The other day, I was setting up an iPad for a client of mine when I noticed that there was 5 Gb of space being used on the device. When I plugged the iPad into my Macbook Air and opened iTunes, it said that the iPad had 3.9 Gb of space in the “Other” category, but none of the files in the file sharing section of iTunes were that big. This conundrum led me to today’s tip.
iExplorer is a Mac or Windows app that allows you to see the file structure of your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad when it’s plugged into your computer with the white USB sync cable. Developer Macroplant provides iExplorer for free, only asking that you share their website with others.
To use it on the Mac, you’ll need Mac OS X 10.5 or later, iTunes 8 or later, and a USB sync cable. It’s also compatible with Windows and iTunes 9 or later.
Simply download the disk image from the developer’s site, and open it. Drag the iExplorer app to your Applications folder, and then double click on it from there. You’ll see the splash page, which asks for some social media sharing, and why not? The app is free, so it seems like a simple thing to do for the developer.
Once you close that window, you’ll see the main iExplorer browser window. In that window, you’ll see your iOS device once you plug it into the USB port on your Mac or Windows PC. Expand the folders by clicking on the little triangle to the left of each, and you’ll see the size of the files and be able to know what’s on your device.
If you have the Auto Preview button clicked, you’ll see a quick preview of media like pictures you’ve taken with your device right in iExplorer. Kind of a nice way to see what’s on there. We’re not reviewing this app here, so go ahead and try it out to see how it works for you.
Got an iOS tip of your own? Need help troubleshooting your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad ? Drop me a line or leave a comment below.
