Connect external hard drive to 2020 iPad Pro

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Connect external hard drive to 2020 iPad Pro

I have a 2020 iPad Pro. I want to use an external hard drive to connect and serve as additional storage. I have the Apple USB-c to USB3 adapter Model A1632. I did a backup of user files from a previous Mac Book Pro to both an external hard drive and also to a 256 Gb thumb drive. Now I connect in turn the thumb drive and the external hard drive to the USB-C port on the iPad Pro. The iPad Pro "sees" the thumb drive but it does not "see" the external hard drive.

Why is this? Do I need to reformat the external hard drive in a different format? We still have the MBP so I could do a second backup to the hard drive if necessary.

The Mac Book Pro "sees" both devices. The iPad Pro only sees the thumb drive.

Posted on Aug 10, 2020 9:03 PM

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Answer 1

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LotusPilot

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Aug 12, 2020 2:13 AM in response to Gil Woolley

One the [many] shortcomings and functional limitations of iPadOS is its inability to format or initialise any external storage devices. These operations must still be carried out by a full computer.

I’m pleased to learn that we’ve managed to resolve your problem. Enjoy your iPad.

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Answer 2

Aug 11, 2020 6:25 AM in response to Gil Woolley

To be recognised by iPadOS, the attached USB storage device must be formatted to FAT, FAT32, exFAT or APFS with a single data partition. As the iPad has limited power capabilities, dependent upon the Storage Device, an external power source is often required.

If your iPad Pro has a Lightning port, you will need to use an Apple Lightning to USB3 Camera Adapter to directly connect USB devices to the iPad. This adapter has both a USB 3.0 Type-A connector and an additional Lightning port to supply power, from your charger, to both the iPad and connected device. The external charger must be rated at 12W or more.

If you have one of the newest iPad Pro models, with a USB-C connector, you may need to utilise a powered USB hub (i.e., it has its own source of power) - connecting both the iPad Pro and the storage device to ports on the hub.

I hope this information is helpful in resolving any difficulties with external storage devices.

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Answer 3

Gil Woolley Author

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49 points

Aug 11, 2020 9:24 AM in response to LotusPilot

I'll bet it is the external hard drive formatting. I did repurpose the external drive from a Time Machine backup for the MBP and instead used Carbon Copy Cloner to copy only the documents and photos from the MBP to the iPad Pro. The iPad Pro is the latest model with the USB-c ports and I do have the adapter from USB-c to USB A which Apple recommended in the iPad buying process.

This afternoon I'll go back and reformat the external drive and then recopy the documents and photos to it.

To be continued.

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Answer 4

Gil Woolley Author

Level 1

49 points

Aug 11, 2020 9:31 PM in response to Gil Woolley

When I went to reformat the external hard drive, the MBP would not recognize it! So, I carried it over to my iMac and it mounted just fine. So I reformatted it ex-FAT. Then I carried back to the MBP and it was immediately recognized. So, I used Carbon Copy Cloner to copy just the desired photos, text documents, and other files needed in the future to the external hard drive. Then I moved the USB cable over to the adapter hanging off the iPad Pro. Then I went to Files on the iPad and sure enough all the copied files showed up. So, now thanks to your advice, I have additional storage for the iPad. And we can recycle the 2009 MBP. My wife wants that out of her life!

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Connect external hard drive to 2020 iPad Pro

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