I have a My Passport 20TB backup for photos. When I try to access via my iPad Pro and click on the image it tries to import to iMovie rather than opening up in iPhotos as it used to. So few options to tweak iPad. Updated to iPadOS 26.1 - Help? (Tested it in iMac- no issues). I'm trying to do some organization....
iPad Pro, iPadOS 26
Photos and videos stored on external storage devices do not appear within the iPad Photo Library - and cannot be directly accessed using the Photos App. To be accessible using the Photos App, images/videos stored on external storage must be imported to your iPad Photo Library.
Import and export photos and videos on iPad - Apple Support
As an efficient alternative to importing material to your Photo Library, It is possible to use a third-party App to directly access and manage files stored on external storage - including USB storage, third-party Cloud services and network storage. Of available third-party Apps, one App that comes readily to mind is FileBrowser Professional by Stratospherix:
https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/filebrowser-professional/id854618029
While this App will almost certainly meet your stated need, you might wish to review the extensive online Manual and help files to determine suitability for your requirements.
Speaking of personal experience, I am yet to encounter a file storage or file/photo backup scenario that the App won’t handle. I routinely use USB and Cloud storage for this purpose. File Browser also integrates directly with the native Files App, further simplifying file and photo management.
Photos and videos stored on external storage devices do not appear within the iPad Photo Library - and cannot be directly accessed using the Photos App. To be accessible using the Photos App, images/videos stored on external storage must be imported to your iPad Photo Library.
Import and export photos and videos on iPad - Apple Support
As an efficient alternative to importing material to your Photo Library, It is possible to use a third-party App to directly access and manage files stored on external storage - including USB storage, third-party Cloud services and network storage. Of available third-party Apps, one App that comes readily to mind is FileBrowser Professional by Stratospherix:
https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/filebrowser-professional/id854618029
While this App will almost certainly meet your stated need, you might wish to review the extensive online Manual and help files to determine suitability for your requirements.
Speaking of personal experience, I am yet to encounter a file storage or file/photo backup scenario that the App won’t handle. I routinely use USB and Cloud storage for this purpose. File Browser also integrates directly with the native Files App, further simplifying file and photo management.
External Hard Drive Photos not opening in iPad Pro Photos but iMovie instead....
