Reset iPad settings to their defaults (2024)

iPad User Guide

Welcome
- Setup basics
- Make your iPad your own
- Keep in touch with friends and family
- Customize your workspace
- Do more with Apple Pencil
- Customize iPad for your child
What’s new in iPadOS 18
- Turn on and set up iPad
- Wake, unlock, and lock
- Set up cellular service
- Connect to the internet
- Find settings
- Set up mail, contacts, and calendar accounts
- Learn the meaning of the status icons
- Read and bookmark the user guide
- Adjust the volume
- - Learn basic gestures
  - Learn advanced gestures
- Drag and drop
- Access features from the Lock Screen
- Perform quick actions
- Search on iPad
- Get information about your iPad
- View or change cellular data settings
- Travel with iPad
- Change or turn off sounds
- Create a custom Lock Screen
- Change the wallpaper
- Adjust the screen brightness and color balance
- Customize the text size and zoom setting
- Change the name of your iPad
- Change the date and time
- Change the language and region
- Use and customize Control Center
- Change your default web browser or email app
- Rotate your iPad screen
- Customize sharing options
- Add or change keyboards
- Add emoji, Memoji, and stickers
- Take a screenshot
- Take a screen recording
- - Write and draw in documents
  - Add text, shapes, stickers, and more
- Fill out forms, sign documents, and create signatures
- Interact with content in a photo or video
- Identify objects in your photos and videos
- Lift a subject from the photo background
- Take photos
- Take Live Photos
- Take a selfie
- Take a Portrait mode selfie
- Record videos
- Change advanced camera settings
- Adjust HDR camera settings
- View, share, and print photos
- Use Live Text
- Scan a QR code
- Scan documents
- - Get apps
  - Use App Clips
  - Update apps
  - View or cancel subscriptions
  - Manage purchases, settings, and restrictions
  - Install and manage fonts
- - Buy books and audiobooks
  - Read books
  - Annotate books
  - Access books on other Apple devices
  - Listen to audiobooks
  - Set reading goals
  - Organize books
  - Read PDFs
- - Create and edit events in Calendar
  - Send invitations
  - Reply to invitations
  - Change how you view events
  - Search for events
  - Change Calendar settings
  - Schedule or display events in a different time zone
  - Keep track of events
  - Use multiple calendars
  - Use reminders in Calendar
  - Use the Holidays calendar
  - Share iCloud calendars
- - Use the basic calculator
  - Use the scientific calculator
  - Solve math with Math Notes
  - Work with graphs in Math Notes
  - Convert units or currency
  - See previous calculations
- - See the world clock
  - Set an alarm
  - Use the stopwatch
  - Set timers
- - Add and use contact information
  - Edit contacts
  - Add your contact info
  - Share Contacts on iPad
  - Add or remove accounts
  - Hide duplicate contacts
  - Sync contacts across devices
  - Import contacts
  - Export contacts
- - Get started with FaceTime
  - - Make FaceTime calls
    - Receive FaceTime calls
  - Create a FaceTime link
  - Take a Live Photo
  - Turn on Live Captions
  - Use other apps during a call
  - Make a Group FaceTime call
  - View participants in a grid
  - Use SharePlay to watch, listen, and play together
  - Share your screen in a FaceTime call
  - Request or give remote control in a FaceTime call
  - Collaborate on a document in a FaceTime call
  - Use video conferencing features
  - Hand off a FaceTime call to another Apple device
  - Change the FaceTime video settings
  - Change the FaceTime audio settings
  - Change your appearance
  - Leave a call or switch to Messages
  - Block a FaceTime call and report it as spam
- - Modify files and folders
  - Find files and folders
  - Organize files and folders
  - Send files from the Files app
  - Set up iCloud Drive
  - Share files and folders in iCloud Drive
  - Transfer files from iPad to a storage device, a server, or the cloud
- - Adjust map settings
  - Turn off Find My
- - Get started with Freeform
  - Create a Freeform board
  - Draw or handwrite
  - Solve handwritten math problems
  - Add text in sticky notes, shapes, and text boxes
  - Add shapes, lines, and arrows
