Introduction
Welcome to another episode of TJ's Technology Tuesday. Last week I did an episode on e-books and how I take my books with me on the iPad, and I received quite a few follow-up questions: "Hey, you had some kind of file manager there — the Files app on the iPad. How does that actually work?" The good news is that with the iPad you can sometimes think just like you do on a PC. And you know how it is: on a PC you have a file manager — that is, the File Manager or Windows File Explorer. Mac users know it as Finder. And you have exactly the same option on the iPad. Let me switch over to my iPad so you can see it live. On my iPad, if I simply swipe downward from the middle with my finger, or press the CMD key and Space, the search opens. Now I can just type "Files" and there is this application that looks like a hanging file folder. How is this Files app structured? It is structured so that at the top I have a Recents view, where I can see the most recently used files.
How to Keep Your Files Under Control
I can see which files have either been shared with me or which I am sharing. And now comes the interesting part: here you have the various storage locations. iCloud Drive will certainly be there — that is what Apple installs by default. And here you can see all the other storage locations. That means I have, for example, Google Drive, I have Dropbox, I have OneDrive, or even company-internal storage. For some of these you may need to log in first. Below them you have Favourites, where you can collect items so you do not have to search for them. And at the very bottom you have Tags, where — for example, when I need my speaker headshot — I do not have to search for a long time but simply find it in these Tags, like sticky notes or categories. How do you add things there? At the bottom you will probably see yellow, red, blue — those are the default colour labels. You can edit them by tapping the three dots at the top and selecting "Edit Sidebar". And now it gets interesting.
Here you can also see that some of these checkboxes are ticked and some are not in my setup. For a cloud storage service to appear as a storage location, you must have the corresponding app installed. That means if you want Dropbox to show up here, you must have the Dropbox app installed. If you want OneDrive to appear, you must have the OneDrive app installed. And every so often I hear: "Wait, I set it up here but I cannot see it." The reason is usually that the checkbox is not ticked. You have to tick it. The order can be changed using those three lines. Let us come to Tags in a moment — you can edit them well from here. For example, where it says "Today", you can rename it to "Yellow" or whatever you like, and then tap Done. Now let us look at OneDrive as an example. OneDrive is available for free at OneDrive.com on the one hand, but on the other hand it is a component of Microsoft 365. And I would say that everything except Microsoft 365 is a toy in everyday business use.
OneDrive May Not Be the Prettiest Solution, But It Is a Very Practical One
At some point the free tier will be discontinued anyway, and Microsoft 365 is certainly not the most beautiful solution on the planet, but it is a very productive one in the business context. With OneDrive and Microsoft 365, your data is stored on German servers as well. And here is what is interesting: you have "My Files" here, which corresponds to what you see on your PC under your personal OneDrive folder when you have it installed. And then — interestingly — under "Libraries" you can see the files you have in Teams. That is genuinely brilliant, because you always have access not only to what is in your personal OneDrive but also to everything in Teams. So for example I have a training team here and I can go into it and view these documents right there. Let me pick one that has some content. Let us look at Libraries and pick this one — Documents — I have manuals there for instance. And there are the three dots: via those three dots I could, if it were not already offline, say that I want to download it for offline use.
You can see the symbol indicating it has already been downloaded offline. That is always the nice part. So when I go into My Files, I can see that the iPad Seminar folder is downloaded, while this one is not. I can tap the three dots and say: "I want this available offline as well." Because — as you know if you live in Germany — the internet can be unreliable. And particularly when you want to show a video and you have a weak internet connection and it stutters a bit, I simply find it much more professional to have things cached locally. Of course you can always work within the individual apps. I can open the Dropbox app and the same basic principle applies — but you can see the Dropbox app will look somewhat different. So there you have your recently used items, your files, and again the question of where exactly your files are stored. It looks similar to OneDrive but different in appearance. And that is precisely the idea: when you have the Files app, you have — just as you do on a PC — a unified overview and can say: "Here is my Dropbox, here is my OneDrive," all in one place.
