Find out how much storage you can get for your iPad, how much it costs, what the most popular option is, and which one is the best storage option for you specifically.

What Is iPad Storage?

The storage capacity of an iPad refers to the amount of internal memory available for storing apps, games, photos, videos, movies, music, notes, documents, and other data. The latest iPad models start with a minimum storage capacity of 64GB. If you opt for the iPad Pro series, storage options extend up to a whopping 2TB.

if you’re seeking a more budget-friendly option, you can consider purchasing a refurbished iPad 8th generation, which offers a storage capacity of 32GB. You can also get older-generation iPads with 128GB storage.

Storage Options

iPad (10th gen)64GB256GB
iPad Mini (6th gen)64GB256GB
iPad Air (5th gen)64GB256GB
iPad Pro 11-inch (4th gen)256GB512GB1TB2TB
iPad Pro 12.9-inch (6th gen)256GB512GB1TB2TB

iPad, iPad Mini, and iPad Air start from 64GB storage, and iPad Pro 11-inch and 12.9-inch starts from 256GB and goes up to 2TB.

Storage Prices

64GB 256GB512GB1TB2TB
iPad$449$599
iPad Mini$499$649
iPad Air$599$749
iPad Pro 11 inch$899$1099$1499$1899
iPad Pro 12.9-inch$1199$1399$1799$2199
These are Wi-Fi prices. Adding LTE will cost extra.

The iPad prices will vary depending on your location and the retailer you buy it from. The more storage you want, the more you have to pay. If you want your iPad to have an LTE(cellular) connection, that will increase the price; if you want to buy accessories like Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard, that will also add to the price.

Most Popular Storage Options

The most popular storage option for iPads is 256GB. It’s no surprise since every iPad model, iPad, iPad Mini, iPad Air, and even iPad Pro, offers it. It’s also the most searched iPad storage option, according to Google Trends.

64GB iPad is the second most popular pick right after the 256GB model. Sometimes, it’s a good option to go with the crowd if you’re indecisive. 256GB storage for iPad is a safe bet if you are not sure whether or not 64GB will be enough for you.

Which iPad Storage Options Should You Choose?

picking the best ipad storage option

64GB iPad is for basic usage, and you will have limits on the app count and games. 256GB iPad is considered for power users who want to use many apps, save photos and videos, surf the web, download movies and music, and play heavy games.

DescriptionUsage
32GB iPadLimitedFew apps, few media files, web surfing, social media, streaming apps.
64GB iPadBasicApps, games and media will still be limited. Streaming services, web browsing, and social media.
128GB iPadAverage UserPhotos, music(offline), videos, apps, games, web surfing, social media, movies(offline) and all streaming services.
256GB+ iPadPower UserHeavy apps, photos, Videos (4k), web, social media, music(offline), movies(offline), heavy Games and all streaming services.

Is 32GB Enough?

The 32GB iPad is enough for users who want to have a few apps, a few media files(photos, videos), surf the web, browse social media, and have a few streaming apps like Netflix, Hulu, Disney, etc.

Is 64GB Enough?

The 64GB iPad is enough for users who want to have a few apps store media, some media files like photos, videos, voice records, surf the internet and social media sites, and watch streaming services like Netflix, Disney, Hulu, Spotify, etc.

Is 128GB Enough?

The 128GB iPad is enough for average users who want to have apps and games on their iPad. Store media files like videos, photos, notes. Browse the internet and social media apps, and it’s enough to save some movies and TV shows for offline usage.

Is 256GB Enough?

The 256GB+ iPads are considered for power users that use a lot of apps and games on their tablets. It will be enough to download movies, TV shows, and music for offline usage. You will be able to store photos, videos, notes, documents, and much more. You will be able to use all the streaming apps like YouTube, Spotify, Apple TV, Netflix, and Amazon Prime as well.

How To Increase iPad Storage

Physically, you can’t expand iPads storage. If you buy a 256GB iPad, it will stay that way. But there are some things you can do. You can purchase an external hard drive and store files and photos there, and you can buy more cloud storage for your iPad.

Getting an External Hard Drive

When your iPad is running out of storage, one option is to get an external hard drive. iPads can connect to these external drives, making it easy to store photos, videos, music, documents and other files.

Connecting an external hard drive to an iPad is possible. But there are things you should know. You can store files like PDFs and photos, but you won’t be able to store your apps and games on an external hard drive.

