How to Download and Save Photos and Images to the iPad's Camera Roll

The iPad makes it easy to download photos and images on the web to the iPad. This is also true for photos sent to you in email and pictures you see in popular social media apps like Facebook and Twitter.

However, not all websites are friendly when it comes to saving images to your iPad. Whether they are trying to protect copyrighted photos or aren't tablet friendly, the website may block your attempt to download the image. However, there's an easy workaround to that as well.

How to Download Photos to the iPad

When you find a picture that you want to save to your iPad, follow these directions:

1. Locate the photo you want to save. You can save from the Mail app, the Safari Browser, Facebook, or another app. Place your finger on the photo and hold it on the image until a menu appears on the screen. Tap Save Photo to download it.

   In Safari, the menu may include options such as Open in a New Tab or Add to Reading List when the image is also a link to another web page.

   

2. In apps like Facebook or Twitter, you must tap the photo to display it full screen before you can download it.

   Some apps may prompt you to grant permission to the Camera Roll before you can save an image.

   

3. This process works the same in every app that supports it.

If You Can't Save an Image

While many websites and apps support this feature, some notable exceptions exist, including Instagram and Pinterest. But you can save images that you want with a screenshot.

1. Before you snap the screenshot, expand the image to fill the screen using the pinch-to-zoom gesture.

   Some apps, like Instagram, also have a full-screen toggle button if images don't display that way by default.

   

2. Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button at the top of the iPad and the Home button at the same time. The screen flashes when you've successfully taken the screenshot.

3. After you take a screenshot, the photo appears in the lower-left corner of the display as a thumbnail image. Tap this photo to edit it before saving or swipe it off the screen to save it.

4. When you tap the preview and go into edit mode, drag the tags at the sides and corners of the screen to crop the photo. Press Done when you finish cropping the screenshot.

   

5. You can also edit the photo in the Photos app.

Where Does the Photo Go?

The Camera Roll is the default album in the Photos app for storing photos and movies. To get to this album, open Photos, tap the Albums button at the bottom of the screen, and tap Camera Roll.