iPadOS 26 not seeing SD card on iPad A16

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iPadOS 26 not seeing SD card on iPad A16

I have a 64GB Micro SD card with some photos and files on it, that works fine on my iPhone (iOS 26) and on my Mac (macOS 26 Tahoe) using a 3rd party USB-C card reader / dock.

Anybody know why the SD card would not be showing up on the iPad at all?

It's formatted as ExFat and can be used fine as said on iPhone and Mac.

External SSDs and USB-c drives seem to work o.k on the iPad.

And yes, I've restarted the iPad multiple times, makes no difference.

iPad, iPadOS 26

Posted on Sep 15, 2025 3:11 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Phil0124 Author

Level 10

216,086 points

Oct 22, 2025 9:39 AM in response to Sparcus

Interestingly enough, I have since bought a new dock and the SD card now appears fine on the iPad.

I guess there's some particular issue with the old dock that only appears on my iPad A16 for some reason.

In case someone is interested the new dock that works fine is this one:

click here ➜ UGREEN Revodok Pro USB C Hub for Laptop 8 in 1 MacBook Docking Station - Amazon.com

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Answer 2

brbo

Level 8

38,479 points

Sep 15, 2025 8:56 PM in response to Phil0124

Re: iPadOS 26 not seeing SD card on iPad A16

Wondering just where are you looking for, and not seeing, the SD card ... or whether you may need an adapter.

Wondering too, whether Apple Support's online article for iPadOS26 may help:

Transfer files from iPad to a storage device, a server, or the cloud - Apple Support

Eg: says:

"Access an external storage device

You can open, rename, erase, and get information about a connected external storage device.

Go to the Files app on your iPad.
Tap at the top of the screen.
Touch and hold the name of the storage device below Locations, then do any of the following:

- View the contents of the storage device: Tap Open in New Window.
- Rename the storage device: Tap Rename [device].
- Erase the storage device: Tap Erase.
- Get information about the storage device: Tap Get Info."

More info: (including tips on adapters) : Connect external storage devices to iPad - Apple Support

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Answer 3

Sparcus

Level 1

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Oct 22, 2025 8:02 AM in response to Phil0124

I have the same issue with a USB C drive, it is formatted for MacOS and worked with my iPad Mini 6 before I upgraded to iPad OS26. FWIW, I did enable Wired Accessories.

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Answer 4

Phil0124 Author

Level 10

216,086 points

Sep 16, 2025 7:39 AM in response to brbo

brbo wrote:

Re: iPadOS 26 not seeing SD card on iPad A16

Wondering just where are you looking for, and not seeing, the SD card

Well obviously, I'm looking in the Files App on the iPad to access the SD card.

... or whether you may need an adapter.

Why would I need an adapter?

The SD card is plugged into a USB-C dock with an SD card and Micro SD card slot.

I can plug it into the regular SD slot with an SD sleeve adapter, or directly in the micro SD slot.

The dock works with the iPhone and macOS and shows the SD card in the Files app and the Finder respectively regardless of where the card is plugged in on the adapter.

I can plug it directly into all 3 devices as all 3 devices have USB-C ports.

As I said it works on my iPhone fine using the same card, same dock and same slots and ports. It appears in the Files App fine there. I can access it and copy files to and from the card fine on iPhone.

This is clearly an issue on the iPad, and the iPad only.

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Answer 5

brbo

Level 8

38,479 points

Oct 22, 2025 2:53 PM in response to Phil0124

Thank you kindly for sharing your solution with the community. That post may indeed assist others, too!

Apologies for not replying earlier to your Sept 17 post, ... only just saw and read it now ... un-notified at the time. (My Superdrive will not appear if using a dock, only with an adapter ... yet apparently that's irrelevant in this case.) Grateful for your patience, still have much to learn. Cheers :-)

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