You can make a difference in the Apple Support Community!
When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.
When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.
📢 Newsroom Update
Apple introduces powerful new iPad mini built for Apple Intelligence. Learn more >
Apple introduces powerful new iPad mini built for Apple Intelligence. Learn more >
I have 5th generation iPad. Want to open file on an external hard drive in my iPad. Was advised by Apple support to buy a lightening USB connector. Won’t open. Says needs too much power. How do I get files,not images, from external hard drive to iPad files folder. Thx
iPad, iPadOS 13
You appear to have the wrong USB Adapter.
You require the Apple Lightning to USB3 Camera Adapter - to which you can connect your USB device and simultaneously connect your iPad Power Adapter.
You need this:
Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter
https://store.apple.com/uk/xc/product/MK0W2ZM/A
... but instead, currently, have this:
Lightning to USB Camera Adapter
https://store.apple.com/uk/xc/product/MD821ZM/A
You appear to have the wrong USB Adapter.
You require the Apple Lightning to USB3 Camera Adapter - to which you can connect your USB device and simultaneously connect your iPad Power Adapter.
You need this:
Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter
https://store.apple.com/uk/xc/product/MK0W2ZM/A
... but instead, currently, have this:
Lightning to USB Camera Adapter
https://store.apple.com/uk/xc/product/MD821ZM/A
Your iPad is not capable of providing sufficient power to run an HDD. If the HDD does not have its own source of power- then external power must be supplied to the HDD using the connecting adapter (e.g., an Apple Lightning to USB3 Camera Adapter and Apple Charger of at least 12W) - or by connecting both the iPad and HDD to a powered USB hub.
You will also need to ensure that the HDD is both partitioned and formatted appropriately (i.e., a single partition - formatted as FAT32, exFAT or APFS).
Thank you so much for your help. I have the lightning adapter but I think I need the dual one that I can plug in my iPad and hhd but how do I plug in the power source. Sorry for my ignorance. Are u able to send a link or pics of what I need to make it work
cheers Linda.
You’re very welcome.
Some additional information that may be useful in avoiding difficulties...
HDDs tend to more problematic than flash-based storage media - such as USB thumb-drives. For iPadOS to access external media, it must be formatted as FAT, FAT32 or exFAT (FAT64) for universal readability across Apple, Microsoft or Linux systems - or additionally APFS if only used with Apple systems. NTFS and other Microsoft proprietary formats are not supported. Drive formatting must be performed on other computing devices; drive formatting actions are not supported by iPadOS.
Additionally, for compatibility with iPadOS, the drive must only have only single partition.
I hope you find this additional information helpful.
Exactly. Thank you so much. Support on Apple sent me a link to the wrong adapter. I’ll get the other one. Thx again😁
Transfer files