  - Add diagrams
  - Add photos, videos, and other files
  - Apply consistent styles
  - Position items on a board
  - Navigate and present scenes
  - Send a copy or PDF
  - Print a board
  - Share boards and collaborate
  - Search Freeform boards
  - Delete and recover boards
  - Change Freeform settings
- - Get started with Health
  - Fill out your Health Details
  - - Download health records
    - View health records
  - - Track your medications
    - Learn more about your medications
  - - Log your state of mind
    - Take a mental health assessment
  - - Check your headphone audio levels
    - Use audiogram data
  - Back up your Health data
- - Intro to Home
  - Upgrade to the new Home architecture
  - Set up accessories
  - Control accessories
  - Control your home using Siri
  - Use Grid Forecast to plan your energy usage
  - View electricity usage and rates on iPad (participating U.S. providers only)
  - Set up HomePod
  - Control your home remotely
  - Create and use scenes
  - Use automations
  - Set up security cameras
  - Use Face Recognition
  - Configure a router
  - Invite others to control accessories
  - Add more homes
- - Get music, movies, and TV shows
  - Get ringtones
  - Manage purchases and settings
- - Use iPad like a magnifying glass
  - Customize controls
- - - Add and remove email accounts
    - Set up a custom email domain
  - Check your email
  - Set email notifications
  - Search for email
  - Organize your email in mailboxes
  - - Flag or block emails
    - Filter emails
  - - Use Hide My Email
    - Use Mail Privacy Protection
  - Change Mail settings
  - Delete and recover emails
  - Add a Mail widget to your Home Screen
  - Print emails
  - Use keyboard shortcuts
- - View maps
  - Explore 3D maps
  - Get traffic and weather info
  - Estimate travel time and ETA
  - Download offline maps
  - Look around places
  - Take Flyover tours
  - Clear location history
  - Delete recent directions
  - Choose a default travel mode and units
  - Report an issue with Maps
- - Measure dimensions
  - View and save measurements
  - Measure a person’s height
- - Set up Messages
  - About iMessage
  - Send and reply to messages
  - Send later
  - Unsend and edit messages
  - Keep track of messages
  - Search
  - Forward and share messages
  - Group conversations
  - Watch, listen, or play together using SharePlay
  - Share screens
  - Collaborate on projects
  - Use iMessage apps
  - Take and edit photos or videos
  - Share photos, links, and more
  - Send stickers
  - Create and send Memoji
  - React with Tapbacks
  - Style and animate messages
  - Draw and handwrite messages
  - Send and save GIFs
  - Request, send, and receive payments
  - Send and receive audio messages
  - Share your location
  - Turn read receipts on or off
  - Change notifications
  - Block, filter, and report messages
  - Delete messages and attachments
  - Recover deleted messages
- - Get music
- - Get started with News
  - Use News widgets
  - See news stories chosen just for you
  - Read and share stories
  - Follow your favorite teams with My Sports
  - Search for stories in News
  - Save stories in News
  - Clear your reading history in News
  - Customize the News tab bar
  - Subscribe to individual news channels
- - Get started with Notes
  - Create and format notes
  - Use Quick Notes
  - Add drawings and handwriting
  - Enter formulas and equations
  - Add photos, video, and more
  - Record and transcribe audio
  - Scan text and documents
  - Work with PDFs
  - Add links
  - Search notes
  - Organize in folders
  - Organize with tags
  - Use Smart Folders
  - Share and collaborate
  - Export or print notes
  - Lock notes
  - Add or remove accounts
  - Change the Notes view
  - Change Notes settings
  - Use keyboard shortcuts
- - Use passwords on iPad
  - Find your password for a website or app
  - Change the password for a website or app
  - Remove a password
  - Recover a deleted password
  - Create a password for a website or app
  - Use passkeys to sign in to apps and websites
  - Sign in with Apple
  - Share passwords
  - Automatically fill in strong passwords
  - Change weak or compromised passwords
  - View your passwords and related information
