Is your iPad playing up? Frozen maybe? Or are you looking to wipe it and pass it on to someone else. All of these things need what could be called a reset, each requires its own specific reset. In this guide, we'll look at how to soft reset your iPad, force restart your iPad, and factory reset your iPad.
How to restart your iPad
Restarting your iPad, also known as a soft reset, can be useful if you think it's running a little slow or playing up a little but isn't frozen. A soft reset simply turns your iPad off and on again and you won't lose any data. Nothing will be deleted from your device. These steps vary depending on your device.
If you have an iPad with a home button - such as the entry-level iPad or an iPad mini -, follow these steps:
- Press and hold the power button on your iPad until the power-off slider appears
- Drag the slider from left to right and wait for your iPad to turn off
- Press and hold the power button until the Apple logo appears
If you have an iPad without a home button - like the new iPad Air or a recent iPad Pro -, follow these steps:
- Press and hold the power button and either the volume up or volume down button until the power-off slider appears
- Drag the slider from left to right and wait for your iPad to turn off
- Press and hold the power button until the Apple logo appears
How to force restart your iPad
If your iPad is frozen and you can't restart it using the above method, you may need to perform a force restart. This is simply another way of turning your iPad on and off again, but it doesn't rely on the software. The method used to force restart an iPad depends on what model you have.
If you have an iPad with a home button - such as the entry-level iPad or an iPad mini -, press and hold the home button and the power button for at least 10 seconds, until you see the Apple logo. You can stop holding the buttons at this point, and the iPad will boot back up.
If you have an iPad without a home button - like the new iPad Air or a recent iPad Pro -, follow these steps:
- Quickly press and release the volume up button
- Quickly press and release the volume down button
- Press and hold the power button until the screen turns off and then turns back on
Getting the timing right can be a bit tricky; it always takes me about five tries to get this right, but keep trying until you get the right result. It definitely works.
How to factory reset your iPad
If you’re looking to sell or hand your iPad down, you'll want to do a factory reset first. This will completely erase all your data - photos, apps, music, messages, and more - so that your iPad's new owner can start fresh. If your iPad is going to a new owner, you'll first need to sign-out of your Apple ID. If you factory reset your iPad without following these steps, the new owner won't be able to set up your iPad with your password, which isn't ideal if you're putting it up on eBay or Facebook Marketplace.
To remove your Apple ID from your iPad, follow these steps:
- Open the Settings app
- Tap your name
- Scroll down and tap Sign Out
- Enter your Apple ID password and then tap Turn Off
When you're done, you can follow these steps to factory reset your iPad:
- Open the Settings app
- Tap General
- Tap Reset
- Tap Erase All Content and Settings
This can't be undone.
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