Annoyingly, iPads aren't set up for simple drag-and-drop if you want to take photos off the iPad and put them on your PC or Mac. You’ll need to configure Windows to import photos when you plug the iPad in, or select to import the photos to your Mac.
Want to move photos from your computer to your iPad or iPhone? See our guide on how to transfer PC photos to an iPad or iPhone.
If you want to keep photos in sync wirelessly, see our guide to transferring photos to or from an iPad or iPhone via iCloud.
Import iPad or iPhone photos to a Windows PC
Connect your iPad to your PC via the USB cable. Click Start, type autoplay in the search box, then click the AutoPlay link that appears.
Look for your iPad in the list of devices and, from the dropdown menu, select Import photos and videos (Photos) in Windows 10 or 8.1, or Import pictures and videos using Windows in Windows 7.
Alternatively, if you select Open device to view files (File Explorer) this will present the photos on your iPad in a traditional folder view. You can copy and paste them from here to your PC. But this doesn't show every type of photo you have on your device - it may only show the ones you've snapped on the iPad or iPhone's camera.
Import iPad or iPhone photos to a Mac
Make sure your iPad or iPhone is switched on, then connect it to your Mac by the USB lead.
On your Mac, the Photos app will open automatically, displaying all the photos and videos on your iPad or iPhone in a folder view with large thumbnails of the images.
To import all the photos (or all the new ones that haven't previously been imported), click Import All New Folders, the blue icon in the top-right corner.
To import only a selection of photos of your choosing, hold down the Command (Cmd) button on your keyboard and select the photos you want, one by one. Next, click the Import selected icon.
You may see a prompt asking if you want to Delete items to remove the photos from your iPad after this import is completed - click Keep items if you wish to keep them on your iPad or iPhone. You can now disconnect your iPad or iPhone.
That's how you can move photos from your iPad or iPhone. To move them the other way, see our guide on how to transfer PC photos to an iPad or iPhone
You can avoid using cables and iTunes by using iCloud - see our guide to transferring photos to or from an iPad or iPhone via iCloud.