You can make a difference in the Apple Support Community!

When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

Unable to access my WD hard drive on iPad Pro 12.9

Unable to access my WD hard drive on iPad Pro 12.9

iPad Pro, iPadOS 14

Posted on Apr 8, 2021 7:45 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Apr 8, 2021 8:13 AM

iPadOS provides limited support for external Hard Disk storage.


An external HDD can be connected to your iPad with the Apple adapter appropriate for your model of iPad - if the HDD is both partitioned and formatted appropriately (i.e., a single partition - formatted as FAT32, exFAT, APFS or HFS+). 


You should also note that the iPad is not capable of providing sufficient power to run an HDD. If the HDD does not have its own source of power - then external power must be supplied to the HDD using a connecting adapter (e.g., an Apple Lightning to USB3 Camera Adapter and Apple Charger of at least 12W) - or by connecting both the iPad and HDD to a powered USB hub.


2 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Apr 8, 2021 8:13 AM in response to LP2314

iPadOS provides limited support for external Hard Disk storage.


An external HDD can be connected to your iPad with the Apple adapter appropriate for your model of iPad - if the HDD is both partitioned and formatted appropriately (i.e., a single partition - formatted as FAT32, exFAT, APFS or HFS+). 


You should also note that the iPad is not capable of providing sufficient power to run an HDD. If the HDD does not have its own source of power - then external power must be supplied to the HDD using a connecting adapter (e.g., an Apple Lightning to USB3 Camera Adapter and Apple Charger of at least 12W) - or by connecting both the iPad and HDD to a powered USB hub.


Unable to access my WD hard drive on iPad Pro 12.9

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.