And so y'all have a video on your computer that you desire to watch on your iPad. There are various ways yous tin transfer that video, and nosotros'll explain everything you demand to know in order to do it.

There are a couple of pitfalls to watch out for, but whatsoever video you take, past the fourth dimension you've read this you lot'll be able to watch it on your tablet screen wherever you are, with or without an cyberspace connection.

Copy videos to iPad using iTunes

The simplest method for most people is to use iTunes, Apple's music software that'due south bachelor for Macs and PCs. We'll focus on Windows computers here, but the procedure is very like if you have a Mac.

TIP: This method is gratis and is unproblematic as long every bit your video is compatible with your iPad. It will play common formats including MP4, MOV and M4V, but if your video isn't supported yous tin can convert it for complimentary.

If you don't already have iTunes on your figurer y'all'll need to download it from the Microsoft Store – an app that'south built into Windows 10 – and sign in to iTunes with your Apple tree ID.

Once that'south done, connect your iPad to a USB port on your computer using the cable that you normally use to charge it – a Lightning cable. (If your iPad is newer, it may employ a USB-C cable.)

If this is the first time you've used iTunes or the first time you've connected your iPad to your computer, you lot'll see a prompt asking if you want to allow access. Corroborate this, then on your iPad screen, tap 'Trust this figurer' and tap in your passcode.

Look for the icon to appear, equally arrowed below, which represents the device you've connected – an iPad or iPhone.

How to transfer video to ipad

Click on it, and you may be shown a prompt to download and update to the latest version of iPadOS, but you don't need to do this to transfer videos.

Instead, click on Films in the bottom bill of fare on the left, and bold you haven't copied any other videos to your iPad, y'all'll merely encounter a blank pane.

How to transfer video to ipad

My preferred style to import videos is to open File Explorer in Windows (the shortcut is to hold down the Windows key on your keyboard and press Due east).

Navigate to the binder where your video is located – it may be in This PC > Videos, merely it could be in your Downloads folder if you downloaded it from the cyberspace.

How to transfer video to ipad

When y'all've constitute the video, click and elevate information technology onto the bare pane in iTunes equally shown below. Allow go of the mouse button and the video will exist transferred to your iPad: a blueish circumvolve shows the progress.

Here'southward the pitfall: if the video isn't compatible with your iPad, you'll see a message like the i below explaining that it won't be copied because it can't be played.

How to transfer video to ipad

If this happens, you can either effort 1 of the other methods below, or convert the video into a format that can be played past your iPad.

To do this:

one. Click the < symbol to go to your iTunes library.

How to transfer video to ipad

2. Click File, Add together File to Library…

3. Browse to the video using the window that opens, click on it to select it, then click Open

4. The video will be added to iTunes. Use the drop-downwards menu to cull Films (Movies in the Us).

How to transfer video to ipad

5. Click on Home Videos (highlighted in blue below).

How to transfer video to ipad

half dozen. Click on the video you just added and it volition have a blueish border effectually it

vii. Click File > Convert and so click on "Create iPad or Apple Television receiver version" (choose the iPhone choice if yous're copying the video to an iPhone)

How to transfer video to ipad

8. You should see the new version of the video appear in your Domicile Videos list (or iTunes may crash and quit, equally it did on my PC). If it was successfully converted, you can transfer it to your iPad by dragging information technology from the list onto your iPad equally shown below.

How to transfer video to ipad

If you're unable to employ iTunes to convert the video into the right format, you can find out how to do it with other software in our separate guide to converting videos.

How to play a transferred video on your iPad

In one case the video has been copied from your computer to the tablet, hither'southward how to spotter it.

Open the Tv app (arrowed); this replaces the older Videos app that you might be looking for and declining to detect.

How to transfer video to ipad

Under the Library department, tap Domicile Videos and you should see the video. But tap on it and then tap Play.

How to transfer video to ipad

How to transfer video to an iPad without iTunes

If you don't want to use iTunes, or if your video isn't in a format that iTunes can play, and then you may prefer to use a third-party app to copy videos from your computer.

