Most guides on how to factory reset iPad stop at Erase All Content and Settings. That bit is easy, and it takes about four taps. What actually goes wrong is everything around it: the Wi-Fi-only iPad that can't reach Apple when you've forgotten the passcode, the Activation Lock that follows it to the next owner, and a repair note buried in Settings that Apple says has to be cleared before a trade-in.
So this is the order I'd do it in, whether you're selling an iPad, handing it down to a family member, or wiping one that's misbehaving. I've split it by situation, because the right method depends on whether you still know the passcode and whether the iPad can get online.
Before you factory reset iPad: three checks that save a headache
A factory reset is permanent on the device. Your iCloud data stays in iCloud, but anything that only lived on the iPad is gone. Spend two minutes on these first.
- Back it up. Settings, tap your name, iCloud, iCloud Backup, then Back Up Now. Or plug it into a Mac and use Finder. Apple's own reset steps start with a backup and so should yours.
- Check Parts and Service History. Go to Settings, General, About. Apple's guidance on selling or trading in says that if a Finish Repair item is showing, it needs completing before you can trade the iPad in. Almost nobody mentions this, and it's the kind of thing you only find out about at the trade-in screen.
- Sort out AppleCare. If the iPad is covered, cancel the plan or transfer it to the new owner before it leaves your hands.
If you're selling, also check whether the iPad has a cellular eSIM. You'll be asked what to do with it during the reset, and the answer is different depending on whether the iPad is staying in the house.
How to factory reset iPad from Settings in iPadOS 26
This is the method for when you know the passcode and your Apple Account password. It's the cleanest route, because it signs you out properly and turns off Activation Lock in the same go.
- Open Settings and tap General.
- Tap Transfer or Reset iPad.
- Tap Erase All Content and Settings, then Continue.
- If the iPad has an eSIM, choose whether to keep or delete it.
- Enter your iPad passcode, let the backup finish, then enter your Apple Account password.
- Wait. When the Hello screen appears, the reset is done.
On the eSIM question: if the iPad is going to someone else, delete it. If you're wiping your own iPad to fix a problem and keeping it, keep it, otherwise you'll be on the phone to your network to get the plan back.
iPadOS 26 also added a second route in. If you go to Settings, tap your name and choose Sign Out, Apple now gives you a choice between Erase this iPad and Sign Out But Don't Erase. The first one does the whole job from the account screen, which is handy if that's where you started.
Reset is not the same as erase
Under Transfer or Reset iPad there's a separate Reset menu, and this is where people come unstuck. Options like Reset All Settings put your settings back to their defaults without touching your photos, apps or files. Apple's guide is explicit that resetting settings doesn't erase content.
That's useful when Wi-Fi or Bluetooth is playing up, but it is not a factory reset. If you're selling, Reset All Settings leaves every one of your photos on the iPad.
The same goes for "hard reset". Half the results for this search use it to mean a force restart, the button combination you use when the screen freezes. That just reboots the iPad. Nothing gets wiped.
How to factory reset iPad if you've forgotten the passcode
Apple's first suggestion is Passcode Reset. If you changed your passcode in the last 72 hours on iPadOS 17 or later, you can enter the old one from the lock screen and set a new one, with no erasing involved. Try that before anything else.
If that's not an option, you can erase the iPad from the lock screen. Apple's requirements are worth reading closely:
- iPadOS 15.2 or later.
- Find My was switched on before you got locked out.
- You know the Apple Account password the iPad is signed in with.
- The iPad has an active Wi-Fi or cellular connection.
Keep entering the wrong passcode until you see the iPad Unavailable or Security Lockout screen. On iPadOS 17 and later, tap Forgot Passcode?, then Start iPad Reset, sign out with your Apple Account password, and erase. On iPadOS 15.2 and 16 the button just says Erase iPad.
The Wi-Fi-only catch
Here's the bit that's different from an iPhone. Apple says the Forgot Passcode? option only appears when the device has a connection and Find My turned on. An iPhone almost always has mobile data. Most iPads don't, because the Wi-Fi-only models are the cheaper and more common ones.
So a Wi-Fi-only iPad has to be within range of a network it already knows. You can't pick a new network from behind the lock screen. If it's an old iPad from a drawer, you've changed router since you last used it, or it's being reset at someone else's house, that button won't appear and you're on to the computer method below.
