How to get Safari downloads to PC?

[terrypin]

Embarrassed to have forgotten some basic stuff here, as it's a long time since I last needed to do the following.

When I download a file from Safari on my iPad it goes to the folder iCloud Drive > Downloads - IC.

I also have iDrive installed on my PC and I see that I have the following folder of the same name:
C:\Users\terry\iCloudDrive\Downloads - IC

Presumably I must have set up those subfolder (a couple of years ago)? IOW, they are not managed by Win 10 iDrive?

Anyway, in that PC folder I see many downloaded files and subfolders, the last dated mid 2022. Today I downloaded a few more on my iPad, rather hoping they would auto-magically appear in the PC folder. They don't.

So my main question: what is the fastest, no-brainer way to get iPad Safari downloads to my PC please?

 

[giradman]

HI Terrypin - I'm on all Apple devices so a few more options - but, for starters have you updated/upgraded iCloud Drive on your PC and properly set the sync feature (if still available)? If no longer an option (and depending on 'how many' files you want to transfer), you could attach the file(s) to an email sent to yourself and save in your PC's mail app - see pic below of my iPad w/ Files opened and iCloud Drive chosen - I picked a book and then selected 'Share' at the bottom left which opens and provides numerous choices (AirDrop is what I usually use but that's for 'all Apple' devices). Please post back if you get the app on your PC working, likely have a lot of non-Apple computer users on the forum. Good luck. Dave

ADDENDUM: also depending on your iPad model and its charging port, there may be flash drive or memory stick options (check Amazon HERE)

 

[terrypin]

Thanks a bunch Dave,. I'm familiar with those other options (Dropbox would be my choice), and iTunes via cable. But as I have iDrive on both iPad and PC I'm looking for that as the more direct solution. So your opening suggestion will be my next step.

Hopefully there are a few other users here with iDrive on both iPad/iPhone and PC?

 

[twerppoet]

I have both, or at least I have iCloud Drive on my PC. I'm pretty sure that's what you mean. There is no iDrive. If you actually have directories and folders named iDrive on your PC, something is not right.

On your PC you should find an iCloud app. You can find it by opening the Start Menu and typing in iCloud. Make sure iCloud Drive is checked. With iCloud Drive checked you should find iCloud Drive in the top level of File Explorer on the PC.

On the iPad go to Settings > Safari and make sure Downloads are pointed at iCloud Drive. It is possible the download folder is set to the local folder on the iPad.

If both of these are correct, the iCloud Drive folders should sync; eventually. If they are currently out of sync it can take a while. Especially on the PC. Syncing doesn't seem to happen in the background. At least no on my computer, not reliably.

Other methods.

1) You can open icloud.com in a browser on your computer and sign in with your Apple ID. All you iCloud Drive folders are available there.

2) If you have Microsoft's OneDrive, DropBox, or Google Drive you can download those apps on the iPad and transfer files on those services. Once downloaded and signed into, you can turn those services on in the File app by Choosing Edit Sidebar under the three dot icon. Or you can just use those apps. There are other cloud service apps for those that want to avoid the big names or need more enterprise like tools Box comes to mind.

3) If you know the smb address of your computer of shared folders, you can Connect to Server under the three dot icon in the Files app. This add's the computer/folder to the sidebar. It will often disconnect when you leave your local network, but it remembers the server address so you can easily reconnect. This uses the same service that Windows PC's use when sharing folders on a network.

4) Use a USB drive. If your iPad has a USB-C port then getting a cheap drive with both a USB-A and USB-C port is pretty handy. You can also get devices with Lighting ports, but be careful. Some of the older ones depend on third party software to work, and I have yet to see an example of this software that was easy to use.

5) Some document reader/annotation/organizer apps have the ability to move files between the iPad and computer using a browser on the computer. They typically supply an IP address that you enter in the browser's URL bar. Some of them hide this behind a service that uses authentication methods. Documents by Readdle is one. It used to be darn near the only way to transfer files directly, but I don't really recommend it anymore. Not unless you have other reasons to own/use the software; which I do.

There are probably a few other methods available, but I can't think of any off the top of my head.

 

[terrypin]

I have both, or at least I have iCloud Drive on my PC. I'm pretty sure that's what you mean. There is no iDrive. If you actually have directories and folders named iDrive on your PC, something is not right.

