iPad won’t turn on: what to try before paying for a repair?

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Your iPad won’t turn on, the screen stays black or the Apple logo never goes away? A black screen means the iPad is either off or frozen: Apple recommends forcing a restart, then charging it for up to an hour. If it stays stuck on the logo, an update from a computer takes over.

Common symptoms and causes

• Black screen, no response to the buttons: the iPad is off or frozen.
• iPad stuck on the Apple logo, or a red or blue screen at startup: the system doesn’t finish booting.
• iPad won’t turn on or charge: the cable, the adapter, the wall outlet or the temperature of the device.
• Dead battery: a flat iPad can take up to an hour of charging before it reacts.

Before you start

• Identify your model: with a Home button or without. The button combinations differ.
• Get the USB cable that came with the iPad and a USB power adapter, preferably Apple’s own.
• For solution 3 you need a computer: a Mac with Finder or iTunes, or a PC with the Apple Devices app or iTunes.

Warning: charge the iPad only if it is neither too hot nor too cold. Never puncture, bend or heat a lithium battery, and work on a non-flammable surface. A swollen battery can’t be recharged and goes to a collection point.

Warning: a screen that lifts or a case that bulges often points to a swollen battery. Apple doesn’t mention this on its help pages. Don’t charge that iPad: take it to a repair service.

Warning: solution 3 also offers a restore, and Apple doesn’t spell out what it does. To be safe, assume it erases everything on the iPad that isn’t backed up (photos, messages, apps, settings), and always choose Update first. If the iPad comes back to life even for a moment, back it up to iCloud or to a computer, as a precaution rather than an Apple step.

Solution 1: force restart the iPad

A force restart relaunches a frozen iPad whose screen stays black. The combination depends on the Home button.

iPad without a Home button

1. Press and release the volume button closest to the top button.
2. Press and release the volume button farthest from the top button.
3. Hold the top button until the Apple logo appears.

iPad with a Home button

1. Press and hold the Home button and the top button at the same time.
2. Release both buttons when the Apple logo appears.

The Apple logo should appear.

Good to know: Apple gives no duration. According to user reports, the logo can take about thirty seconds to show up. Don’t let go before then.

Solution 2: charge an iPad with a dead battery

Nothing after the force restart? The battery may be empty, and Apple says it then needs up to an hour of charging.

1. Let the iPad return to room temperature if it is very hot or very cold.
2. Plug the USB cable that came with the iPad into a USB power adapter, preferably Apple’s.
3. Plug the adapter into a wall outlet that works.
4. Connect the cable to the iPad and let it charge for up to an hour.
5. Look at the screen: a lightning bolt on the battery icon in the status bar, or a large battery icon on the Lock Screen, means the iPad is charging.
6. If there is no sign of charging, try another cable and another adapter.

The charging icon should appear, then the iPad should start. If it stays black after charging, repeat solution 1.

If the adapter is the culprit, here is a compact USB-C charger that suits recent iPads.

Anker Nano 20 W USB-C wall charger (PowerPort III)

Charges an iPad or iPhone from a wall outlet with a USB-C cable. Its compact size slips into a bag.

• AmazonSee at Amazon

Tip: with no power adapter, plug the iPad into the USB port of a computer that is on and awake, a powered USB hub or a docking station. A compatible Magic Keyboard that is itself plugged in works too.

Good to know: Apple only mentions an hour of charging. According to user reports, a night on the charger sometimes revives an iPad that has sat flat for weeks. For the cable and adapter, the checks are the same as for a phone that won’t charge.

Solution 3: iPad stuck on the Apple logo, use recovery mode

An iPad stuck on the Apple logo, or showing a red or blue screen at startup, is a job for recovery mode. This startup mode lets a computer update the iPad’s system. The iPhone has the same symptom: see our guide on the iPhone stuck on the Apple logo.

1. Open Finder on a Mac with macOS Catalina 10.15 or later, iTunes on a Mac with macOS Mojave or earlier, or the latest version of the Apple Devices app (or iTunes) on a PC.
2. Connect the iPad to the computer with its USB cable.
3. iPad without a Home button: press and release the volume button closest to the top button.
4. iPad without a Home button: press and release the volume button farthest from the top button.
5. iPad without a Home button: hold the top button, even after the Apple logo appears, until the recovery mode screen shows up.
6. iPad with a Home button: hold the Home button and the top button together, even after the Apple logo appears, until the recovery mode screen shows up.

Warning: the computer window also offers Restore. A restore wipes the iPad and erases everything that isn’t backed up, even though Apple doesn’t say so on this page. Choose Update and keep Restore as a last resort.

7. In the window that opens on the computer, click Update.
8. If the download takes more than 15 minutes, the iPad leaves recovery mode: start again from step 2.

The iPad should restart normally once the update is installed.

Tip: plug the iPad straight into a port on the computer, without a hub. A connection that drops in the middle of an update means starting over.

If nothing works

Stop here if the iPad stays black after the force restart and an hour of charging, or if recovery mode fails. The problem is then in the hardware, and it’s time for a repair.

Go through Apple’s Get Support page, an Apple Store or an Apple Authorized Service Provider. Does your iPad make sounds or vibrate while the screen stays black? Say so, because Apple doesn’t describe that case on its help pages.

Have these ready:

• the serial number;
• the exact model and the purchase date, with the receipt;
• your AppleCare agreement, if you have one;
• the list of what you have already tried (force restart, charging time, cables tested, recovery mode).

Take better care of your iPad: our toolbox

A good cable and a reliable power source prevent most charging faults.

Frequently asked questions

How do you force restart an iPad?

On an iPad without a Home button, press and release the volume button closest to the top button, then the other volume button, and hold the top button until the Apple logo appears. On an iPad with a Home button, hold the Home button and the top button together until the logo shows. Apple gives no duration.

How long should you charge a completely dead iPad before it turns on?

Apple says up to an hour of charging, with the cable that came with it and, preferably, an Apple adapter plugged into an outlet that works. According to user reports, an iPad left flat for a long time sometimes needs a night. Beyond that, with no sign of charging at all, change the cable and the adapter.

What should you do if the iPad stays stuck on the Apple logo?

Put it into recovery mode from a computer and choose Update. Try a force restart first, which is sometimes enough. If the download runs past 15 minutes, the iPad exits recovery mode: repeat the procedure.

How can you tell whether the iPad is charging?

A lightning bolt on the battery icon in the status bar, or a large battery icon on the Lock Screen, means the iPad is charging. Without that sign, try another cable and another adapter. Also check that the iPad is neither too hot nor too cold.