How to Connect External Storage Drive to iPad & iPhone
You can easily connect external storage drives to iPad and iPhone, providing easy access to all the files and data on those drives via the Files app. This includes connecting flash drives, USB hard drives, SD cards, and just about any other storage medium to iPhone, iPad Pro, and iPad you can think of, as long as you have the appropriate adapter to connect it to the iPhone or iPad.
This article is going to demonstrate how to use and connect external storage drives to iPhone or iPad, including external hard disks, USB flash drives, SD cards, and other common storage formats. You’ll then have direct access to the files on those storage mediums, right from iOS or iPadOS.
How to Connect External Storage Drive to iPad & iPhone
These are the steps to connect to and access external storage devices on iPhone or iPad. The demo screenshots here are shown on iPad but it works the same on iPhone too:
- Open the ‘Files’ app on the iPhone or iPad
- Connect the USB drive to the iPhone or iPad, either directly or by using an appropriate adapter for the device model * (adapter information further below)
- Tap on “Browse” if you’re not at the primary Files app screen already
- Now from Browse, look under “Locations” to find the name of the external storage drive you connected
- Tap on the name of the external storage drive to access the contents and use that data from iPhone or iPad
You can use all the regular Files app tips and functions with the external storage device.
You’re free to create new folders, cut, copy, paste, drag, drop, rename files and folders, and move files and data around as needed, sort files as make them easier to browse through, or whatever else you wish to accomplish. As long as the external drive is not locked (as can sometimes be the case with some SD cards and other external storage devices) then the external storage medium will be writeable and readable.
Files app appears to support a variety of common file systems, including APFS, ExFAT, FAT32, HSF+, so as long as the external storage device you’re trying to use is one of those formats, it should be easily readable.
What Adapters do I need for Connecting iPad or iPhone to External Storage Drives?
* Depending on your iPad or iPhone model, and depending on the device you want to connect, you may need a different adapter. The most common adapters for connecting external storage to iPhone and iPad are the following, these are partner affiliate links pointing to the products on Amazon:
- Apple Lightning to USB-3 adapter (works for iPhone, iPad, iPad Air, iPad mini, older iPad Pro, to connect to USB-C)
- Apple Lightning to USB camera adapter (works for iPhone, iPad, iPad Air, iPad mini, older iPad Pro, to connect to USB-A)
- Apple Lightning to SD Card reader (for iPhone, iPad, iPad Air, iPad mini, older iPad Pro to connect to SD card readers)
- Apple USB-C to USB-A adapter (works with new iPad Pro to connect to USB)
- Apple USB-C to SD card reader (works with new iPad Pro to connect to SD card)
- If you’re connecting a USB-C drive to iPad Pro, it will plug directly in without an adapter
What you use will ultimately depend on what device you are trying to connect to the iPhone, iPad, iPad mini, iPad Air, or iPad Pro. If your device has a Lightning port, then it will need a Lightning adapter. If the device has a USB-C port, it will need a USB-C based adapter.
We’re assuming you have a modern iPadOS version running on the iPad, as anything prior to iPadOS 13 will not have the features available in Files app to be able to natively access external drives this way. Likewise an y iPhone that wishes to use external storage devices must be using iOS 13 or later, as earlier versions of Files app there doesn’t support the capability either.
Files app is not limited to external storage access however, and you can also connect to external SMB servers with Files app on iPad and iPhone running the latest OS versions too.
Do you use external storage devices, hard drives, flash drives, SD cards, and other storage mediums with iPhone or iPad through Files app? What do you think of this great feature that is now available to iPad and iPhone? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.
I am buying an iPad Pro 2020 and would like to connect it to an external drive that contains all of my movies. If I do as instructed in this site, will I be able to view my movies?
Selfishness on the part of the vendor
Many external Flash drives make themselves have “proprietary” interfaces that can only be accessed via their own app, usually a really crummy and unreliable and unworkable app that is more frustration than convenient. Many also “cache” their Flash files on the iPhone or iPad, which sucks up storage badly.
Any time I’ve tried this with a USB drive I get a message saying that the device uses too much power and can’t be supported.
You will need to use a powered USB drive
Cheap and nasty Lightning – USB adapter from WeWoo.
iPad mini 4 under 13.5.1
USB 1To mechanical external HHD
Nothing in the Locations menu.
Nothing from the browse button.
Pfffft……..
I have the iPad Pro 11 inch 2018. But it cant detect Sandisk Ultra Dualdrive Go USB type-C.
Easy! Select the photos you want to offload in Photos, then tap Share > Save to Files, choose your USB drive and done.
There’s ONE EXCEPTION to all of this…
iOS cannot connect to encrypted drives.
I use APFS Encryption on 85% of my external drives. This means that iOS does not allow access to my most important files, rendering the feature useless.
On macOS, attaching an encrypted drive triggers an immediate password request while iOS… just… does… nothing. I’ve searched high and low without finding an official file system support list. This is actually the most comprehensive guide I’ve found.
Hopefully iOS 14 will support encrypted drive access… especially with Apple’s own APFS file system. Maybe with keychain sync for encryption passwords.
Same here, this makes the whole thing useless and worthless for me
Hi,
When I connect a flash drive to iPhone or iPad , the contents can only be seen in the drive installed application , and not in iOS Files application.
Any reason ?
Any time I’ve tried this with a USB drive I get a message saying that the device uses too much power and can’t be supported.
That‘s apple‘s crappy USB-adapter. They reduced the power it outputs with iOS 13, god knows why. There are cheaper lightning adapters on amazon (look for those combined usb-adapters and cardreaders) that can handle a common thumbdrive.
I have the official lightning to SD adapter. I use it to transfer photos from my mirrorless camera and also as a way to back up iPad files which I later store on external hard drives connected to my computer. I hear some hard drives may need additional power but the SD card adapter works well enough.
I still wish the phones/ipads had a micro SD slot built in. I mean that would make things so much easier.
Any time I’ve tried this I get a message saying that the device uses too much power and can’t be supported.
If you use a powered USB hub that should resolve the power error. Also the official Apple adapters seem to be better for power for some devices… as some third party adapters do not seem to pass power at all.
I have the official Apple lightning to USB adapter and I have two different SD card readers that I have tried reading SD cards with on my iPhone 11 Pro Max, one is made by Sandisk and the other by Adata. Either one plugged into the iPhone with a 16 gig SD card won’t work. iPhone just says this device requires too much power. I also tried it with my WD Element 1TB drive and of course it says the same.
It‘s apple‘s crappy adapter. Get a cheap chinese one from amazon and it will work
I have found that even a small flash storage wouldn’t appear without using plugging in the adapter to power, which makes it a bit clumsy.
it‘s apple‘s original adapter. had the same problem – it‘s now working fine with some cheaper and more capable adapters on amazon.
Hi Lucien, thanks for the heads up. You wouldn’t have a link at all to one of the cheapiesbthat you know works?
I’m looking at some but there’s a warning about having power supply or working with de ices over 100ma.
Cheers
What about wireless external drives?
THANK YOU!
this is the first publication to promote, instruct and offer a solution to a very use tip and file sharing technique that i read since 2019 when this was introduced.
if only we could take photos off the ipad to save ipad storage!
Upload them to iCloud. It’s easy!
Huh? Just go to photos, select images, and click the share button -> you can select to copy them to Files, ie for example a connected external drive.
I have the iPad Pro 12.9 Inch 2020 and have a SanDisk 1 Tera Byte solid-state drive with an USB C connection. My iPad can detect the drive but it takes some time to detect and not instantaneous. When I use the charging cable with the drive, it does not detect at all. Thanks.