iPad · Safari · iPadOS
Download X videos on iPad
Safari on iPad requests the desktop version of websites and has a proper downloads button in the toolbar, so saving an X video feels closer to a Mac than to an iPhone. A few iPad-only tricks make it faster.
Updated
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iPad + Safari at a glance
- Device / OS
- iPad (iPadOS)
- Browser
- Safari
- File lands in
- Files › Downloads (iCloud Drive by default; any folder or USB drive)
- Open your downloads
- Downloads button (arrow) in the Safari toolbar
- Move to photos / gallery
- Drag from the downloads list into Photos, or Share › Save Video
- Plays in
- Files, Photos, any video app; external displays via AirPlay
Download an X video with Safari on iPad
- Copy the link. In the X app tap Share › Copy link, or select the address bar on x.com and copy it.
- Paste and extract. Paste it on TwitterDownloaderX in Safari and tap Extract.
- Download a quality. Tap a quality button. iPad Safari usually starts the download directly; if it asks, choose Download.
- Open the toolbar list. Tap the downloads arrow at the top right of Safari to see progress and the finished file.
- Drop it into Photos. With Photos open in Split View or Slide Over, drag the file from the downloads list into an album. Or tap it › Share › Save Video.
Where the file ends up on iPad
The folder is set in Settings › Apps › Safari › Downloads, and on iPad it is worth changing: besides iCloud Drive and On My iPad, the Other… option lets you pick any folder, including one on a USB-C flash drive. That is the easiest way to move long live replays off the iPad without filling its storage.
Like the iPhone, Photos doesn't scan the Downloads folder. A video only appears in Photos after Save Video or a drag into the Photos app.
Safari on iPad: gotchas we ran into
- Desktop site by default. iPad Safari loads desktop layouts. TwitterDownloaderX works the same in both, but if the X website shows you its desktop view, the share menu is under the ⋯ or share icon on the post.
- Stage Manager windows. If you use Stage Manager, the downloads popover belongs to the Safari window that started the download; switch to that window to see it.
- Keyboard users. With a hardware keyboard, Option-Command-L opens Safari's downloads list on recent iPadOS versions.
- Long replays and sleep. A one-hour 1080p replay can be several gigabytes per hour of video. Keep the iPad awake and plugged in, or pick 720p.
After the download
On a larger screen it is easy to check quality before saving: play the preview on the page, then download the rendition you need. If the top button says 720p, that is the best X has for the post.
To get the clip into iMovie or LumaFusion, import from Files directly; no need to go through Photos.
iPad extras: drag and drop, and saving to a USB drive
With X and Safari side by side in Split View or Stage Manager, you can press and hold a post's link in X and drag it straight into the downloader's box. That skips the Share sheet and the clipboard entirely.
iPadOS lets Safari download to any location the Files app can write to. Under Settings › Apps › Safari › Downloads, choose Other and pick a folder on a connected USB-C drive or SD card reader. Long 1080p replays then go straight to external storage instead of filling the iPad.
Questions people ask
Can I save X videos to a USB drive from iPad?
Yes. Set Safari's download location to Other… and pick a folder on the drive.
Why don't I see the video in Photos?
Downloads go to Files. Drag the file into Photos or use Share › Save Video.
Does this work on older iPads?
Any iPad that runs a Safari with downloads support (iPadOS 13 or later) can save MP4s this way.