You’re staring at a frozen screen or maybe you’re getting ready to hand off your old device to a sibling. Either way, you need a clean slate. Learning how to reboot iPad to factory settings isn't just about clicking a button and hoping for the best; it’s a digital scorched-earth policy that wipes every photo, every high score, and every saved password you’ve ever entered.
Sometimes things just break. Software gets bloated. Apps start crashing for no reason, or that "Other" storage category starts eating up 40GB of space.
It happens to the best of us.
Before you dive in, realize that a factory reset is permanent. There’s no "undo" button once the progress bar starts moving across that black screen. If you haven't backed up your data to iCloud or a Mac, those vacation photos from 2019 are toast. Honestly, the biggest mistake people make is rushing into the reset because they’re frustrated with a slow interface, only to realize later they lost their two-factor authentication recovery codes.
Why You Actually Need to Reset Your iPad
Most people think a factory reset is the first step in troubleshooting. It’s not. It’s actually the last. If your iPad is just acting "glitchy," you might only need a forced restart (the thing where you hold the volume and power buttons). But if you’re selling it on eBay or it’s stuck in a boot loop, knowing how to reboot iPad to factory settings becomes your primary survival skill.
Apple’s ecosystem is built on security. This means your iPad is likely tied to your Apple ID through a feature called Activation Lock. If you don't sign out properly before resetting, the next person who owns your iPad will have a very expensive paperweight. They won't be able to get past the setup screen without your password.
I’ve seen dozens of people sell their devices online, only to have the buyer message them three days later demanding a refund because the iPad is locked. Don't be that person.
The Preparation Phase (Don't Skip This)
First, check your storage. If you’re resetting because the device is slow, go to Settings > General > iPad Storage. If it's full, a reset will definitely help.
Second, back it up. You have two real choices here:
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- iCloud: Easy, wireless, but usually requires you to pay for extra storage.
- Computer (Finder or iTunes): Faster for large amounts of data and it's free, provided you have a cable and enough hard drive space.
Make sure you've also turned off "Find My iPad." This is the specific toggle that triggers the Activation Lock. If you're doing this because the iPad is broken and the screen doesn't work, you'll have to do this via iCloud.com on another device.
How to Reboot iPad to Factory Settings: The Standard Way
If your iPad is functioning and you can navigate the menus, this is the easiest route. Apple changed the menu names slightly in recent versions of iPadOS, so don't be surprised if your old 2017 iPad Pro looks a bit different than a brand-new M4 model.
Open the Settings app.
Go to General. Scroll all the way to the bottom. You’re looking for Transfer or Reset iPad.
Once you tap that, Apple gives you two main options. "Reset" is the light version—it just resets your settings, like Wi-Fi passwords and home screen layouts. You want the other one: Erase All Content and Settings.
The iPad will likely ask for your passcode. Then it might ask for your Apple ID password to turn off the Find My network. Then, it asks one more time if you’re sure. It feels like the iPad is trying to talk you out of it.
The screen will go black. An Apple logo will appear. A status bar will slowly fill up. This can take anywhere from two minutes to twenty depending on how much data the encryption engine has to scramble. When it finishes, you’ll see the "Hello" screen in multiple languages. That’s how you know you’ve successfully figured out how to reboot iPad to factory settings.
What to Do If Your iPad is Frozen
What if you can’t get into the Settings menu? Maybe the touch screen is dead, or the OS is completely unresponsive. This is where things get slightly more technical, but it’s still manageable.
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You’ll need a computer. If you’re on a Mac with macOS Catalina or later, you’ll use Finder. If you’re on a PC or an older Mac, you’ll need iTunes.
- Connect your iPad to the computer using a high-quality USB cable. Avoid those cheap gas station cables; they often fail during data-heavy tasks like a restore.
- Put 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 you see the recovery mode screen (a cable pointing toward a computer).
- For iPads with a Home button: Hold both the Home and the Top (or Side) buttons at the same time. Keep holding them even when you see the Apple logo. Stop when you see the recovery screen.
