is the hub doesn’t support video or power delivery, i.e. it’s not carrying the full signal capacity of USB-C, much less TB3. But if all you wanted to do was connect a pair of USB-C external drives or other basic peripherals, that might work.

very helpful input! Follow up question based on your info about this screen: I might have been concerned about "future-proofing" my new Mac purchase and feeling compelled to get the 4 port version "just in case I want it one day", but I have no need for it now - on my old MacBook I use only power, external display (HDMI) and intermittently the Time Machine backup (too troublesome to plug it in daily). So based on your comment the idea I'm getting is that I don't need to worry about the future as the connectedness and port availability in the future will just get better and so I don't need to worry...!? True or not? I would love your input here. Thanks

https://www.amazon.com/thunderbolt-hub/s?k=thunderbolt+hub

What about this one? https://www.amazon.com/Elgato-Thunderbolt-Dock-Ethernet-aluminum/dp/B01MZ2ATGK/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=Elgato+Thunderbolt+2+Dock&qid=1597934843&sr=8-3

Also, a display like the LG Ultrafine 4K lets you connect and poser your Mac, and lets you connect one additional TB3 and up to three USB-C peripherals to the display.

minor correction: my HD screen has a converter to plug into my thunderbolt port