How to factory reset iPad with a Mac or PC using recovery mode
This works whether or not you know the passcode, and it's the fallback when the iPad won't play ball any other way. You need a Mac with Finder, or a Windows PC with the Apple Devices app or an up-to-date iTunes, plus a USB cable.
- Turn the iPad off and connect it to the computer.
- Put it into recovery mode using the right button sequence below, and keep holding until you see the computer-and-cable image.
- On the computer, select the iPad and choose Restore, not Update.
- Let it download and install the software, then set it up as new.
The button sequence depends on whether your iPad has a Home button:
- No Home button (every iPad Apple currently sells): press and release the volume button nearest the top button, press and release the volume button furthest from the top button, then press and hold the top button.
- Home button (older models, including the iPad 9th generation and earlier): press and hold the Home button and the top button together.
If you land on the passcode screen instead of the recovery image, turn the iPad off and start again. And if the download takes longer than 15 minutes, the iPad will drop out of recovery mode on its own. Apple's advice is to let the download finish, turn the iPad off, and go through the button sequence again. It doesn't mean anything is broken.
Activation Lock: the step that decides whether anyone else can use it
This is the part that turns a reset iPad into a paperweight. Activation Lock ties the iPad to the Apple Account that had Find My switched on, and it survives a factory reset.
When you erase from Settings and enter your Apple Account password, Apple says Find My and Activation Lock turn off. That's why the Settings method is the one to use when you're selling. A recovery-mode restore wipes the iPad, but if Find My was on, the next person to set it up will be asked for your Apple Account and password.
If the iPad has already gone and you forgot, you can still sort it remotely. Sign in at iCloud.com/find, select the iPad and choose Remove This Device. Apple's page says this route is for devices that are offline, so it's easiest done while the buyer has it switched off or before they connect it. If you've got proof of purchase and you're stuck, Apple runs an Activation Lock support request at al-support.apple.com.
If you're the one buying second-hand on eBay or Facebook Marketplace, ask the seller to show you the iPad reaching the setup screens without asking for anyone's Apple Account. Once you've paid, the only people who can fix it are the seller or Apple, and Apple will want the original receipt.
Which factory reset method should you use?
- You know the passcode and you're selling or giving it away: Settings, General, Transfer or Reset iPad, Erase All Content and Settings.
- You forgot the passcode and the iPad is online: keep going until Security Lockout, then Forgot Passcode?.
- You forgot the passcode and it's Wi-Fi only and off its home network: recovery mode with a Mac or PC.
- It's frozen and you just want it working again: force restart first. You probably don't need a reset at all.
- It's asking for someone else's Apple Account: that's Activation Lock, and only the previous owner or Apple can clear it.
The same logic applies across Apple's kit, with small differences. I've covered the iPhone version in how to erase your iPhone before selling it, and the Mac one, where Erase Assistant does most of the work, in how to factory reset a MacBook. If the reset is the start of an upgrade, my iPad price guide for the UK has what each model costs right now.
FAQ
Does a factory reset remove Activation Lock on iPad?
Only if you do it from Settings and enter your Apple Account password, which signs you out and turns off Find My. A recovery-mode restore wipes the iPad but leaves Activation Lock in place if Find My was on.
How do I factory reset an iPad without a computer?
Use Settings, General, Transfer or Reset iPad, Erase All Content and Settings if you know the passcode. If you don't, enter the wrong passcode until Security Lockout appears and tap Forgot Passcode?. That needs iPadOS 15.2 or later, Find My switched on, an internet connection and your Apple Account password.
Does Reset All Settings delete everything on my iPad?
No. It returns settings like Wi-Fi, keyboard and privacy options to their defaults but leaves your photos, apps and files alone. To wipe the iPad you need Erase All Content and Settings.
My take
The factory reset itself is the easy part. If you remember one thing, make it this: when an iPad is leaving your hands, erase it from Settings with your Apple Account password, not from a computer, because that's the method that takes Activation Lock with it. And if you're locked out of a Wi-Fi-only iPad, don't waste half an hour waiting for a Forgot Passcode? button that will never appear. Get the cable out.
Source: How to factory reset your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, Apple Support
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