Transfer .pdf files from Mac to iPad via iTunes

Question

Transfer .pdf files from Mac to iPad via iTunes

Before upgrading from Yosemite to El Capitan OS X I would open iTunes, drag the selected .pdf file to iBooks on the Mac which would automatically appear in Books in iTunes. To get the .pdf file onto my iPad I connected the iPad to the Mac, and selected the .pdf in iTunes/Books and then hit SYNC. Simple and satisfactory.

Now this does not work! I can still drag a .pdf file into iBooks on the Mac but it does not show up in Books in iTunes so I obviously cannot select it to sync onto the iPad. Why? What has changed? What am I doing wrong?

The only way I can get .pdf files into iBooks on the iPad is to email them to myself from the Mac, open the email on the iPad, open the attachment and select "Open in iBooks" - too many steps and this is not the intended way.

Mac OS X 10.11.5 (El Capitan)

iPad iOS 9.3.2

iMac, OS X El Capitan (10.11.5)

Posted on Jun 1, 2016 8:33 PM

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Answer 1

Rysz

Level 8

44,461 points

Jun 1, 2016 8:43 PM in response to johnfromwilloughby

This should still work (almost) the same way now.

Restart you Mac.

Check in System Preferences > iCloud > icloud Drive checkbox should selected > click on Options > iBooks checkbox should be checked.

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Answer 2

Jun 1, 2016 9:43 PM in response to Rysz

Thanks Rysz. I checked (agin!) and iBooks is checked so this does not seem to be the problem.

Also, I notice in the Sidebar that Book are not showing in my iTunes library.

Any other suggestions?

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Answer 3

Rysz

Level 8

44,461 points

Jun 1, 2016 10:08 PM in response to johnfromwilloughby

Perhaps that's what you mean, but just to be clear...

Books are no longer listed in the iTunes sidebar as a media kind.

You should see Books as a Kind in the iPhone sidebar. You then should be able to choose which books you want to sync.

Do you not see whats displayed on this screenshot?

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Answer 4

Jun 1, 2016 10:36 PM in response to Rysz

This is the view I am getting:

I am used to seeing the view that you showed above. Also you will see that the .pdf files are recognised as sound tracks in iTunes. Yet this is what I have in iBooks on the Mac:

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Answer 5

Jun 1, 2016 10:46 PM in response to johnfromwilloughby

Just to be clear, this is the view when I select Books under Settings (as opposed to "On My Device":

Previously I would use this view, drag and drop selected .pdf files from iBooks on the Mac and then check those files I wanted to sync on my iDevice. Now I cannot drag and drop into this view - they simply won't be accepted by iTunes! Wondering what has changed since I accepted the update for iTunes version 12.4 in App Store which I installed on May 17, 2016.

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