If you use multiple iOS devices, it's a good idea to sync your iPhone and iPad to access your files anywhere. For example, you can take a gorgeous photo on your iPhone camera and then view and edit it on a larger iPad screen.

With our free Documents app, you can easily manage files on your iPhone and iPad as well as sync them with cloud storages and between your devices.

How to sync iPhone and iPad using iCloud

Documents allows storing files in iCloud Drive and keeps them up to date across all your devices. Here's how to sync iPhone and iPad via iCloud:

  1. Download Documents on both your devices.
  2. Make sure you're signed into the same Apple ID on both your iPhone and iPad.
  3. Open Documents on your iOS device.
  4. Drag and drop the file or folder you want to sync to the Documents in iCloud tab on your iPad or Documents in iCloud the folder on your iPhone.
How to sync iPhone and iPad using iCloud

To sync multiple files at once, follow these steps:

  1. In Documents, tap the three dots at the top right, then tap Select.
  2. Select the files you want to sync.
  3. Tap Copy or Move.
  4. Choose Documents in iCloud.

Now, these files are synced between your iPhone and iPad. You can also access these files in other apps that support iCloud Drive. For this, open the iCloud Drive section within the app and select the Documents folder.

How to sync iPhone and iPad with a cloud storage

Documents lets you set up 2-way synchronization with any cloud service. This is extremely useful when you add a new file, say, to a Dropbox folder and it appears right on your device. This way, you can sync iPhone and iPad with any cloud storage account.

How to sync folders from cloud storage:

  1. Launch Documents on your iPhone or iPad
  2. Tap the + button at the bottom right and select Add Connection.
  3. Select the cloud service that you want to sync with.
  4. Follow the onscreen instructions to Sign In.
  5. Now, you can work with your documents right from the cloud or download them to your device.
  6. To sync a folder, tap … More on it and select Sync.
  7. If you want to sync multiple folders, tap Select at the top right, choose the desired folders and tap Sync.
How to sync folders from Cloud Storage on iPhone and iPad

Once the sync is completed, you can find the full copies of these folders in the Synced Folders folder. The files from a synced folder are available locally on your device so you can work with them when you're offline.

This way, you can sync the same folder on your iPhone and iPad, and Documents keeps files up to date between both your devices as well as cloud storage.

By default, Documents syncs the folders automatically once you’re connected to Wi-Fi. You can also allow the app to sync folders over a cellular network or disable the automatic sync. To change the sync options, go to Settings > Cloud & Connections and select your desired option under Automatic Sync.

You can also sync a folder manually whenever you wish. Tap … More on a synced folder and select Sync Now. The folder will be synced immediately. Moreover, you can set the sync on pause by tapping Pause Sync.

To disable the sync, tap … More on a synced folder and select Delete. This will remove the local copy of the sync folder from Documents, while the corresponding folder on the cloud service remains unchanged.


You’ve learned how to sync your iPhone and iPad to keep all your photos, documents, music, and other files up to date. Download our free Documents app and enjoy working with files on your iOS devices!