The iPad doesn’t allow you to copy files to it, like you would a portable drive. Instead, you have to either use iTunes or email documents to yourself.
Add Keynote or PowerPoint Presentations via iTunes
The easiest way to get Keynote or PowerPoint presentations on your iPad is to use iTunes. Open iTunes and plug in your iPad. Click on the iPad icon in the left column, and then click on the Apps tab. Scroll down the page and you’ll see the File Sharing options for Keynote. Click on Keynote, and then click on Add to add the presentation files you want to copy to the iPad.
Email Keynote or PowerPoint Presentation
Simply email the presentation to yourself, and then run the iPad’s Mail app. You can then download the presentation inside the message.
Once the iPad finishes downloading the presentation, click on it to open it. By default, it will open it in preview mode. However, if you have Keynote for iPad installed, it will provide you with the option to open it in Keynote. Click the Open In Keynote button and the iPad will import it into Keynote.
It will then open Keynote and import the presentation.
This is what a presentation looks like in Keynote for iPad.
To save space, you will want to go back to the Mail app, and then delete the message so you don’t have two copies of your Keynote files on your iPad. Also, Keynote for iPad doesn’t support everything that Keynote for Mac supports. For example, you can’t import presenter notes. If you try to import a presentation with notes, you’ll get this warning message.
Hey -
You can indeed do it this way, you can also open up Itunes and click on the “Apps” tab. You will see the iwork applications for ipad that you have purchased.
You can drag your existing keynote (for example) presentations and drop them onto the space next to the corresponding app.
Good stuff!
-Zack
Thanks Zack! I just updated the entry based on your tip
no sweat!
i actually wrote a post as well: http://zackluby.com/add-keynote-presentations-to-your-ipad
I credited you with the inspiration
Hi Jon,
Thanks for this great info. When I go through the steps outlined above for importing a presentation to my iPad through iTunes,I have a problem because where you say “Click Add and add the presentation files you want to copy to the iPad” ……… on my scren it looks exactly like the one you show in your screen shot except there is no “add” button in the place you indicate.
Help??
Thanks,
Jeff
@Jeff – I updated the copy to say,
Thanks for pointing that out.