How to Move Photos from an iMac to an iPad

By Kefa Olang

Connect the iPad to the computer using the USB cable that came with the iPad.
i srdjan111/iStock/Getty Images

Transferring photos from folders and applications such as iPhoto and Aperture on your iMac to your iPad allows you to enjoy your favorite memories via slideshows and share them with family and friends through multimedia messaging and email. Moving photos from your Mac to an iPad requires iTunes, the default media player used to manage media on Apple devices. As long as iTunes and the iPad use the same Apple ID account, transferring photos to your device is easy.

Step 1

Connect your iPad to the computer and launch iTunes if it does not launch automatically. If prompted, follow the guided prompts to install the latest version of iTunes.

Step 2

Click your iPad in the "Devices" list located in the left pane in iTunes and click the "Photos" tab above the main iTunes window.

Step 3

Click the "Sync Photos from" check box and click the drop-down arrow. Select "iPhoto" or "Aperture" to transfer photos from these applications to your iPad. Click the "All photos, albums, Events, and Faces" radio button to transfer the entire library of photos and albums from the selected application to your iPad. Click the "Selected Albums, Events, and Faces, and automatically include" radio button to manually select content to be transferred to your iPad. Click the check boxes next to the albums and events to sync to your device.

Step 4

Click the "Pictures" folder from the "Sync Photos from" drop-down box to transfer photos from a folder on your Mac to your iPad. Click the "Choose Folder" check box and then choose the folder that contains the photos.

Step 5

Click the "Apply" button to start the transfer. Wait for the transfer to complete and then click the "Eject" button next to your iPad's listing under Devices. Close iTunes and disconnect the USB cable.

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