How to Set Up Wi-Fi Sync for Your iPad

To set up Wi-Fi sync for your iPad, connect it to your computer with a cable once, select the iPad in the Finder (Mac) or the Apple Devices app (Windows), click General, check Show this iPad when on Wi-Fi, and click Apply. After that, the iPad can sync without a cable whenever it and the computer are on the same Wi-Fi network.

These steps work for iPadOS 27 and earlier versions back to iPadOS 13, on a Mac with macOS Catalina or later (the Finder), or a Windows PC with the Apple Devices app or iTunes. They also work for an iPhone. They follow Apple’s guides to syncing over Wi-Fi on a Mac, Wi-Fi syncing in the Apple Devices app and Wi-Fi syncing in iTunes for Windows.

What Wi-Fi Sync Does

Syncing copies the content you choose on your computer, such as music, movies, TV shows, podcasts, books, photos, contacts and calendars, onto the iPad, and keeps it matched each time you sync. Wi-Fi sync is the same sync with the cable taken out. It uses the same choices you set for cable syncing, and it doesn’t copy anything you didn’t select.

One thing changes what you’ll see: if you use iCloud Photos or Apple Music, Apple says those items sync through iCloud, so the computer shows no syncing options for Photos or Music. That’s expected, not a setup problem.

Before You Start

• A cable for the first setup. You can’t turn on Wi-Fi sync wirelessly. Use a USB or USB-C cable that carries data, not one that only charges.
• Allow and Trust. The first time you connect, a Mac may ask Allow accessory to connect? Click Allow. On the iPad, unlock it, tap Trust and enter your passcode.
• The same Wi-Fi network. The iPad and the computer must be on the same network, and the computer has to be on and awake.
• The right app. On a Mac, the Finder handles syncing. On Windows, Apple’s iPad guides now use the Apple Devices app, which is free in the Microsoft Store; iTunes still works on PCs that manage the iPad with it.

Set Up Wi-Fi Sync on a Mac

1. Connect the iPad to your Mac with the cable.
2. Click the Finder icon in the Dock to open a Finder window.
3. Select your iPad under Locations in the Finder sidebar. Its summary page opens.
4. Click General in the row of tabs near the top of the window.
5. Check the box for Show this iPad when on Wi-Fi.

6. To sync without clicking anything later, also check Automatically sync when this iPad is connected in the same section.
7. Click the other tabs, such as Music, Movies or Books, to turn on syncing for each kind of content and choose what to sync.
8. Click Apply. The Mac syncs the iPad over the cable.
9. When the sync finishes, click the Eject button next to the iPad in the sidebar, then unplug the cable.

The iPad disappears from the sidebar when you unplug it. That’s normal. Wi-Fi syncing stays on, and the iPad shows up again the next time both devices are on the same Wi-Fi network.

Set Up Wi-Fi Sync on Windows With Apple Devices

1. Connect the iPad to your PC with the cable.
2. Open the Apple Devices app. If you don’t have it, get it free from the Microsoft Store.
3. Select your iPad in the sidebar.
4. Select General in the sidebar.
5. Check Show this iPad when on Wi-Fi.

6. For automatic syncing, check Automatically sync when this iPad is connected under Options.
7. Select the content types in the sidebar, such as Music, Movies or Photos, and choose what to sync.
8. Select Apply, wait for the sync to finish, then select Eject and unplug the cable.

When the iPad is on the same Wi-Fi network later, it appears in the Apple Devices sidebar without the cable.

Set Up Wi-Fi Sync in iTunes for Windows

If your PC still uses iTunes to manage your iPad, the setting is in a different place. iTunes is also what a Mac with macOS Mojave or earlier uses.

1. Connect the iPad and open iTunes.
2. Click the small iPad button near the top-left corner of the iTunes window.
3. Click Summary in the left column.
4. Under Options, check Sync with this iPad over Wi-Fi.
5. Click Apply.

