2 Simple Ways to Reboot an iPad + Common Fixes

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A user-friendly guide to force restart or soft restart your iPad

Co-authored by Rain Kengly

Last Updated: April 6, 2024 Fact Checked

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Normal Restart

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Force Restart

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Troubleshooting

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Video

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Q&A

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Tips

If your iPad is frozen, unresponsive, or slow, you can restart it. The buttons will vary slightly depending on the model, but it can be done in a few simple steps. Here's how to reboot an iPad, iPad Pro, Air, or Mini with and without a Home button.

Quick Steps

Press and hold either volume button and the top button.
Drag the power off slider to the right.
Wait 30 seconds for the iPad to power off.
Press and hold the top button until the Apple logo appears.

Section 1 of 3:

Normal Restart

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1
Press and hold either volume button and the top button at the same time. Do this until you see the power off slider.^{[1]
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Research source}
- If your iPad has a Home button, you'll just need to press and hold the top button until the power off slider appears.
2
Drag the slider to the right. This will power off your iPad.
- Wait at least 30 seconds before continuing to the next step.
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3
Press and hold the top button until the Apple logo appears. You should see your iPad's lock screen in a few moments.
- When you restart your iPad, you'll need to unlock it again with your passcode or Face ID.
- If your iPad is frozen or unresponsive, you can try a force restart instead.

Section 2 of 3:

Force Restart

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1
Quickly press and release the volume button closest to the top button. This will vary depending on your iPad model.^{[2]
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Research source}
- If your iPad has a Home button, simply press and hold the top button and Home button at the same time. Release both buttons when the Apple logo appears.
This will vary depending on your iPad model.
3
Press and hold the top button. This is the iPad's lock button.
- Wait for the Apple logo to appear.
You should see your iPad's lock screen in a few moments.

Section 3 of 3:

Troubleshooting

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1
Charge your iPad. If your iPad is frozen or unresponsive, it may be running out of battery. In this case, leave it plugged in for at least an hour before you try to restart it again.
- Make sure to use the proper charging block. If the wattage is too low, your iPad will take longer to charge.
2
Reset your iPad. You'll need to connect your iPad to a computer. If you're using a Mac, open the Finder. If you're using a Windows PC, open iTunes. Locate your iPad on your computer, and then do the following:
- On iPads without a Home button: Quickly press and release the volume button closest to the top button. Quickly press and release the volume button farthest from the top button. Press and hold the top button. Continue holding as the iPad begins to restart.
  - On iPads with a Home button: press and hold the Home button and top button.
- Wait for the recovery mode screen to appear on the iPad.
- On your computer, select Update from the pop-up menu.
- Wait for the iPad to update.

Community Q&A

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Question

My iPad won't turn on after a reset. It just displays the Apple logo then shuts off. How do I fix this?

Community Answer

Most likely your iPad has been bricked. You can look online for various methods of unbricking iOS devices. One way is by connecting your device to a computer (if it is a Windows based system, you must have iTunes installed) and seeing if the computer can recognize the iPad. If not, you'll need to bring your device into the Apple store.

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Question

How do I do a hard reset of my iPad?

Community Answer

Press the Off button for a long time and press Reset. If it's not there, go to Settings and tap Reset the same way.

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Question

My iPad is connecting to WiFi but my Facebook and Gmail are not. What can I do?

Community Answer

It may be because of the WiFi you are using. Try turning it off and on, and try again. If it still doesn't work, it might be because Facebook and Gmail are blocked on the WiFi.

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Tips

If your iPad is not charging properly, try swapping out the cables and the wall adapter. If it is still not charging after trying new cables, perform a factory reset.

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