The Files app is a kind of central repository that allows you to work with the files stored on your iPad, network servers, and cloud storage services.
The SMB (Server Message Block) network protocol integration in iPadOS was a game-changer because of its benefits. It lets you access large files, which helps you save space on the device. You can view documents, play audio or video, markup PDFs, move and copy files, and much more.
We’ll show you how to access files from your Mac or Windows 10 computer directly through the Files app on your iPad.
Setting Up and Requirements
SMB is a network file sharing protocol that allows an application (or the user of an app) to access files or resources at a remote server. You can read, create, and even update files on the server. There are few essential steps you must carry out before setting up the SMB network share in the Files app.
Server Address
Every network-connected device has an IP address and a unique MAC address that identifies it on your network. To find a device’s IP address on your local network, follow these steps:
On Windows: Open Command Prompt and type in ipconfig. Then, note down the IPv4 address.
On macOS: If you use Wi-Fi, press the Option key and click the Wi-Fi icon on the menu bar. Or, head to System Preferences > Network and select your network connection to find your IP address.
Access to Shared Folders
We’ll use the built-in functions to enable file sharing on both Mac and Windows. On a Mac, head to System Preferences > Sharing, then check File Sharing. Click Options, then check Share files and folders using SMB.
On Windows, you need to make sure to turn on Network Discovery and check Turn on file and printer sharing. If you’re doing it for the first time, then check out our complete guide on how to enable file sharing on Mac and PC.
Permission Settings
Any access privilege you give to network file service has the same ownership and permission architecture used by the local file system. On macOS, the standard file-system permission is based on the UNIX-style permissions.
In this, you can define privilege rules separately at each ownership tier. The owner, group, and everyone else has specific access to each file or folder. For any shared folder, we recommend you give “read-only” access to everyone.
On a PC, each file and folder on an NTFS-formatted volume has an ACL (Access Control List). An ACL comprises of access control entry for each user. With NTFS, you can control access and allow a different type of access for each user or group of users.
Connect to a File Server
Open the Files app, then tap the ellipsis (…) icon in the upper-right corner of the Browse pane and tap Connect to Server.
In the Server field, enter the network address of the SMB using the format smb://IP Address. For example, smb://192.168.1.12.
In the next screen, type in the username and password for the server. If the details are correct, you’ll get connected to the network device. The new share will appear under the Shared area of the Browse menu. Tap on your server, and you’ll have access to all your files and folders.
Useful Functions of the Files App
The Files app has different view modes—Icons, List, and Columns. For a particular network share, if you have files nested in multiple folders, then Column View lets you preview the file (PDF, audio file, or video) without opening it, giving you access to markup tools and more.
You can sort your files by name, date, size, or tags. And perform all the regular file management operations (like move, copy, share, or delete) from your server to the iPad or cloud storage service of your choice.
Troubleshooting the Network Share
There are many different devices and NAS setups. Eventually, some of them will have problems connecting or show errors. There are different versions of the SMB protocol—SMB 1.0, SMB 2.0, and SMB 3.0.
On thorough testing, Files in iOS and iPadOS is only compatible with SMB version 2.0 or later. If your Windows PC uses SMB 1.0, you’ll get periodic connection failures, slow transfers, and access denied related errors.
We don’t recommend you enable SMB 1.0 because of security issues.
To check the SMB server configuration, press the Windows + X keys to launch PowerShell (Admin). Then type in
Get-SmbServerConfiguration | Select EnableSMB2Protocol
If the statement is true, then your device supports SMB 2.o. The SMB 2.0 version is tied to “EnableSMB2Protocol” as they share the same stack. If your company uses iPads and periodically shares files with Windows PCs, we recommend enabling SMB encryption for the entire file server. Type in
Set-SmbServerConfiguration –EncryptData $true
Visit the Microsoft website for more details on SMB security enhancements.
That way, your SMB data is end-to-end encrypted and gives you protection against man-in-the-middle attacks. To maintain SMB compatibility, you should update your iPad whenever it’s available.
Best File Manager Apps iPad
Files is a useful app to carry out day-to-day file management operations. With the built-in network share capability, you can view, manage, and transfer files easily.
If you’re searching for any third-party file manager apps, there are still plenty of alternatives available for iPadOS and iOS.