With OneDrive you have three things: Libraries, Files, and Shared. Those are your own files. So here we saw earlier: iPad Seminar, Attachments. And here you see a cloud icon. That means if you tap it, you download it and can view it right there. Now suppose you need this iPad Seminar folder frequently. You can tap and hold it and say: "Add to Favourites." Loading. Now you can see it appears under Favourites and you can jump directly to the folders you have defined as favourites. And if you no longer need something as a favourite, tap and hold it and say: "Remove from Sidebar." Now suppose you urgently need something today. What can you do? You can tap and hold and then assign Tags. Now via Tags you can say: "I need this today" — or perhaps for the topic of Presentations — and for today's date as well.
So now I have tagged it, and I can see it appears under Today. You can also see I have a second tag. This can be used very effectively. The company Radeberger — a client of mine — I accompanied their field sales team. They have around six appointments a day, and they created tags for each appointment — Appointment 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 — and then they have a folder for specific products such as Jever Fun. So for cross-cutting materials that are not customer-specific, they can go into the overarching tags. Or for Appointment 1, they only see the files they need for that first meeting. And because you can assign multiple tags to a file, you do not have to copy files at all — you just access them directly. Very, very practical. And you can also tap and hold down at the bottom of the screen. When you tap and hold, you also see the most recently used files. So you can access them immediately. I also have my Microsoft 365 Copilot widget here.
You add these widgets by tapping and holding the home screen. When you tap and hold, you can select "Edit" and then add widgets. I have added the Microsoft 365 widget, for example. When I tap it, it opens the Microsoft 365 app, which is excellent — it has a OneDrive icon and immediately shows you the documents you had open most recently. You can see it updating in real time, always showing what you open frequently, where you were just working, and what your favourites are. Here I have my files again, here my Libraries, just as you saw before. I think this is a very clear layout. And if you have the paid Copilot version, by the way, you can also search for files here — in the paid variant you not only have the Web search you always get, but also a Business area where you can search for files or even summarise files. On one hand it can seem confusing: "Wait, I already have my file libraries here."
But in practice it is very convenient, especially if you work a lot with Microsoft 365 — you can always find on your iPad the file you last edited on your PC. And of course the same applies to your iPhone as well. You may need it less for editing on the iPhone, but for accessing files it is superb. And the unified view is always in the Files app. And if you have a PDF file, it is also very neat — you tap it and it opens immediately. You can write directly on it with the Apple Pencil, and the moment you are done and close it, it saves automatically. When you are inside the individual apps such as OneDrive or Dropbox, it usually asks you once more whether you want to save. That is also a criterion for me personally: when I am working in my files, I prefer to work in the Files app precisely to avoid that question. But when working on Teams folders, I actually appreciate it asking me whether I want to save the changes.
You can also open this app twice at the same time by swiping slightly upward from the bottom and dragging it to the right side. Now you have it open twice and can copy items left and right. You can also split it one-third and two-thirds, distribute it as you like, and when you no longer need one side, swipe it away. For those who struggle a bit with swiping, you have the option at the top to tap the app and select Split View, then tap again and select Split View, and then tap the second app — which can indeed be the same one. Not every app supports this, but the Files app handles it wonderfully. So the Files app is, in my view, one of the most underrated applications on the iPad, because it gives me the ability to access things quickly during a client meeting. And one final tip: please lay the iPad flat on the table during client meetings — not with a keyboard attached in pseudo-laptop mode.
Conclusion
I — and perhaps I will share this as an inspiration again next week — I lay it flat on the table during client meetings so the client does not think I am checking my emails on the side. No, I am taking notes. Because digital devices have the charm that they should ideally always put us in a position where we have all information at hand and can type information into any device we might have with us during a client meeting. With that in mind, I look forward to having you join me again next week.
If you have any questions, simply leave a comment below, and I wish you a very productive week. Your Personal IT Coach for executives, Thorsten Jekel.
