what to know
- iPad with Home button: Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button until the Power Off button slider appears.
- iPad without a Home button: Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button and the Volume button until the Power Off slider appears.
- Restarting is sometimes called a reset . Use a hard reset when the standard reboot process doesn't work.
This article explains how to restart your iPad, and how to force a restart if your iPad becomes unresponsive. It also includes additional options on how to reset your iPad.
A basic restart (i.e. turning the iPad off and on again) is the easiest method and the first thing you should try if you have hardware issues. This process will not delete your data or settings. In this order:
Your steps depend on whether your iPad has a home button:
- For iPads with a Home button : Press the On/Off button. The on/off button is located in the upper right corner of the iPad.
- For iPads without a Home button : Press and hold the On/Off button and one of the volume buttons simultaneously. Skip to step 4.
Hold down the button until the slider appears at the top of the iPad screen.
Release the on/off button.
Move the slider from left to right to turn off the iPad (if you change your mind, tap Cancel ). This will turn off the iPad.
When the iPad's screen dims, the iPad is turned off.
Restart the iPad by holding the On/Off button until the Apple icon appears. Release the buttons and the iPad will start again.
Alternatively, go to Settings > General > Shut Down > and drag the slider to turn off the iPad. Press and hold the On/Off button to turn the device back on.
If your iPad becomes unresponsive, the standard restart process may not work properly. In this case, you need to try a hard reset.
This technique forces the iPad to restart (it doesn't clear any stored data, such as apps and photos, but if you have some unsaved work then you might lose them). To perform a hard reset:
Again, the steps will differ depending on whether your iPad has a home button.
- For iPads with a Home button : Press and hold the Home button and the On/Off button simultaneously.
- For iPads without a Home button : Quickly press Volume Down, then quickly Press Volume Up, then hold the On/Off button. Skip to step 3.
Continue to hold the button even if the slider appears on the screen. The screen will eventually go black.
If the iPad is completely frozen, the slider may not appear. Continue to hold the button until the screen goes black.
When the Apple logo appears, release the buttons and let iPad start up as normal.
Another common reset method is: restoring factory settings. This technique is not typically used to solve problems (although it can work if the problem is severe enough).
Instead, it's most commonly used before selling your iPad or sending it in for repair. In this case, however, it's a significant step. But sometimes you need it.
A factory reset deletes all of your apps, data, preferences, and settings and returns your iPad to the way it was when you first took it out of the box.
FAQWon't. A hard reset is like restarting your computer. It clears memory and applications but no data is lost.
If your iPad has FaceID, press and hold the top button and the volume button . When the slider appears, turn off the device. While holding the top button , connect your iPad to your computer; the recovery mode screen will appear. If your iPad has a Home button, follow the previous steps, but press the Home button instead of the top button.