Sync Your iPad Over Wi-Fi

Once the setting is on, you can start a sync in a few ways:

• Start it yourself. Make sure the iPad is awake and on the same Wi-Fi network. Select it in the Finder sidebar, the Apple Devices app or iTunes, and click Sync.
• Sync automatically. With Automatically sync when this iPad is connected checked, the computer syncs when the iPad shows up over Wi-Fi.
• Plug it into power (iTunes). Connecting the iPad to a charger plugged into a wall outlet starts a sync on its own, as long as the computer is on and iTunes is open on the same network.

A wireless sync is slower than a cable, so for a big batch of movies or a large music library, plugging in is faster. If you connect the cable during a Wi-Fi sync, the sync continues over the cable. If you unplug the cable partway through a sync, the sync stops, even with Wi-Fi sync turned on, and it picks up again the next time the iPad connects by cable or Wi-Fi.

Be careful when you clean up your computer: if an item syncs automatically and you delete it from the computer, it’s removed from the iPad at the next sync.

To check that it worked, add one song or movie to the computer’s sync choices, sync over Wi-Fi, and look for it on the iPad. To copy photos only once, without keeping them in sync, transfer photos from a computer to an iPad instead.

The same Wi-Fi connection also lets you transfer files from a PC to an iPad through the Files section in Apple Devices.

Getting a new iPad? A computer backup is one of the ways to transfer your data to a new iPad.

How to Turn Wi-Fi Sync Off

Select the iPad in the Finder or Apple Devices, click General, uncheck Show this iPad when on Wi-Fi, and click Apply. In iTunes, uncheck Sync with this iPad over Wi-Fi on the Summary page and click Apply. Turning it off doesn’t remove anything from the iPad; it only stops the computer from finding it without a cable.

If Your iPad Doesn’t Show Up Over Wi-Fi

• It’s missing from the Finder sidebar entirely. Choose Finder > Settings, click Sidebar, and check CDs, DVDs, and iOS Devices. If the whole sidebar is hidden, choose View > Show Sidebar.

• The networks don’t match. Check Settings > Wi-Fi on the iPad and compare it with your computer’s network. A guest network usually keeps devices apart from your main network, so join the same main network on both. If you need to switch, follow the steps to join a Wi-Fi network on iPad.
• The iPad or computer is asleep. Wake the iPad and unlock it, and make sure the computer isn’t in sleep mode.
• The box got unchecked. Plug in the cable, select the iPad, and confirm Show this iPad when on Wi-Fi is still checked.
• Security software is blocking it. Apple’s steps for a computer that doesn’t recognize your iPad mention VPN and third-party security software. Pause them and try again.
• You tapped Don’t Trust. Reset the prompt on the iPad in Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPad > Reset > Reset Location & Privacy, then reconnect with the cable and tap Trust. This also resets location and privacy permissions for your apps.
• It still won’t appear. Restart the iPad and the computer, update the computer’s software and install any software update on the iPad, try a different data cable, then connect with the cable again.

Things Wi-Fi Sync Can’t Do

• Restore the iPad. Restoring the iPad to factory settings from a computer needs the cable.
• Sync each content type to more than one computer. An iPad can sync wirelessly with more than one computer, but each kind of content, such as music, can sync with only one.
• Work away from home. The iPad has to be on the same network as the computer, so it won’t sync from a hotel or office network.
• Replace iCloud. Wi-Fi sync only moves content between the iPad and your computer. To handle photos and backups online instead, sync photos between iPhone and iPad with iCloud or turn on iCloud Backup on iPad.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I ever need the cable again?

Only for certain jobs. Everyday syncing works over Wi-Fi after the first setup. You’ll need the cable to restore the iPad, to turn Wi-Fi sync back on if it gets switched off, or to speed up a very large sync.

Can I back up my iPad over Wi-Fi to my computer?

The computer backup option is in the same General section, under Backups. Apple’s backup instructions use a cable, and a cable is faster and more reliable for a full backup, so plug in when you back up.

Does Wi-Fi sync drain the iPad battery?

A sync uses some power, like any download. Keeping the iPad plugged into a charger during a long sync avoids any problem.

Does this work with an iPhone too?

Yes. The steps are the same. The checkbox says Show this iPhone when on Wi-Fi instead.

Can I sync without iCloud or the internet?

Yes. Wi-Fi sync works over your home network between the iPad and the computer, so it doesn’t need iCloud storage or an internet connection once the apps are installed.