Transfer Files From iPad to NAS or PC | Connect to Shared Folders | Mount File Shares on iPad

You need to transfer files from your iPad to a computer, but forgot your USB drive or USB-C adapter, or AirDrop is failing, or you need to move files to a Windows computer or a NAS. In this quick tip, I show how to connect to network drives with iPadOS or iOS.

I often run into problems with USB drives or AirDrop when transferring from iOS or iPadOS, so another solution is nice if the others fail or aren’t possible.

The Files app

In the Files app sidebar you have Locations (local iPad storage and cloud storage like iCloud Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive), Favorites (bookmarks) and Shared (network drives). I already have a connection set up to my Windows computer, which acts as a sort of NAS for my home, and you can navigate its shared folders as expected and copy and paste between it and the iPad’s local drive or other cloud locations.

Connecting to a new share

1. Tap the three-dot menu at the top and choose Connect to Server.
2. Type an IP address (it converts to an SMB share automatically), or the computer’s name (for example, imac.local, which local DNS should find).
3. Tap Connect, and enter the username and password of the computer or NAS you’re connecting to. Tap Next and the server connects.

I connected to my 2020 iMac and could see its shares (Desktop, Documents).

Copying files

To transfer a file from the share to the iPad, go to the file, then tap and hold for the menu, or use Select at the top, tap the file, then choose More (or Move, which essentially copies when moving to a different device). I chose my local “temp” folder (a folder I created on the iPad for temporary storage) and tapped Copy. It works in the opposite direction too.

When it doesn’t work

As I said about AirDrop and USB transfer issues, this isn’t immune. The Files app in iPadOS and iOS is buggy. I frequently run into network shares not loading, or nothing loading in the sidebar, and the only solution I’ve found is to reboot the iPad. After rebooting, the same copy worked.

When it works, it’s great and the process is simple. But like other file transfer options on iOS, it has bugs: sometimes shares won’t connect, sometimes folders don’t update on the remote share, and sometimes the Files app is, as I put it, “a complete turd.” A reboot usually fixes it, “but come on.”

There are other ways to move files between devices that don’t rely on network shares, like USB and AirDrop. If you want to see how to move files between an iPad and an iPhone, see my video on that. Do you have another suggestion?

Links

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