How to Connect iPad to Computer

iPad is a tablet computer manufactured by Apple. This device has many features including music playback, access to applications, mail, and more. Connecting your iPad to your computer isn’t difficult, and this allows you to move information between the two devices.

Table of Contents

Connect iPad to Computer

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Download and install iTunes (if you don’t have it installed on your computer). You can download iTunes for free from Apple’s iTunes website.

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Connect the iPad via the USB port on the computer. You need to plug into the port directly on the computer, not through the USB hub (used to add some more USB ports to the computer so users can use more peripherals).

Tap “Trust” on iPad. This message only appears when you connect your iPad for the first time.

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Open iTunes. The program may prompt you to choose an iPad-like trust feature that requires a trusted connection to the computer.

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Check if the iPad has appeared on iTunes. You’ll see the iPad icon in the upper toolbar if you’re using iTunes 12, or in the devices menu, if you’re using iTunes 11.

If the iPad icon does not appear, you need to check if the device is turned on. If you can’t open iPad and iTunes can’t recognize it, you’ll need to put your tablet in Recovery mode.

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Select iPad in iTunes. This step opens the Summary window for iPad, where you can create a backup or download an iOS update.

Sync Music and Movies to iPad

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Add files to iTunes library. To copy, or “sync” content to iPad, you need to add them to your iTunes library. You can add files that are on your computer such as MP3, AAC, MP4, MOV and several other file types. You can also purchase content from the iTunes Store.

Read more detailed instructions on how to add music to iTunes.
Read more detailed instructions on how to add video files to iTunes.
Read more detailed instructions on converting WMA files to MP3.

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Select iPad in iTunes. Click the iPad icon in the upper toolbar if you’re using iTunes 12, or in the device menu if you’re using iTunes 11.

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Click the Music tab. In iTunes 12, the tab is in the left pane after selecting iPad. In iTunes 11, the tab is vertically above the main frame after selecting the iPad.

Check the “Sync Music” box to allow iTunes to sync music to iPad. You can sync your entire library or specify which albums, artists, genres, or playlists you want copied to iPad.

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Click the Movie tab. In iTunes 12, the tab is in the left pane after selecting iPad. In iTunes 11, the tab is vertically above the main frame after selecting the iPad.

Check the “Sync Movies” box to let iTunes sync videos and movies to iPad. You can select movies in the library you want to sync, or automatically copy them based on watched movies.
If you have TV Shows in your video library, they appear in the TV Shows tab.

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Click . Sync or Apply to start the copying process. This step will take some time, especially when copying a lot of large music or video files. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Sync Photos to iPad

Arrange images into a single area. iTunes will sync photos from the root folder or any subfolders in the root folder. If you’re on a Mac, you can use iPhoto to organize your photos into albums.

Click here for tips on organizing your photos on your computer.

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Select iPad in iTunes. Click the iPad icon in the upper toolbar if you use iTunes 12, or in the device menu if you use iTunes 11.

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Click the Photos tab. In iTunes 12, the tab is in the left pane after selecting iPad. In iTunes 11, the tab is vertically above the main frame after selecting the iPad.

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Select the “Sync photos from” box and select the source from the drop-down menu. After selecting a folder, you can choose to sync all the pictures in the folder, or specific subfolders.

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Click . Sync or Apply to start the copying process. This step will take time if you sync multiple image files.

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Synchronize other files. You can also use iTunes to sync other file types like apps, podcasts, and contacts. Click on the corresponding tab and select the content you want to sync.

Set Up Wi-Fi Sync

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Open the Summary tab for iPad in iTunes. Make sure the iPad is connected to the computer via USB and that you have pressed “Trust” on the iPad screen (if necessary).

Wi-Fi sync lets you manage content on your iPad without having to plug it in to your computer.

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Select “Sync with this iPad over Wi-Fi”. This step allows you to perform the same syncing as you would when connecting your iPad using USB, except over the wireless network.

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Click on . Apply .

Connect iPad to Computer Monitor

Buy a display adapter. There are a variety of adapters available to suit every iPad model, as well as the type of connection your monitor supports.

The best way to connect an iPad to a newer display is through an HDMI adapter. VGA connection for lower quality, but also quite common.

Connect the iPad to the display using the adapter. If needed, you can also use the audio jack on the adapter to attach external speakers.

Use iPad as usual. By default, iPad displays the screen on both the iPad and the screen (except for the early iPads, which can only show the video that’s playing). The entire operating system and applications will be displayed on both devices.

Play video on screen and control with iPad. A currently playing video will play on the screen, and iPad will display playback controls. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Steps

Connect iPad to Computer

Sync Music and Movies to iPad

Sync Photos to iPad

Set Up Wi-Fi Sync

Connect iPad to Computer Monitor

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