How to Save a PDF to Your iPhone or iPad

Daniel Nations has been a tech journalist since 1994. His work has appeared in Computer Currents, The Examiner, and other publications. He is a developer who has published apps in the Apple App Store, Google Play marketplace and Amazon Appstore; he also has worked as a data analyst and DB administrator.

Updated on July 28, 2021 Reviewed by

Christine Baker is a marketing consultant with experience working for a variety of clients. Her expertise includes social media, web development, and graphic design.

What to Know

To save a PDF from an email or website: Select the PDF to open a preview, choose Share, then select where to store the PDF.
To transfer a PDF from a Mac: Open the PDF, select Share >AirDrop, then select your iOS device.
To transfer a PDF from a Windows PC: Install iCloud on your PC, then enable iCloud Drive to move files to your iOS device.

This article explains how to save a PDF to an iPhone or iPad from the web and how to transfer a PDF from a Mac or Windows PC to your iOS device. These instructions may also work for third-party apps.

How to Save a PDF From an Email or Website

The Safari web browser and the Mail app use a similar interface to download PDFs and preview PDF files.

Select the PDF to open a preview.

If you don't see the Share button in Safari, scroll to the top of the PDF to display the menu.

Tap More if you don't see the option to save to an app that is installed on the device (for example, Dropbox or Google Drive). Select Save to Files to store the PDF in iCloud Drive.

PDF, Share button, options to store PDF on iOS

If the web page you want to save to your iPhone or iPad isn't a PDF, convert it to PDF. Select the Share button and choose Create PDF. Then, select the Share button again to choose a location to save the PDF.

Share button on PDF in Preview in macOS

The Mac has a similar share button as an iOS mobile device, featuring a box with an arrow pointing out of the top.

AirDrop window in Preview for macOS

Select AirDrop, then select your iOS device.

In order for your iPhone or iPad to show up through AirDrop on your Mac, it must have AirDrop enabled in the settings and must not be in sleep/suspended mode.

How to Transfer a PDF From Windows to iOS

One way to transfer a PDF (or any file) from a Windows computer to an iPhone or iPad is through iCloud Drive.

iCloud isn't installed on Windows by default. Download and install iCloud on your Windows PC, then enable iCloud Drive on your phone or tablet and computer to transfer PDF files between your PC and iOS device.

On your iPhone or iPad, go to Settings, choose your name, then select iCloud. Toggle the iCloud Drive switch to the On position (green).

Use your Apple ID login information to sign in to your iCloud account on Windows and iOS. If you don't have this information, reset your Apple ID password.

Settings in iOS showing iCoud and iCloud Drive selected

Copy PDF file in Windows

On your Windows PC, open File Explorer and copy the PDF file you want to transfer to your iPhone or iPad.

Paste menu item in Windows

Go to iCloud Drive and paste the file into an existing folder or create a new folder.

When you save a file to iCloud Drive from your PC, the file doesn't download to your device until you select it from the iPhone or iPad Files app. To access the file offline, go online, open the File app, and navigate to the file to download it for offline use.

Another way to transfer a PDF from your computer to your phone is to email it to yourself. When you open the PDF on your mobile device, follow the directions to save it.