  - Find your Wi-Fi password
  - Share passwords securely with AirDrop
  - Make your passwords available on all your devices
  - Automatically fill in verification codes
  - Sign in with fewer CAPTCHA challenges
  - Use two-factor authentication
  - Use security keys
- - Take photos
  - Delete, share, or copy a photo
  - View and edit Photo Booth photos in the Photos app
- - Get started with Photos
  - View photos and videos
  - See photo and video information
  - Customize the Photos app
  - Filter and sort the photo library
  - Back up and sync your photos with iCloud
  - Delete or hide photos and videos
  - Search for photos and videos
  - Get wallpaper suggestions
  - Make stickers from your photos
  - Duplicate and copy photos and videos
  - Merge duplicate photos
  - Import and export photos and videos
  - Print photos
- - Find podcasts
  - Listen to podcasts
  - View podcast transcripts
  - Follow your favorite podcasts
  - Use the Podcasts widget
  - Organize your podcast library
  - Download, save, remove, and share podcasts
  - Subscribe to podcasts
  - Listen to subscriber-only content
  - Change download settings
- - Get started with Reminders
  - Set reminders
  - Make a grocery list
  - Add details
  - Complete and remove items
  - Edit and organize a list
  - Search your lists
  - Organize multiple lists
  - Tag items
  - Use Smart Lists
  - Share and collaborate
  - Print a list
  - Work with templates
  - Add or remove accounts
  - Change Reminders settings
  - Use keyboard shortcuts
- - Browse the web
  - Search for websites
  - See highlights
  - Customize your Safari settings
  - Change the layout
  - Create multiple Safari profiles
  - Use Siri to listen to a webpage
  - Bookmark a website
  - Bookmark a website as a favorite
  - Save pages to a Reading List
  - Find links shared with you
  - Annotate and save a webpage as a PDF
  - Automatically fill in forms
  - Get extensions
  - Clear your cache and cookies
  - Enable cookies
- Shortcuts
- - Check stocks
  - Manage multiple watchlists
  - Read business news
  - Add earnings reports to your calendar
  - Use a Stocks widget
- Tips
- - Translate text, voice, and conversations
  - Translate text in apps
  - Translate with the camera view
- - Subscribe to Apple TV+, MLS Season Pass, or a channel
  - Find shows, movies, and more
  - Personalize the Home tab
  - Buy, rent, or pre-order items
  - Stream content and control playback
  - Manage your library
  - Add your TV provider
  - Change the settings
- - Make a recording
  - View a transcription
  - Play it back
  - Edit or delete a recording
  - Keep recordings up to date
  - Organize recordings
  - Search for or rename a recording
  - Share a recording
  - Duplicate a recording
- - Check the weather
  - Check the weather in other locations
  - View weather maps
  - Manage weather notifications
  - Use Weather widgets
  - Learn the weather icons
- Use Siri
- Find out what Siri can do
- Tell Siri about yourself
- Have Siri announce calls and notifications
- Add Siri Shortcuts
- About Siri Suggestions
- Change Siri settings
- Set up Family Sharing
- Add Family Sharing members
- Remove Family Sharing members
- Share subscriptions
- Share purchases
- Share locations with family and locate lost devices
- Set up Apple Cash Family and Apple Card Family
- Set up parental controls
- Set up a child’s device
- Get started with Screen Time
- Protect your vision health with Screen Distance
- Set up Screen Time
- Set communication and safety limits and block nudity
- Set up Screen Time for a family member
- Set up Apple Pay
- Use Apple Pay in apps and on the web
- Use Apple Cash
- Use Apple Card
- Remove payment cards
- Change Wallet & Apple Pay settings
- Power adapter and charge cable
- - Use AirPods
  - Use EarPods
- Use headphone audio-level features
- - Wirelessly stream videos and photos to Apple TV or a smart TV
  - Connect to a display with a cable
- HomePod and other wireless speakers
- External storage devices
- Connect Bluetooth accessories
- Play audio from your iPad on a Bluetooth accessory from your iPad
- Apple Watch with Fitness+
- Printers
- Polishing cloth
- Work across devices using Continuity
- Use AirDrop to send items to nearby devices
