What to Know

• iPad with a home button: Hold theSleep/Wakebutton until thePower Offbuttonslider appears.
• iPad without a home button: Hold theSleep/Wakebuttonand avolume button until thePower Off slider appears.
• A restart is sometimes called areset. Use a hard reset when the standard restart process doesn't work.

This article explains how to restart an iPad and, if it's unresponsive, how to force it to restart. It also includes other options for how to reset an iPad.

The Easiest Way to Restart an iPad (All Models)

The basic restart-in which you turn the iPad off and then turn it back on-is the easiest to do and the first thing you should try when you experience hardware problems. The process won't delete your data or settings. Follow these steps:

1. Your steps depend on whether your iPad has a home button or not:

   • For iPads with a Home button: Press the on/off button. The on/off button is located on the top right corner of the iPad.
   • For iPads without a Home button: Press and hold the on/off button and one volume button simultaneously. Skip to step 4.
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2. Hold the button until a slider appears at the top of the iPad screen.

3. Let go of the on/off button.

4. Move the slider left to right to turn off the iPad (or tapCancel if you change your mind). This shuts down the iPad.

5. When the iPad's screen goes dark, the iPad is off.

6. Restart the iPad by holding the on/off button until the Apple icon appears. Let go of the button, and the iPad will start up again.

   Alternatively, go toSettings>General>Shut Down> and drag the slider to power off the iPad. Turn the device back on by pressing and holding the on/off button.

How to Hard Reset iPad (All Models)

If an iPad is unresponsive, the standard restart process likely won't work. In that case, you need to try a hard reset.

This technique forces the iPad to restart (it doesn't clear any of your stored data like apps and photos, but if you had some unsaved work then you might lose that). To perform a hard reset:

1. Again, the steps differ based on whether your iPad has a Home button or not.

   • For iPads with Home Buttons: Hold down the home and on/off buttons at the same time.
   • For iPads without Home Buttons: Quickly press volume down, then quickly press volume up, then press and hold the on/off button. Skip to step 3.

2. Continue holding the buttons even after the slider appears on the screen. The screen will eventually go black.

   If the iPad is completely frozen, the slider might not appear. Continue holding down the button until the screen goes black.

3. When the Apple logo appears, let go of the buttons and let the iPad start up like normal.

More Options for Resetting an iPad

One other kind of reset is commonly used: restoring to factory settings. This technique isn't usually used to solve problems (though it can work if the problems are bad enough).

Instead, it's most often used before selling an iPad or sending it in for repair. For this context, however, it's a drastic step. But sometimes you need it.

Restoring to factory settings deletes all your apps, data, preferences, and settings and returns the iPad to its state when you first took it out of the box.

• Will a hard reset delete everything on my iPad?

  No. A hard reset is like rebooting your computer. It clears memory and applications, but no data is lost.

• How can I perform a factory reset if I'm locked out of my iPad?

  If your iPad has FaceID, press and hold thetop button and a volume button. When the slider appears, turn off the device. While holding thetop button, connect the iPad to your computer; the Recovery Mode screen will appear. If your iPad has a Home button, follow the previous steps, but press theHomebutton instead of the top button.