- On your computer, a window will pop up. It will give you the choice to "Update" or "Restore."
- Choose Restore.
This process downloads a fresh copy of iPadOS from Apple's servers. It’s the ultimate "clean" install. It wipes the firmware and starts over. If your iPad was crashing because of a corrupted system file, this is the only way to fix it.
Common Roadblocks and How to Smash Them
Sometimes, life isn't easy. You try to follow the steps on how to reboot iPad to factory settings, but an error code pops up.
Error 4013 or 4005
These are usually hardware communication errors. It sounds scary, but 90% of the time, it’s just a bad cable or a dusty charging port. Clean the port with a toothpick (carefully!) and try a different USB port on your computer.
Forgot the Restrictions Passcode
This is different from your lock screen passcode. It’s the "Screen Time" code. If you forgot this, you generally cannot reset the device through the Settings menu. You must use the computer/Recovery Mode method mentioned above.
Activation Lock Issues
If you bought a used iPad and it’s asking for someone else's email, you are stuck. There is no "hack" to bypass this. Apple’s security is incredibly tight. You have to contact the original owner and ask them to remove the device from their iCloud account remotely. If they can’t or won't do it, the iPad is essentially a parts-only device.
The Nuance of the "Erase All Content" Logic
Technically, when you perform a factory reset, the iPad doesn't actually overwrite every single byte of data with zeros immediately. That would take hours. Instead, modern iPads use hardware-based encryption.
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Your data is encrypted with a key. When you hit "Erase All Content and Settings," the iPad simply destroys that encryption key.
Poof.
The data is still physically on the chips for a short while, but it is mathematically impossible to recover because the "key" to unlock it is gone forever. This is why a reset is so fast compared to old-school computers. It’s also why you need to be absolutely certain you have your backups ready.
Does it hurt the battery?
No. Resetting doesn't wear out the battery or the flash storage in any meaningful way. In fact, if your battery has been draining quickly, a factory reset might help by killing off rogue background processes that were sucking power.
Will it downgrade my iPadOS?
Nope. A factory reset keeps you on whatever version of iPadOS you currently have installed. If you’re on iPadOS 17.5, you’ll stay on 17.5. If you want to go back to an older version of the software, that’s a much more complicated process involving "IPSW" files and Apple’s signing windows, which they usually close within a week of a new release.
Actionable Steps for a Flawless Reset
To ensure you don't lose data or end up with a locked device, follow this specific sequence.
Step 1: The Audit
Go through your Photos app and your Files app. Check your "On My iPad" folder. Many people forget that files saved locally aren't synced to iCloud by default. Move anything important to a cloud service or an external drive.
Step 2: Sign Out
Manually sign out of the App Store and iCloud in Settings. While the reset process is supposed to do this for you, doing it manually is a "fail-safe" that ensures the Activation Lock is disengaged.
Step 3: Charge Up
Never start a factory reset if your battery is below 20% unless you’re plugged in. If the iPad dies in the middle of a firmware wipe, you could "brick" the device, requiring a much more difficult recovery process.
Step 4: The Trigger
Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPad > Erase All Content and Settings. Follow the prompts.
Step 5: Verification
Once the "Hello" screen appears, don't just turn it off. Go through the first two steps of setup (language and region). If it asks for a Wi-Fi network and then goes straight to a "Remote Management" or "Activation Lock" screen, you know the wipe didn't clear the security settings. If it asks you to set up the iPad as new, you're golden.
Knowing how to reboot iPad to factory settings is a fundamental skill for any Apple user. It’s the digital equivalent of a spring cleaning. Whether you’re troubleshooting a stubborn bug or preparing your device for a new owner, doing it correctly ensures your private data stays private and the hardware remains usable for the next person.
If the iPad still behaves poorly after a full factory reset and a "Set Up as New" (without restoring a backup), you’re likely looking at a hardware failure. At that point, it's time to visit the Genius Bar or a local repair shop. Sometimes, software can't fix what's physically broken.