On your PC you should find an iCloud app. You can find it by opening the Start Menu and typing in iCloud. Make sure iCloud Drive is checked. With iCloud Drive checked you should find iCloud Drive in the top level of File Explorer on the PC.

On the iPad go to Settings > Safari and make sure Downloads are pointed at iCloud Drive. It is possible the download folder is set to the local folder on the iPad.

If both of these are correct, the iCloud Drive folders should sync; eventually. If they are currently out of sync it can take a while. Especially on the PC. Syncing doesn't seem to happen in the background. At least no on my computer, not reliably.

Other methods.

1) You can open icloud.com in a browser on your computer and sign in with your Apple ID. All you iCloud Drive folders are available there.

2) If you have Microsoft's OneDrive, DropBox, or Google Drive you can download those apps on the iPad and transfer files on those services. Once downloaded and signed into, you can turn those services on in the File app by Choosing Edit Sidebar under the three dot icon. Or you can just use those apps. There are other cloud service apps for those that want to avoid the big names or need more enterprise like tools Box comes to mind.

3) If you know the smb address of your computer of shared folders, you can Connect to Server under the three dot icon in the Files app. This add's the computer/folder to the sidebar. It will often disconnect when you leave your local network, but it remembers the server address so you can easily reconnect. This uses the same service that Windows PC's use when sharing folders on a network.

4) Use a USB drive. If your iPad has a USB-C port then getting a cheap drive with both a USB-A and USB-C port is pretty handy. You can also get devices with Lighting ports, but be careful. Some of the older ones depend on third party software to work, and I have yet to see an example of this software that was easy to use.

5) Some document reader/annotation/organizer apps have the ability to move files between the iPad and computer using a browser on the computer. They typically supply an IP address that you enter in the browser's URL bar. Some of them hide this behind a service that uses authentication methods. Documents by Readdle is one. It used to be darn near the only way to transfer files directly, but I don't really recommend it anymore. Not unless you have other reasons to own/use the software; which I do.

There are probably a few other methods available, but I can't think of any off the top of my head.

Thanks, great post! Really appreciate the time you took for such a comprehensive reply.

I've adopted your method #2, with Dropbox. I also posted my original to TenForums and have just added the following, which I'll paste below.
--------------------
In case anyone ends up here with a similar problem, this is the solution I've adopted:

After a download on the iPad (or iPhone):
1. Hold the target for about half a second to pop up the options shown. (NOT a briefer tap, which opens a different dialog window.)
2. Choose the Share option
3. Choose the required target; in my case Dropbox, specifying the relevant folder.

Oh, and don't muddy the water with the mistake I made of thinking 'iDrive' was an abbreviation of 'iCloud Drive'.

 

[terrypin]

twerppoet:
A few points after more work based on your detailed post.

I did not have iPad > Settings > Safari > Downloads set to iCloud Drive, button 'On My iPad', so have corrected that.

PC > Start > Search >iCloud displays this:

There is no entry at File Explorer's top level for 'iCloud'. There is one for 'iCloud Photos' (which is not enabled.) I have iCloud Drive here:
C:\Users\terry\iCloudDrive

I then tested the question I raised in my initial post: does a file downloaded to my iPad automatically get copied there, as I'd rather hoped.

I downloaded several web files with my iPad and they duly appeared in its Files app. But an hour later they cannot be found anywhere on my PC. So not automagically to a single folder on my PC. That would be my ideal, because after many such ipad downloads I could then later move or copy or delete them conveniently from that one PC folder. Just as I do from my main PC downloads folder, D:\Downloads. Maybe it's technically impossible, or dangerous?

It's still easy though with an extra few actions, as I described earlier.

BTW, what do you find the quickest way to get to your main iCloud page please? I'm currently opening Chrome, using a bookmark to iCloud then logging in.

 

[twerppoet]

About the top level iCloud Drive in File Explorer. My mistake. This is just a pin under the Quick Access list. I don't know if I added the pin myself, or something in the setup process did so when installing the iCloud app. My path to iCloud Drive is similar to yours.

There is no quicker access the iCloud website that I know of. It is more of a backup method of getting to your Apple stuff than a suggested solution. It's good to keep in mind when you have trouble doing stuff by better means, or when you really need that file but don't have your iPad available.

