I have been trying to connect my USB Flash Drive to my iPad for quite some time now. I have purchased the Lightning Camera Adapter 3 and it has not worked. I have taken every step recommended. I’ve even talked to geniuses at the Apple store who told me that any flash drive will work. Well, none of them have.
As you can see, I am at the end of my rope and need help. Can anyone lend me a hand?
iPad, iPadOS 14
Is it a USB flash drive or USB hard drive?
USB Drives that require a source of power to be able to use them, will not be sufficiently powered by the iPad itself, in which case you have to power them up separately with an appropriate adapter while connecting them to an iPad.
See these articles for additional help:
Connect external devices or servers with Files on iPad - Apple Support
https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-connect-usb-devices-to-ipad-1999862
ScreenwriterMesa wrote:
How do I format the flash drives?
On a Mac:
To format a USB drive in FAT32 or exFAT:
1. Plug the USB drive into your Mac.
2. Go to Applications>Utilities and launch Disk Utility.
3. Click on the USB drive in the sidebar in Disk Utility.
4. Click Erase in the Disk Utility toolbar.
5. Type in a name for the formatted disk.
6. Click on the Format menu and choose either MS-DOS (FAT32) or ExFAT.
7. Click Erase.
Your USB drive will now be erased and re-formatted as either FAT32 or ExFAT, depending on the format you chose in step 6.
This support page provides some information regarding connection of external storage devices to iPad.
Your iPad has no ability to format external media devices. If the USB Storage device requires formatting or partitioning, you will need to use a PC, Mac, or other computer. Media cards such as SD and microSD can usually be formatted in a Camera.
It’s a USB flash drive.
I’d like to see a walkthrough of all of this. Because I do have a lightning to usb3 camera adapter and it hasn’t worked.
How do I format the flash drives?
So if I understand what you’re saying, when it says “erase” does that mean that all of the files on my flash drive will be erased?
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 Power Adapter, to both the iPad and connected device. The external Power Adapter 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 proves to be helpful in resolving the problem.
ScreenwriterMesa wrote:
So if I understand what you’re saying, when it says “erase” does that mean that all of the files on my flash drive will be erased?
Yes, all files that are currently on the drive will be erased
Difficulty Connecting USB Flash Drive to iPad
