How to reset an iPad to factory settings​

🧰 Difficulty: ★★☆☆☆ (Easy to do, easier to mess up)

⏱ Time involved: About 10 minutes

⚠️ Risk level: Medium

💡 Pro insight: Factory resets sound simple, but one missed backup can wipe years of photos, files, and sanity.

⚙️ Don’t risk your data—let the experts at a nearby uBreakiFix® by Asurion reset it safely.

Is your iPad® having problems that you can't seem to fix? Is it running so slow that you can barely use it? Or are you getting ready to sell it and want to protect your privacy? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, it may be time to factory reset your device. But how do you do so without losing all your data?

Don't worry, at Asurion our experts help millions of customers resolve iPad repair issues like this every day, from problems getting an iPad to update to a tablet touch screen not working. When your favorite tech breaks, we fix it. Here's our guide on how to reset your iPad to factory settings as well as how to back it up and restore it.

Why should you factory reset your iPad?

An iPad factory reset will erase all the information stored on your iPad—that includes apps, photos, videos, contacts, messages, notes, browsing history, settings, and more. Only the original software and apps preinstalled by Apple® will remain. So, why should you factory reset your iPad?

There are two main reasons. The first is if you are planning to sell your tablet or give it away. Since you don't want your personal information in someone else's hands, resetting your iPad to factory settings is an easy way to delete everything at once.

You also may need to complete a factory reset if your iPad has a serious issue. While this should be a last resort—a force restart (holding the Power button until it shuts down and then rebooting) fixes many common problems—it may be necessary if nothing else can resolve the issue. But before you reset your device to factory settings, you should back up your data so you can restore it to your device later.

How to back up your iPad

The simplest way to back up your iPad is with iCloud®. Here's how to do it:

1. Connect your device to a Wi-Fi network.
2. Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud.
3. Tap iCloud Backup > Back Up Now.
4. Stay connected to Wi-Fi until the backup is finished. If your device says it doesn't have enough iCloud storage space to complete the backup, follow the prompts to buy more storage.

How to factory reset your iPad or iPad Mini

Once it's backed up, you can reset your iPad to its factory default settings. Again, you should only do this if you're selling your device or trying to troubleshoot a major issue, since a reset will delete all your data.

Before you start the factory reset process, sign out of the Find My™ app. Then follow these instructions for factory resetting either on your iPad itself or through a Mac® or PC.

To complete a factory reset from your iPad:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Tap General.
3. Scroll to the bottom and tap Transfer or Reset iPad.
4. Tap Erase All Content and Settings.
5. Tap Continue and enter your passcode (and your Apple Account password if prompted to turn off Find My).

To complete an iPad factory reset from your Mac or PC:

For a Mac running macOS Catalina 10.15 or newer, you'll use the Finder® to factory reset your iPad.

1. Open Finder.
2. Connect your device to your computer with a cable. Enter your passcode if prompted.
3. Click on your device under Locations in the left column.
4. Select General at the top of the window.
5. Click Restore iPad, then Choose Restore again to confirm.

If you're using a Mac running macOS® Mojave 10.14 or earlier, you'll use iTunes® to factory reset your iPad.

1. Open iTunes.
2. Connect your device to your computer with a cable. Enter your passcode if prompted.
3. Click on the iPad icon in the top-left corner.
4. Select Summary in the left column.
5. Click Restore iPad, then click Restore again to confirm.

If you're using a Windows PC to factory reset your iPad:

1. Open the Apple Devices app (preferred) or iTunes.
2. Connect your iPad via cable.
3. Select your iPad icon in the sidebar (Apple Devices) or top-left (iTunes).
4. Click General or Summary.
5. Click Restore iPad and confirm.

How to factory reset your iPad without the passcode

If you're unable to get into your iPad because it won't start or is frozen, you can still complete a factory reset. Here are two ways to do it without a passcode.

How to factory reset your iPad in recovery mode:

1. Open Finder (Mac) or the Apple Devices app/iTunes (PC) and connect your iPad.
2. Place the iPad into Recovery Mode:
   • For iPads WITHOUT a Home Button: Press and quickly release Volume Up. Press and quickly release Volume Down. Press and hold the Top button until the recovery mode screen (cable and computer icon) appears.
   • For iPads WITH a Home Button: Press and hold both the Home and Top (Power) buttons simultaneously. Keep holding them past the Apple logo until the recovery mode screen appears.
3. On your computer, a pop-up will appear. Select Restore to wipe the device. Note: You will still need your Apple Account credentials to bypass Activation Lock once the iPad restarts.

If this is preventing you from resetting your iPad, our experts can help. Visit a nearby uBreakiFix® by Asurion.

How to factory reset your iPad using iCloud.com:

This method is perfect if you’ve lost your iPad or it’s not physically with you. It requires Find My to have been enabled on the device previously.

1. Go to iCloud.com/find and sign in with your Apple Account (formerly Apple ID) and password.
2. If prompted for two-factor authentication and you don't have your device, click the Find Devices button at the bottom of the sign-in screen to bypass the code requirement.
3. Select your iPad from the All Devices list (or the dropdown menu at the top).
4. Select Erase This Device.
5. Since you are doing a factory reset (and not reporting it stolen), you can leave the phone number and message fields blank when prompted.
6. Enter your Apple Account password again to confirm. The erase will begin as soon as the iPad connects to a Wi-Fi or cellular network.

How to restore your iPad from a backup

After you've completed a factory reset, you can restore your information to your iPad from a previous backup using either iCloud or a computer.

How to restore your iPad from iCloud:

1. Follow the prompts to set up your device until you reach the Transfer Your Apps & Data screen.
2. Tap From iCloud Backup, and sign in to iCloud with your Apple Account.
3. Go to Choose backup and select from the list of iCloud backups. Each one should have a date and size. You may be asked to update your software.
4. When prompted, sign in with your Apple Account to restore your apps and purchases.

How to restore your iPad without iTunes:

If you have a Mac running Catalina 10.15 or newer, you can use the Finder to restore your iPad.

• Open Finder.
• Connect your device to your computer with a cable. Enter your passcode if prompted.
• Click on your device under Locations in the left column.
• Click Restore Backup.
• Select the backup you want, then click Restore.
• After your iPad restarts, keep it connected to your computer and wait for it to sync, then disconnect it.

How to restore your iPad with iTunes:

If you have a Mac running macOS Mojave 10.14 or a PC, you can use iTunes to restore your iPad.

1. Open iTunes.
2. Connect your device to your computer with a USB-C or USB cable. Enter your passcode if prompted.
3. Click on the iPad icon in the upper-left corner.
4. Click Restore Backup.
5. Select the backup you want, then click Restore.
6. After your iPad restarts, keep it connected to your computer and wait for it to sync, then disconnect it.