I think I mentioned that syncing between the PC and icloud drive on the PC can be slow. I rarely use it when I'm in a hurry to pass files between them. I'm more likely to use Microsoft OneDrive. It is easier to set up and use on the PC itself, though it can be troublesome on the iPad.

Also, I'm not sure whether you said you changed Settings > Safari > Downloads to iCloud Drive or to On My iPad. I has to be set to iCloud Drive if it is going to sync. You also need to change the Remove Download List Items to something other that Upon Successful Download, or interacting with the download list may remove the file from the Download folder.

Keep in mind that files only go to the Download folder if you actually download the folder in Safari. Viewing the file by opening it does not download, and using the Share menu to send/download the file to another app bypasses Safari's download folder.

 

[terrypin]

Thanks.

Yes, I have those set respectively to iCloud Drive and Manually.

Do I need to trigger the syncing in some way? It's not happening automatically. 20 minutes since I downloaded a file from the site thingiverse.com and it has not turned up in C:\Users\terry\iCloudDrive. Or anywhere else.

My steps were:
1. On iPad, selected a file on that site and used its download tool
2. The iPad icon (circle with a downward arrow) became active
3. Clicked it and responded to the message 'Do you want to download...'
The file is shown (on the iPad) as downloaded in iCloud Drive > Downloads, 'Tdday 18:12'.

 

[twerppoet]

Mine just works, so I'm not sure why you are having problems. Here is an Apple support page on setting up iCloud Drive in Windows. Maybe it will offer you a clue.

Your download step for Safari look fine. If you tap on the download icon, you can open the file in a compatible app. If you go to the iCloud Drive Download folder in Files, the file should be there, and you can do other stuff with it.

Set up iCloud Drive on your Windows computer

With iCloud for Windows, you can see and share files stored in iCloud Drive on your PC.

support.apple.com

 

[terrypin]

Thanks, puzzling.

"Set up iCloud Drive
On your Windows computer, open iCloud for Windows.
Select iCloud Drive, then click Apply."
My steps are not identical:
I open iCloud with Start > Programs > iCloud > iCloud Drive
That opens File Explorer at C:\Users\terry\iCloudDrive
Its only subfolder \Downloads - IC contains many previously downloaded fies, the last dated 18th Dec 2022. None of my more recent ones.

"Files under 1 MB are downloaded automatically. You can open and view downloaded files directly on your computer.
Note: If you are using iCloud for Windows version 7, the entire contents of iCloud Drive are downloaded automatically."

I'm sure some of the files I recently downloaded were under 1MB but I'll check again shortly.

 

[twerppoet]

The instructions you show were for setting up iCloud Drive, not opening the folder. You already did this when you opened the iCloud app and made sure iCloud Drive was selected. It if was not already selected and you checked the box you should have also clicked on the Apply box.

The laptop I showed is running Windows 7. Maybe that's why. I'll check my other Windows 10 laptop today and see if there is a difference in how it behaves. It's part of a portable Winlink (Amateur Radio) station, so I generally don't have it near by to play with.

 

[terrypin]

Sorted! So timezones permitting, please don't bother dusting off your Win 10 laptop.

I'd naturally visited that iCloud dialog window many times and just did so again. As you see there's no option there to do anything with iDrive except enable or disable it. It's been enabled during our thread discussion. But I disabled and enabled it again, clicked Apply, downloaded a file to my iPad, and checked C:\Users\terry\iCloudDrive\Downloads IC once more. Not there after a minute or so.

However I then checked my regular downloads folder, D:\Downloads\, and was delighted to find the file!

I' must have changed it, but plainly not in the place specified. I'll Send this and go looking.

EDIT 10 mins later: It has to be changed in iPad > Settings > Safari > Downloads. But there's then ambiguity because if 'Other' is selected (instead of my enabled 'iCloud Drive', or 'On My iPad) another 'Downloads' is displayed, which differs in content from the 'Downloads' under 'On My iPad'. I'll return to this puzzle later after another coffee!

Thanks a bunch for your patient help.

 

[BikeFlagAZ]

Edit:
Couldn’t get this to edit properly, see below.

 

[BikeFlagAZ]

You probably have a Downloads folder in iCloud Drive and another On My iPad.
Have a look in the Files app and see:

 

[terrypin]

Yes, I thnk that''s what I described. Confusing to name them identically IMO.