Share photos and videos on iPad

Share photos and videos from the Photos app in Mail or Messages, or other apps you install. Photos even selects your best photos from an event and recommends people you may want to share them with.

To learn about transferring photos and video to an external storage device, see Import and export photos and videos on iPad.

Share photos and videos

Share a single photo or video: Open the photo or video, tap , then choose a share option such as Mail, Messages, or AirDrop.
Share multiple photos or videos: When viewing a screen with multiple thumbnails, tap Select, then tap the thumbnail of the photos and videos you want to share. Tap , then choose a share option such as Mail, Messages, or AirDrop.
Share photos or videos from a day or month: Tap Library, tap Days or Months, tap , then tap Share Photos and choose a share option such as Mail, Messages, or AirDrop.

A photo is open in the Photos app and the share options are displayed in the middle of the screen.

When iCloud Photos is turned on, you can share multiple full-quality photos with an iCloud link. iCloud links remain available for 30 days, can be viewed by anyone, and can be shared using any app, such as Messages or Mail.

You can also use Shared Albums to share photos and videos with just the people you choose. See Create shared albums in Photos on iPad.

Note: The size limit of attachments is determined by your service provider. For devices or services that don’t support Live Photos, a Live Photo is shared as a still photo.

Adjust the sharing options

Before you share a photo or video, you can adjust the format, file type, and information that gets shared with it.

Open the photo or video, tap , tap Options, then do any of the following:
- Turn off location data: Tap the button next to Location (green is on).
- Adjust the file format: Tap Automatic for the best file format for the destination, tap Current to prevent file format conversions, or tap Most Compatible and files may convert to .JPG or .MOV.
- Send as iCloud link: Tap the button next to iCloud Link (green is on) to share a URL to view or download the photos or videos. iCloud links are available for 30 days.
- Send all photo data: Tap the button next to All Photos Data (green is on) to share the original file with edit history and metadata; the recipient can view the current version and modify edits (available with AirDrop and iCloud links only).
Tap Done.

Save or share a photo or video you receive

From email: Tap to download the item if necessary, then tap . Or, touch and hold the item, then choose a sharing or saving option.
From a text message: Tap the photo or video in the conversation, tap , then choose a sharing or saving option. You can also tap in the Messages conversation to save the photo or video directly to your Photos library.
From an iCloud link: Tap in the Messages conversation to save the collection directly to your Photos library. To share the collection, open Photos, tap For You, then tap the collection under iCloud Links. Tap , then tap Share.

Helpful?

iPad User Guide

Share photos and videos on iPad

Share photos and videos

Adjust the sharing options

Save or share a photo or video you receive