How to download files on an iPad to specific apps
- Unlike a Mac computer or PC, there is no specific file storage system for downloads on an iPad.
- As you download a file onto your iPad, you need to specify where the file will go and note that location if you want to be able to retrieve it later.
- Using a cloud storage app like Google Drive or Dropbox is the best way to store all of your file downloads in one place on an iPad.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Finding a file downloaded onto a computer couldn't be much easier: You just open up the Downloads folder, and there it is, waiting to be opened, and enjoyed.
When you want to download a file to an iPad, however, the experience is much less straightforward. iPads have no dedicated file storage system; instead, you have to specify where a file should be stored at the time of its download.
If you don't want to spend all your time assigning various download locations to different apps, the best thing to do is get the Google Drive or Dropbox app on your iPad and use these as catch-all spots for your downloads.
How to download files on an iPad to specific apps
First, identify the file you wish to download - be it an MP4, a PDF, an image, or some other type of file - and consider where you should store it.
1. Hold your finger down on the file to be downloaded until a popup window appears with the file title in gray, above a list of options to take.
2. Tap the word "Share…"
3. On the next window, tap the icon above the words "Save to Files."
4. Choose the "On My iPad" option.
Steven John/Business InsiderChoose "On My iPad" to save to a specific app, or else save the file to your iCloud Drive.
5. From the list that drops down, choose the location that best suits the file (or put it into Google Drive or Dropbox) and hit the word "Add."
Steven John/Business InsiderClick "Add" when you have the app you want to save your file to selected.
To retrieve the files you downloaded, you have to open the app you saved the file to.
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