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eclipse01

macrumors 68030
Original poster
May 16, 2011
2,844
404
Eau Claire, WI
I know Ipad pro's with USB-C (and probably thunderbolt) can use adapters to read usb drives, but can you do this with Ipad Air models as well (newer models).

using like lightning to usb adapter (if they exist)
 

coolguy4747

macrumors regular
Jun 26, 2010
233
270
Any iPad with USB-C, including the latest iPad Air, should be able to use USB drives, the most you'd need is a USB-C to USB-A adapter if your drive doesn't have USB-C already. iPads with Lightning can connect to some drives in theory with Lighting to USB adapter, but I've not been very successful in that regard.
 
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rui no onna

Contributor
Oct 25, 2013
14,920
13,268
Any iPad with USB-C, including the latest iPad Air, should be able to use USB drives, the most you'd need is a USB-C to USB-A adapter if your drive doesn't have USB-C already. iPads with Lightning can connect to some drives in theory with Lighting to USB adapter, but I've not been very successful in that regard.

Works just fine for me (with the official Apple USB3 camera kit, $39 iirc?).

Caveat, the Lightning port on the iPad doesn't supply enough power to most drives so you'd need to connect the USB3 adapter to a power source as well.

Another caveat, the Files app could cause corruption on FAT/FAT32 and exFAT formatted drives.
 
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