With the reveal of new iPads, always comes the prospect of upgrading. However, before you decide to recycle or sell that old tablet of yours, you'll want to know how to factory reset iPads first and foremost.
Factory resetting your iPad is also a good option if you've had major issues that normal fixes don't seem to help. Fortunately, this guide works no matter which iPad you have, so you should find it relatively simple to reset your device.
How to Factory Reset iPad
Before you decide to factory reset your device, ensure that you've created a backup via iCloud, so you can transfer or keep your essential data. Once that's done, here's how to factory reset your iPad:
- Go to the Settings app on your iPad
- Head to the General tab
- Scroll down to the bottom
- Select Transfer or Reset iPad
- Enter your Apple ID password or passcode
- Confirm that you want to reset the device
- Wait until the reset is fully complete
After this, your device should be fully restored to its factory default settings, allowing you to add a new Apple ID account, or sell the device, etc. Occasionally, an issue will arise which means you'll need to login to your Apple ID to remove it on the iPad, which has personally happened to me, but logging out once you've logged in again is fairly simple. Make sure you remove iMessage on iPad before selling or giving to relatives.
Remember, as it's a full factory reset, ALL of your data will be removed from the device. If you backed up your data to iCloud before resetting, you should be able to download and restore your content, on either the old or new iPad, by logging back into your Apple ID.
Of course, if you're having any major issues with your iPad that isn't fixed by this, the best bet is to head to a nearby Apple Store or reach out to Apple Support for assistance. If you have any freezes, you can find out how to shut down iPad and restart the device.
That's how to factory reset iPads, and now you know, you should be able to sell it and upgrade to your brand new tablet!