Key Takeaways
- The Files app on the iPad works like Windows File Explorer or Mac Finder — it provides a central overview of all storage locations.
- Various cloud services such as iCloud Drive, OneDrive, Google Drive, and Dropbox can be integrated directly into the Files app as storage locations.
- For a cloud service to appear in the Files app, the corresponding app must be installed and the checkbox in the sidebar must be ticked.
- Tags allow files to be categorised without copying them — enabling instant access to customer-specific or appointment-related files.
- Favourites enable direct access to frequently used folders without lengthy searching.
- Files can be downloaded for offline use — particularly important when internet connectivity is unreliable.
- OneDrive with Microsoft 365 stores files on German servers and also provides access to Teams folders via the "Libraries" section.
- PDF files can be opened directly in the Files app, annotated with the Apple Pencil, and are saved automatically.
- The Split View feature allows the Files app to be opened twice side by side, making it easy to copy or move files between folders.
- During client meetings, it is recommended to lay the iPad flat on the table so the other person can see that notes are being taken actively.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Files app on the iPad and what is it used for?
The Files app on the iPad is a central file manager, comparable to Windows File Explorer or Mac Finder. It provides a unified overview of all connected storage locations — including iCloud Drive, OneDrive, Google Drive, and Dropbox — so you can manage all your files in one place.
How do I integrate OneDrive, Dropbox, or Google Drive into the Files app?
For a cloud service such as OneDrive, Dropbox, or Google Drive to appear in the Files app, the respective app must be installed on the iPad. Additionally, the corresponding checkbox in the Files app sidebar must be ticked via "Edit Sidebar" for the storage location to be displayed.
How do Tags work in the Files app?
Tags in the Files app work like sticky notes or categories: tap and hold a file to assign one or more tags to it. Since multiple tags can be applied to a single file, you do not need to copy files — you can access them via different tag categories, such as by appointment or topic.
How can I save files for offline use on the iPad?
In the Files app, files or folders can be downloaded for offline use via the three-dot menu option. A corresponding icon indicates whether a file is already available locally — this is particularly useful when working with an unreliable internet connection.
What are Favourites in the Files app and how do I set them up?
Favourites are quick-access shortcuts to frequently used folders in the Files app. You add a folder to Favourites by tapping and holding it and selecting "Add to Favourites". The order of Favourites can be adjusted via "Edit Sidebar".
What advantages does OneDrive with Microsoft 365 offer on the iPad?
OneDrive with Microsoft 365 stores data on German servers and is considered by Thorsten Jekel to be a particularly productive solution in the business context. Via the "Libraries" section in the Files app, you also have direct access to Microsoft Teams folders, keeping team documents always at hand.
How do I open and edit PDF files directly in the Files app?
PDF files in the Files app can be opened immediately by simply tapping them. You can write or annotate directly on the document with the Apple Pencil, and when you close it, the document is saved automatically without any additional confirmation required.
What is the Split View feature in the Files app and how do I use it?
The Split View feature allows you to open the Files app twice side by side simultaneously, making it easy to copy or move files between two folders. You activate Split View either via an upward swipe gesture from the bottom or via the Split View icon at the top of the app.
How do I access Teams files via the Files app on the iPad?
Teams files are accessible through the OneDrive integration in the Files app under the "Libraries" section. All Teams folders you have access to appear there, and files can also be downloaded for offline use from within this section.
Why is the Files app considered one of the most underrated apps on the iPad?
According to Thorsten Jekel, the Files app is frequently underestimated because it provides a central, fast overview of all storage locations and enables immediate access to relevant documents during client meetings. Features such as Tags, Favourites, offline availability, and Split View make it a powerful productivity tool.
Tools & Resources Mentioned
- iPad & Files App — the central file manager app for iPad, comparable to Windows Explorer or Mac Finder
- Microsoft 365 & OneDrive — cloud storage with German servers, Teams integration, and Copilot widget
- Dropbox — cloud storage service that can be integrated into the Files app
- Google Drive — another supported cloud storage service in the Files app