There are many apps which can do this. Our favourite is WALTR 2.

WALTR 2

One is WALTR 2. It isn't free at US$39.95, but it is very, very good. The simple elevate-and-driblet interface belies the many things it does when it transfers files to your iPad or iPhone.

When yous drop a video onto it, it will analyse information technology and endeavor to find metadata (including a cover prototype) so convert it into a playable format - if necessary - earlier sending it your iOS device.

Videos are placed into the correct folder so they appear in the native Videos app: all without iTunes. There'due south too the option to use Wi-Fi to transfer files, merely the fastest style is to use a Lightning cablevision.

How to transfer videos to iPad iPhone Waltr 2

VLC (iTunes)

If you don't want to pay for WALTR 2, there are free apps which can play videos in just virtually whatsoever format, but they do tend to require y'all to re-create files via iTunes.

There are diverse apps, including the gratuitous VLC Actor. Unfortunately, many such apps have had to remove codecs following legal requests and no longer back up environs-sound audio (AC-3 and others).

This means that any video with environs audio will play without whatever sound. You'd accept to catechumen your video in a suitable application and make sure 0the surround sound is converted to stereo.

PlayerXtreme Media Player (no iTunes)

1 complimentary app which has always had consistently excellent reviews is PlayerXtreme Media Player by Xtreme Media Works. This lets you transfer videos by Wi-Fi, just for speed and reliability, we'd recommend using a USB cable.

Cheque out our wider guide to playing any video format on an iPad to find out about some other options. Obviously, install whichever app y'all're going to utilise before following the guide below.

First, connect your iPad to a computer with a the latest version of iTunes. As explained above, grant access if requested on both your calculator and iPad. Your iPad should appear to the right of the < > arrows almost the top. Click on the icon that appears there and then click on File Sharing in the carte du jour on the left.

How to copy video from PC to iPad and iPhone

In the File Sharing department, click on the appropriate video app - in this case, PlayerXtreme.

Click the Add File... button and navigate to the video you lot desire to put on your iPad. Select 1 or more and click Open at the bottom of the dialogue box. Don't forget to select whatsoever subtitle files which go with the videos.

The films will start copying to your iPad – a progress bar is shown in the pane at the pinnacle of iTunes.

One time they're transferred, yous can disconnect your iPad, launch PlayerXtreme and the videos will be in that location, ready to sentinel.

Acquit in mind that playing video formats which aren't natively supported by iOS will utilize up the battery faster unless the app can use hardware acceleration (which PlayerXtreme can).

Use a video downloader app

If you don't want to have to connect your iPad to a figurer running iTunes, there are other means to get films onto your iPad. One is to install a video downloader app. Using the app's built-in web browser you can caput to YouTube or another video streaming site and find a video you desire to watch.

When information technology starts playing, a pop-up window should appear giving yous the option to download or save the video. Y'all might have to blazon in a name for it, or it might automatically take the name from the web page.

These apps tend to disappear from the App Store apace because of Apple's policies on potential copyright violation, and then nosotros can't link to whatsoever specific ones.

All the same, you lot can check our split guide which explains how to download YouTube videos to an iPhone or iPad.

Download from Netflix or Amazon Prime Video

If you have a Netflix or Amazon Prime subscription, y'all can now as well download content from both of those services. If you lot desire to endeavor information technology out, we have dedicated guides to downloading videos from Netflix or Amazon Prime Video.

How to copy video from PC to iPad and iPhone

If you're not certain what to picket, we've also rounded upward what we think are the best films on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video as well.

Download catch-upwards Television receiver

Plenty of Tv set channels have their own apps, and some let you download shows as well.

BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub and the All 4 app (Chanel 4) all allow you to download Idiot box shows (including films) to your iPad. iPlayer and gives yous 30 days to sentry stuff you download, while y'all're limited to 7 days with ITV Hub and, when information technology comes to All 4, it's dependent on when the show was originally circulate.

Neither My5 nor UKTV Play allow y'all to download shows at the time of writing, just this could alter in futurity.