What’s the easiest way to get files from Linux onto an iPad?

For music and video, VLC on the iPad has a built-in Wi-Fi sharing option. Turn it on in the app, then open the displayed address in a browser on your Linux computer and upload the files there. Both devices need to be on the same local network. This avoids dealing with USB device support.

A USB flash drive is a straightforward option if you have an adapter that works with your iPad. Copy the files from Linux onto the drive, connect it to the iPad, then open them in the Files app or import them into an app that supports file access. Check the drive format and the iPad’s connector compatibility before relying on this route.

You can try installing Linux packages for Apple mobile-device access, such as libimobiledevice, usbmuxd, and the relevant GVFS back end. Some desktop file managers may then offer more access over USB, but support can vary by device, iPadOS version, and the app you want to copy files into. It may not behave like Apple’s Windows software, so I’d treat it as an experiment rather than a sure fix.

For PDFs, check whether your reader app can import from the Files app or offers its own network transfer feature. The transfer method and the final destination are separate questions: getting a file onto the iPad does not always place it inside the app you want automatically.