Move photoshop iPad file to hard drive

[Samuel32402095h03z]

Hi, I'm working on a photoshop file on my iPad and wanting to move it to my connected hard drive so I can pluc that into my windows laptop and place it into another document on that device.

I can't seem to find any "import" option on the apple files app, nor a "move" or "export" option when in the file or clicking on the "..." next to it in the photoshop app. 

Is there any good way to move a photoshop file from an iPad to another device without having to buy cloud storage or email it to yourself and deal with the rigamarole of redownloading it, having copies on multiple devices, etc etc??

[Conrad_C · Accepted solution]

Photoshop follows the standard iOS way of exchanging files: The Share icon. People experienced with desktop computers may not be used to the Share icon. But understanding it is extremely important, because the Share icon is basically the export feature in iOS apps.

In the picture below, I circled the Share icon in Apple Photos as an example of how you’d see that icon in almost all iOS apps. The same picture shows where you find that Share icon in Photoshop on iPad. Tap that icon and you’ll see export options. To control how it exports, tap Publish and Export.

If you continue on from that, after you choose a file format, Photoshop shows you a standard iOS share sheet, shown in the picture below.  This lists all of the ways that app lets you export that image. The icons along the top row are apps that you can send the image directly to, like Instagram or Facebook. The list under that is very important to understand, especially the ones I highlighted in yellow:

If you want the picture to be copied to the clipboard, tap Copy. 

If you want to save the picture to the Files app, tap Save to Files. This can be very valuable, see below.

If you want to save the picture to Apple Photos, tap Save Image. 

Those labels are consistent throughout iOS apps, and were probably named by Apple. Because they’re consistent, it’s important to recognize them so that you can send a file to the destination you want in whatever iOS apps you use. 

Notice it says TIFF Image at the top…I chose that format in Photoshop in the previous menu that appeared after I tapped the Share icon, and just before this screen.

Save to Files is extremely important to understand if you want to integrate your iOS device with your desktop computers, especially without the cloud. The Files app is like the desktop on a computer, with folders. For example, if you plug an external drive into your iPad, the Files app is where it shows up.

Or, if you are have a folder of images on an NAS, or on a PC or Mac with File Sharing enabled, the Connect to Server command in the iOS Files app lets you sign into that network share and look through its folders.

Although you said you want to avoid using the cloud, if you did use a cloud service like Dropbox, Google Drive, and iCloud Drive, those can be directly accessible in the Files app.

That’s a long way of answering your question…

…I'm working on a photoshop file on my iPad and wanting to move it to my connected hard drive so I can pluc that into my windows laptop and place it into another document on that device.

By @Samuel32402095h03z

Then just plug your external drive into the iPad. (The external drive must use a compatible file system such as ExFAT or FAT32). Then, in Photoshop, tap the Share icon, select the format, then tap Save to Files where the external drive will be listed. If needed drill down to the folder you want on the external drive. Then finish saving the image. Take the external drive to the PC, plug it in there, and get the file.

Another way is to enable file sharing for a folder on your Windows laptop, then on the iPad, use Connect to Server to sign into the PC. Then tap the Share icon in Photoshop, select the format, then tap Save to Files and drill down to the image in whatever folder contains it on the network share. If your PC and iPad are on the same local network, then of course this totally avoids the cloud. It could even be done over wired Ethernet: Plug a USB Ethernet adapter into the iPad, then use an Ethernet cable to connect that adapter to your wired network.

If you did want to use the cloud, you can connect the iPad to whatever cloud service you use, such as Google Drive, then use the Share icon in Photoshop, then tap Save to Files, and select the folder in Google Drive. After it uploads, pick it up on the PC.

(For any Mac users reading this with the same question, you can use the AirDrop option on the share sheet to directly send it to your Mac wirelessly without needing the cloud or even a local router, because AirDrop is direct device-to-device wireless.)

Looking forward, when iOS 26 is released this fall it’s supposed to add an actual menu bar. After you upgrade your iPad to iOS 26, it’s possible that some apps might add an Export command to the menu bar, which will be more familiar to desktop computer users. But even then, it will still be important to know about the Share icon as a way to export.

[Samuel32402095h03z]

Thanks very much for the reply! I had indeed tried the share icon and just didn't see that I could share my file as a PSD. Am currently shaking my fist at my sleep deprived self that didn't see that option and was quite frustrated thinking I had no way to move the psd back to my computer without using a cloud service.