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To set up Wi-Fi sync, connect your iPad to your computer once with a USB or USB-C cable, then enable the Wi-Fi option in the computer’s syncing app. After setup, select the iPad in Finder, Apple Devices, or iTunes while both devices are on the same Wi-Fi network.

Choose the right syncing app

Computer App to use Where to enable Wi-Fi sync
Mac with macOS Catalina or later Finder iPad > General > “Show this [device] when on Wi-Fi”
Windows PC using Apple’s current device-management app Apple Devices iPad > General > “Show this [device] when on Wi-Fi”
Windows PC or Mac with macOS Mojave or earlier using iTunes iTunes Device > Summary > “Sync with this [device] over Wi-Fi”

Wi-Fi sync is configured on the computer, not solely from the iPad’s Settings app. Apple’s instructions cover Finder on Mac, Apple Devices on Windows, and iTunes on Windows or older macOS.

Set up Wi-Fi sync on a Mac with Finder

  1. Connect the iPad to your Mac with a USB or USB-C data cable.
  2. Open Finder and select the iPad in the sidebar. If prompted on the iPad, confirm that you trust the computer.
  3. Select General.
  4. Scroll to the options and select Show this [device] when on Wi-Fi.
  5. Click Apply.
  6. Disconnect the cable. When the iPad and Mac are on the same Wi-Fi network, the iPad should appear in Finder for syncing.

Finder is Apple’s syncing route on macOS Catalina or later. You can choose supported content such as music, films, TV programmes, podcasts, audiobooks, books, photos, contacts, and calendars in the Finder syncing controls. Apple says automatic syncing can occur when the iPad is connected to power. See Apple’s Finder syncing guide.

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Set up Wi-Fi sync on Windows with Apple Devices

  1. Connect the iPad to the PC using a USB or USB-C cable. If a Trust prompt appears on the iPad, tap Trust.
  2. Open the Apple Devices app and select the iPad in the sidebar.
  3. Select General.
  4. Check Show this [device] when on Wi-Fi.
  5. Choose the sync settings for the content you want, then select Apply.

After setup, keep the iPad and PC on the same Wi-Fi network. Select the iPad in the Apple Devices sidebar when you want to sync; Apple Devices also offers automatic syncing options. Follow Apple’s Windows Wi-Fi sync instructions.

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Set up Wi-Fi sync in iTunes

Use this workflow if you manage the iPad through iTunes on Windows or on a Mac running macOS Mojave or earlier.

  1. Connect the iPad to the computer with a cable.
  2. Open iTunes and select the iPad.
  3. Choose Summary.
  4. Check Sync with this [device] over Wi-Fi, then click Apply.
  5. Disconnect the cable. When the iPad and computer share a Wi-Fi network, select the iPad in iTunes to sync.

For automatic syncing with iTunes, Apple says the iPad must be connected to power and iTunes must be open. The computer also needs to be turned on. You can instead select the iPad in iTunes and start a sync manually. Apple’s Windows iTunes guide notes that Wi-Fi syncing is slower than syncing over a cable, but does not give a speed figure. See Apple’s iTunes syncing instructions and its Windows guide to syncing iTunes content over Wi-Fi.

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What Wi-Fi sync does—and does not do

Wi-Fi sync transfers the content types and settings you select in the computer app. It is not a complete backup or a universal cloud mirror. If your goal is to keep items available across devices without syncing through a computer, that is a different use case: Apple describes iCloud separately from device-to-computer syncing in its syncing overview.

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Syncing also has library limits. Apple says an iPad can sync with only one Apple Music or Apple TV library at a time. If you see a warning offering Erase and Sync or Remove and Sync, do not accept it unless you intend to replace the selected content on the iPad with content from the computer’s library. Apple documents this behavior in its Finder guide and iTunes guide.

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If your iPad does not appear over Wi-Fi

  • Check the network: Make sure the iPad and computer are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
  • Check the computer: Confirm it is on and awake. For the iTunes automatic-sync workflow, keep iTunes open.
  • Check the setting: Reopen Finder, Apple Devices, or iTunes and verify that the Wi-Fi sync option is enabled.
  • Reconnect by cable: If Wi-Fi sync was never enabled or the computer does not recognize the iPad, connect it by cable and complete setup or confirm the trust prompt.
  • Start a manual sync: Select the iPad in the syncing app and use its sync controls rather than waiting for automatic syncing.

Apple’s setup and connection requirements are documented in its Finder, Apple Devices, and iTunes instructions.

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