- Hand off tasks between devices
- Cut, copy, and paste between iPad and other devices
- Stream video or mirror the screen of your iPad
- Allow phone calls and text messages on your iPad
- Share your internet connection with Personal Hotspot
- Use iPad as a webcam for Apple TV
- Insert sketches, photos, and scans on Mac
- Use iPad as a second display for Mac
- Use a keyboard and mouse or trackpad across your Mac and iPad
- Connect iPad and your computer with a cable
- Get started with accessibility features
- Use accessibility features during setup
- Change Siri accessibility settings
- Quickly turn accessibility features on or off
- - Overview of cognitive accessibility features
  - Lock iPad to one app
- Control what you share
- Turn on Lock Screen features
- Keep your Apple Account secure
- Create and manage Hide My Email addresses
- Protect your web browsing with iCloud Private Relay
- Use a private network address
- Use Advanced Data Protection
- Use Lockdown Mode
- Receive warnings about sensitive content
- Use Contact Key Verification
- Turn iPad on or off
- Force restart iPad
- Update iPadOS
- Back up iPad
- Reset iPad settings
- Erase iPad
- Restore all content from a backup
- Restore purchased and deleted items
- Sell, give away, or trade in your iPad
- Install or remove configuration profiles
- Important safety information
- Important handling information
- Find more resources for software and service
- FCC compliance statement
- ISED Canada compliance statement
- Apple and the environment
- Class 1 Laser information
- Disposal and recycling information
- Unauthorized modification of iPadOS
- ENERGY STAR compliance statement
Copyright

You can return your iPad settings to their defaults without erasing your content.

If you want to save your settings, back up iPad before resetting it. For example, if you’re trying to solve a problem but resetting iPad doesn’t help, you might want to restore your previous settings from a backup.

Go to Settings > General> Transfer or Reset iPad> Reset.
WARNING: If you choose the Erase All Content and Settings option, all of your content is removed. See Erase iPad.
Choose an option:
- Reset All Settings: All settings—including network settings, the keyboard dictionary, location settings, privacy settings, and ApplePay cards—are removed or reset to their defaults. No data or media are deleted.
- Reset Network Settings: All network settings are removed. In addition, the device name assigned in Settings> General> About is reset to “iPad,” and manually trusted certificates (such as for websites) are changed to untrusted.
  Cellular data roaming may also be turned off. (See View or change cellular data settings on iPad (Wi-Fi + Cellular models).)
  When you reset network settings, previously used networks and VPN settings that weren’t installed by a configuration profile or mobile device management (MDM) are removed. Wi-Fi is turned off and then back on, disconnecting you from any network you’re on. The Wi-Fi and Ask to Join Networks settings remain turned on.
  To remove VPN settings installed by a configuration profile, go to Settings> General> VPN & Device Management, select the configuration profile, then tap Remove Profile. This also removes other settings and accounts provided by the profile. See Install or remove configuration profiles on iPad.
  To remove network settings installed by MDM, go to Settings> General> VPN & Device Management, select the management, then tap Remove Management. This also removes other settings and certificates provided by MDM. See “Mobile device management (MDM)” in the Deployment Reference for iPhone and iPad.
- Reset Keyboard Dictionary: You add words to the keyboard dictionary by rejecting words iPad suggests as you type. Resetting the keyboard dictionary erases only the words you’ve added.
- Reset Home Screen Layout: Returns the built-in apps to their original layout on the Home Screen.
- Reset Location & Privacy: Resets the location services and privacy settings to their defaults.

If you want to completely erase your iPad, see Erase iPad using Settings. If you want or need to use a computer to erase your iPad, see Erase iPad using your Mac or Windows device.