Do you have videos that you want to copy to your iPad or iPhone for offline viewing? iCloud is great and works really well, but obviously you can only download content available in the iTunes store.
If you have home videos or downloaded movies that you want to download to your iPad or iPhone, you need to convert them to the appropriate format first. Once you have done that, you can read my post on how to copy or transfer files to your iPad.
So what’s the easiest way to convert any video to the correct format? In my opinion HandBrake. is the best app for getting the job done. It is open source and works on Mac, Windows, and even Linux.
HandBrake. makes this job easy with a set of built-in presets to convert video to specific formats for Apple TV, iPad, iPhone, iPod, and more.
Using HandBrake. to convert video
After you download and install HandBrake., you will see the main interface where you can select video (Source) and output format (Presets).
Go ahead and click the Source button and then select File or Folder. On Windows and Mac, you can easily convert multiple videos at once if you like.
When you select a video file, HandBrake. will scan it and display information about the video file.
Before you start converting, make sure you select iPad or iPhone from the presets on the right.
The video resolution and codec type values ??will already be selected for you when you select a preset. The only thing you need to do now is start the conversion by clicking the Start button. You can also click Add to Queue and add more videos if you like.
If you are using the program for the first time, you also need to select a destination for the converted file. By default, videos are converted to MP4 format using the H.264 codec. You will be able to see the progress at the bottom of the HandBrake. window.
Once completed, your file is ready. Now you can transfer this file to your iPad using iTunes. If you want to convert video for your iPhone, follow the same steps, just select iPhone from the presets. If you’re tech-savvy, you can also click on tabs and manually adjust the options to your liking.
Copy the file to the device using iTunes
To get the converted video to your iPad or iPhone, open iTunes and connect your device using a USB cable. In iTunes, click your device icon at the top.
You will now see the On My Device section on the left sidebar. Go ahead and click on “Movies” under that heading.
Open File Explorer and find your video. When you have it, just drag it to the right side of the screen under the Movies section.
Go ahead and click the Sync button in the bottom right corner and it should eventually start copying the video file to your iPad. Please note that if you have already synced your iPad or iPhone with another iTunes library, a message will appear asking you to erase and sync your current device. Just hit Cancel and let it continue syncing. I was able to copy the file even though my iPad was synced with another computer.
Finally, on iPad, open the Videos app. You should see a new tab called Home Videos. Here you will find all the movies you’ve manually synced yourself. The video should play perfectly as long as it’s in sync with your device. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to comment. Enjoy!
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