Cloud Storage

The second option to expand storage on your iPad is to buy cloud storage. There are many cloud storage options to choose from, such as Dropbox and Google Drive, but I recommend using Apple’s own cloud storage, iCloud, for easier setup. It works really well with iPads because it’s built right into iPad OS.

By the way, if you want to use your cloud storage anywhere, think about getting an iPad with cellular. So you have an internet connection at all times, and you are not dependent on WiFI accessibility.

App Size

If you know the size of the apps you want to download on your iPad, it will make your decision on storage size easier. Here’s a list of some of the most popular iPad Apps and their size. Keep in mind that app sizes change with updates.

AppSize
YouTube~600MB
TikTok~372MB
YouTube Kids~189MB
Spotify~160MB
Twitch~200MB
Discord~192MB
Google Chrome~282MB
Facebook~312MB
Twitter/X~231MB
Pinterest~150MB
Adobe Photoshop~308MB
Procreate~580MB
Lightroom~308MB
Microsoft Teams~331MB
Zoom~184MB
Netflix~163MB
Disney+~240MB
MAX: Stream HBO, TV & Movies~110MB
Peacock TV~106MB
Roblox~242MB
ChatGPT~41MB
Duolingo~310MB

Games

Knowing how much each game you want to download helps users choose the best iPad storage for them, so here’s a list of popular iPad games and how much they weigh.

GameSize
Among Us~540MB
Hearthstone~3.5GB
Monopoly Go~240MB
Pokemon Go~351MB
Stardew Valley~367MB
Clash Royal~208MB
Royal Match~240MB
Minecraft~900MB
Alto’s Odyssey~218MB
Bastion~1.4GB
Catana HD~813MB
Monument Valley~316MB
Call Of Duty~2.8GB
Asphalt 9~3GB
Genshin Impact~3.46GB

Photos & Videos

The average photo taken on an iPad is 1.5MB to 2.5 MB. The size depends on many factors, like filters, lightning, resolution settings, HDR or live photo, metadata, etc.

The average video on iPad depends on the settings, but on average, a 10-minute long video weighs around 400MB. But it will depend on resolution, frame rate, audio, etc.

Movies

The average size of the movie will depend on the quality, the resolution, the audio, etc. Movies you can download on Netflix weigh, on average, 600-900MB. One episode of a TV show (Breaking Bad) will weigh from 150MB to 500MB, depending on which quality settings the show is downloaded to.

Songs

The size of the song depends on the audio format, bitrate, and length of the song. Medium-quality songs are 3-6MB, and high-quality songs range from 6MB to 10 MB.

How To Check Your iPad Storage

how to check your storage on ipad (ernests embuntieks iPad)

In order to check how much storage your iPad has follow these steps:

  • Step 1: On your iPad, launch the ‘Settings’ app by tapping the Gear icon.
  • Step 2: Under the Settings menu, look for ‘General‘ and tap on it.
  • Step 3: Find and hit the option that says ‘iPad Storage

Once done, you’ll find your iPad displaying a visual representation of the storage section left for usage. The screen also showcases the list of apps taking up the most memory.

FAQ

How Much Storage Does iPad OS Take?

iPad OS approximately takes 6.5GB of iPads initial storage space.

How Much Storage Does iPads System Data Take?

The system data vary based on several factors, including the iPad model, the version of iPadOS installed, the user’s usage patterns, and any additional data stored on the device. It’s common that the system data takes up from 5GB to even 20GB of storage space.

How To Clear iPads Storage?

Begin by removing unnecessary apps, games, documents, and messages. Clear the Safari cache and data, then review and manage the contents of your download folder.

ernests embutnieks wolfoftablet
Founder & Chief Editor | +37122300405 | ernests@wolfoftablet.com | + posts

I'm a writer and editor in iPads & Android Tablets, Windows Tablet section. I'm passionate about technology, especially about tablets. I'm on a mission to assist people in discovering their ideal tablets. In addition, I'm dedicated to producing helpful how-to guides and sharing top-notch tips and tricks. In my early carrier I founded and became and editor at worldoftablet and have been a guest author at many other tech blogs. In wolfoftablet I'm focusing on iPads, Tablets, Apple Pencil, Apps, Reviews, Buyers Guides and Tablet Accessories. In free time I like to play games on my PS5 or iOS.