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.

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

File transfers to iPad

I'm completely new to iOS. I have an iPad mini 4 and I want to copy some MS Office files and PDF files from my laptop to my iPad and store them in subject folders I have created. I need to be able to access them when I'm offline. With my old Android, I just connected via a USB cable.


I also want to transfer complete music CD albums and use some kind of app to access them, again offline.


Help! where do I start. When I connected the iPad to my PC and looked at it in file explorer, there was nowehere on the iPad to store anything.


Thanks for reading

Helen

Posted on Aug 29, 2022 6:38 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Aug 29, 2022 6:53 AM

While you can connect your iPad to your Windows PC via USB, due to iOS/iPadOS’s encrypted file-system, you cannot simply browse the iPad filesystem and/or transfer files using Windows Explorer.


Instead, for data and file transfer, the are two principal native methods of transferring data between PC and iPad…


1) Install iCloud for Windows on your PC. This will allow you to simply share and transfer your photos and files via iCloud.

Download iCloud for Windows – Apple Support

Set up and use iCloud for Windows – Apple Support


2) Install iTunes for Windows on your PC. This provides other file transfer and management options.

Download and use iTunes for Windows – Apple Support


You can install and use both on the PC. They will happily coexist - and provide considerable flexibility in how you move/share/transfer photos and other documents and data between iPad, iPhone and your PC.


For music derived from CD or non-Apple sources, you’ll first need to import (or “rip” from CD) this material into your iTunes Music Library - and then synchronise the Library with your iPad.


The reason for this intentional limitation, deliberately imposed by Apple, is to protect Copyright. In the case of iPadOS/iOS, Digital Rights Management (DRM) prevents direct copying of copyright material between devices. This is intended to prevent the creation of illegal copies of potentially copyright material.


The iTunes Application on your PC/Mac maintains an authorised copy your media - whether this material is loaded from a CD, or downloaded from the Apple iTunes Service - and media derived from this library can be transferred to your iThings.




3 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Aug 29, 2022 6:53 AM in response to HelenH99

While you can connect your iPad to your Windows PC via USB, due to iOS/iPadOS’s encrypted file-system, you cannot simply browse the iPad filesystem and/or transfer files using Windows Explorer.


Instead, for data and file transfer, the are two principal native methods of transferring data between PC and iPad…


1) Install iCloud for Windows on your PC. This will allow you to simply share and transfer your photos and files via iCloud.

Download iCloud for Windows – Apple Support

Set up and use iCloud for Windows – Apple Support


2) Install iTunes for Windows on your PC. This provides other file transfer and management options.

Download and use iTunes for Windows – Apple Support


You can install and use both on the PC. They will happily coexist - and provide considerable flexibility in how you move/share/transfer photos and other documents and data between iPad, iPhone and your PC.


For music derived from CD or non-Apple sources, you’ll first need to import (or “rip” from CD) this material into your iTunes Music Library - and then synchronise the Library with your iPad.


The reason for this intentional limitation, deliberately imposed by Apple, is to protect Copyright. In the case of iPadOS/iOS, Digital Rights Management (DRM) prevents direct copying of copyright material between devices. This is intended to prevent the creation of illegal copies of potentially copyright material.


The iTunes Application on your PC/Mac maintains an authorised copy your media - whether this material is loaded from a CD, or downloaded from the Apple iTunes Service - and media derived from this library can be transferred to your iThings.




File transfers to iPad

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.