How to Put Music on iPad from PC/Mac? (4 Ways and Their Comparison)
When it comes to data transfer between computers and Apple devices, you may first come up with the scene of using iTunes. For instance, if you're to add music to an iPad from a PC, you'll probably want a better solution because syncing content with iTunes will make the current stuff on the iPad disappear. Well, here in this post, we will give you a big hand by demonstrating how to transfer music from computer to iPad without or with iTunes.
Need to make sure that the songs moved to your iPad are in device-compatible formats? Want to sync music to the iPad on different computers?... Just move ahead with us, please.
Part 1: How to Transfer Music from Computer to iPad with iOS Transfer
"How to transfer music from PC to iPad without iTunes"? This is a concern for many Apple users. Indeed, while transferring music from iPad to computer or doing the reverse transfer, iTunes is not very satisfying. Nowadays, many Apple fans turn to more professional and powerful 3rd-party software because of the unfriendly designs in iTunes.
iOS Transfer is one of the most efficient and pragmatic programs. It supports file transfer between different platforms or devices and can protect the existing content on your iDevice, which iTunes cannot do.
Before explaining how to transfer songs from computer to iPad, let's see:
Some highlights of iOS Transfer:
- Transfer music files from PC/Mac to iPad with no data loss, no matter where your songs are from.
- Transfer all iOS data between iOS devices, copy data from iPhone/iPad to computer/iTunes, and import data from computer to iPad/iPhone.
- Sync photos, music, playlist and many more from iPad/iPhone to iTunes.
- Copy iPad/iPhone contacts, photos, calendar and many more data to computer, and vice versa.
- Get along well with various iDevices, including iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad 4, iPad mini, the new iPad, iPad 2, etc., and overall iPhones/iPods.
- It never tracks its users' privacy.
How to transfer music from laptop/desktop to iPad with iOS Transfer?
Step 1. Open iOS Transfer and connect iPad to computer
Install the downloaded program on your computer. Run it and plug your iPad into the computer with a USB cable. Follow the prompts on the interface to get the device recognized by the software. And you'll get the main screen as below.
Step 2. Select your wanted music from the computer
You'll see various iPad data on the left sidebar of the program interface. Simply choose the "Music" tab there and click on the "+" icon at the top menu.
Step 3. Start to add music to iPad
Select your desired songs from this computer and tap on "Open" to import the files to your iPad. Then, the task will commence immediately.
Related Passages:
- How to Transfer MP4 to iPhone/iPad? Here's All You Need to Know
- [Easy Guide] How to Transfer Files from Mac/Macbook/iMac to iPad?
Part 2: How to Put Music on iPad from Computer Using iCloud
iCloud Drive is an iCloud built-in service that can be used to sync, save, access, import, and edit content saved on the iCloud server. You're allowed to upload songs from your PC to iCloud Drive by visiting the webpage of iCloud. Then, you can get the uploaded music files from iCloud Drive on your iPad.
How to sync music from computer to iPad using iCloud?
- On your computer, visit icloud.com from any browser and log in to iCloud with your Apple ID.
- Choose the "iCloud Drive" icon and tap on "Upload" to transfer music from PC to iPad. (you can also drag & drop the music files to the folder of iCloud Drive.)
- Unlock your iPad and go to "Setting". (P.S., iPad won't unlock? Click here to fix iPad slide to unlock not working)
- Head to [your name] > iCloud Drive to find and get the songs stored from this computer.
Part 3: How to Transfer Music from PC to iPad with iTunes
As one of Apple's traditional tools, iTunes allows its users to add music from a computer to the iTunes library and then sync it to the iPad. But, as we said, it would erase files from the receiving device when syncing songs. Hence, this solution is more suitable for a new iPad. Of course, you can also back up iPad data to your computer before syncing.
How to transfer music from PC to iPad 4/2/Air/mini/Pro, etc., via iTunes?
- Download and install iTunes (the latest version) on your computer.
- Attach your iPad to the computer using a USB cord. And you'll see iTunes runs automatically. (if it doesn't respond, just launch it manually)
- iTunes should identify your iPad. Afterward, go to File > Add Files to Library to add your needed songs to the iTunes library.
- Click the "device" button and then select "Music".
- Mark the checkbox of "Sync Music" and check "Entire music library" or "Selected playlists, artists, albums, and genres".
- Tap on Apply > Sync to put music on iPad from the iTunes library.
You May Need:
- How to Transfer Music from iPhone to Computer for Free in 2020
- How to Retrieve Deleted Music from iPad on PC or Mac
Part 4: How to Add Music to iPad from Computer via Dropbox
Dropbox is also a cloud service. The principle of importing music to iPad from a computer using it is basically the same as doing this with iCloud. Yet, Dropbox supports incremental sync, which is an advantage over both iCloud and iTunes.
How to move/download music from computer to iPad using Dropbox?
- Download and install Dropbox on your computer.
- Launch the tool and upload the songs you want to the Dropbox cloud. (or you can go to dropbox.com and upload the items from the website.)
- Get the downloaded Dropbox installed on your iPad before opening it.
- Log in with the account you used to upload the music. You'll then find the content from this PC.
- Download the uploaded songs from the Dropbox server to your iPad.
Note: Apple Music files cannot be played directly on Dropbox.
Conclusion - A Comparison of the Above Methods
|
iOS Transfer
|
iCloud
|
iTunes
|
Dropbox
|
|
|
Compatibility
|
Almost All iOS Devices |
Almost All iOS Devices |
Almost All iOS Devices |
Almost All iOS Devices |
|
Transfer Efficiency
|
High |
Low |
Medium |
Medium |
|
Easy to Use
|
Yes |
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Erase Data While Syncing
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
Convert Music Format
|
Yes (Automatically) |
|
|
|
|
Play All iOS Songs
|
Yes |
|
|
|
|
Get Music from
|
PCs, iDevices, iTunes |
PCs, iDevices |
iTunes Store, Apple Music |
PCs, iDevices |
(Unfilled fields in the table default to "NO".)
To sum up from the table above, it is obvious that there is no difference in "Compatibility" among these tools or services, while iOS Transfer performs well in the remaining key metrics. So, don't want to hassle with other methods? Just download this software and copy music to iPad from your computer now.
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