Got a tip for us?

iPadOS

Learn the location of the cameras, buttons, and other essential hardware features on iPad Air 13-inch (M3).

It shows where to find the top button/Touch ID, volume buttons, front camera, microphones, rear camera, Smart Connector, USB-C connector, and magnetic connector for Apple Pencil. There are links to turn on and set up iPad and make your iPad your own, too.

The front view of iPad Air with callouts to the top button and Touch ID at the top right, the volume buttons at the top right, the front camera at the center right, and the microphone on the right.

  • 1 Top button/Touch ID
  • 2 Volume buttons
  • 3 Front camera
  • 3 Microphone

The back view of iPad Air with callouts to the rear camera and microphone at the top left, the Smart Connector and USB-C connector at the bottom center, and the magnetic connector for Apple Pencil on the left.

  • 5 Rear camera
  • 6 Microphone
  • 7 Smart Connector
  • 8 USB-C connector
  • 9 Magnetic connector for Apple Pencil

Get started with iPad Air

Tag: iPadOS

Learn the location of the cameras, buttons, and other essential hardware features on iPad Pro 13-inch (M5).

The guide points out the microphones, top button, volume buttons, front camera, LiDAR Scanner, rear camera, rear ambient light sensor, flash, Smart Connector, USB-C connector, and magnetic connector for Apple Pencil. There are links to turn on and set up iPad, too.

The front view of iPad Pro with callouts to the top button and Touch ID at the top right, the volume buttons at the top right, the front camera at the center right, and the microphone on the right and top center.

  • 1 Microphone
  • 2 Top button
  • 3 Volume buttons
  • 4 Front camera
  • 5 Microphone
  • 6 Microphone

The back view of iPad Pro with callouts to LiDAR, the rear camera, rear ambient light sensor, flash, and microphone at the top left, the Smart Connector and USB-C connector at the bottom center, and the magnetic connector for Apple Pencil on the left.

  • 7 LiDAR Scanner
  • 8 Rear camera
  • 9 Rear ambient light sensor
  • 10 Flash
  • 11 Microphone
  • 12 Smart Connector
  • 13 USB-C connector
  • 14 Magnetic connector for Apple Pencil

Get started with iPad Pro

Tag: iPadOS

Learn the location of the cameras, buttons, and other essential hardware features on iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th generation).

The guide points out the front camera, top button, volume buttons, rear cameras, flash, LiDAR Scanner, Smart Connector, Thunderbolt / USB 4 connector, SIM tray (Wi-Fi + Cellular), and magnetic connector for Apple Pencil.

The front view of iPad Pro with callouts to the front camera at the top center, the top button at the top right, and the volume buttons on the right.

  • 1 Front camera
  • 2 Top button
  • 3 Volume buttons

The back view of iPad Pro with callouts to the rear cameras and flash at the top left, Smart Connector and Thunderbolt / USB 4 connector at the bottom center, the SIM tray (Wi-Fi + Cellular) at the bottom left, and the magnetic connector for Apple Pencil on the left.

  • 4 Rear cameras
  • 5 Flash
  • 6 LiDAR Scanner
  • 7 Smart Connector
  • 8 Thunderbolt / USB 4 connector
  • 9 SIM tray (Wi-Fi + Cellular)
  • 10 Magnetic connector for Apple Pencil

Get started with iPad Pro

Tag: iPadOS

Learn the location of the cameras, buttons, and other essential hardware features on iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd generation).

It shows where to find the front camera, top button, volume buttons, rear cameras, flash, LiDAR Scanner, Smart Connector, Thunderbolt / USB 4 connector, SIM tray (Wi-Fi + Cellular), and magnetic connector for Apple Pencil.

The front view of iPad Pro with callouts to the front camera at the top center, the top button at the top right, and the volume buttons on the right.

  • 1 Front camera
  • 2 Top button
  • 3 Volume buttons

The back view of iPad Pro with callouts to the rear cameras and flash at the top left, Smart Connector and Thunderbolt / USB 4 connector at the bottom center, the SIM tray (Wi-Fi + Cellular) at the bottom left, and the magnetic connector for Apple Pencil on the left.

  • 4 Rear cameras
  • 5 Flash
  • 6 LiDAR Scanner
  • 7 Smart Connector
  • 8 Thunderbolt / USB 4 connector
  • 9 SIM tray (Wi-Fi + Cellular)
  • 10 Magnetic connector for Apple Pencil

Get started with iPad Pro

Tag: iPadOS

iPadOS 27 brings new features to your iPad, and Siri AI (Beta) leads the list. Siri AI is a conversational assistant with broad world knowledge, and your conversations are saved in a dedicated app. New and expanded child safety features make it easier for parents to keep kids safe, and Safari tabs can be automatically grouped into topics. Image Playground, Genmoji, Photos, Phone, Accessibility, Home, Health, and Maps get updates, and a new slider lets you customize how Liquid Glass looks.

Here’s what’s new in iPadOS 27.

Siri AI (Beta).* Siri AI is a conversational assistant with broad world knowledge and personal context understanding. Your conversations are saved in a dedicated app, so you can revisit or continue them. Siri can draw on your personal context to find what you need—like a specific photo, an email buried in your inbox, or a saved note—and take action across your apps, such as drafting an email or editing and sharing a set of photos. Siri writing tools help you generate first drafts, get feedback, and adjust the style and tone of your writing for the audience. See Get started with Siri AI (Beta) on iPad.

Note: Siri AI is available in beta on iPadOS 27 or later on an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPad mini (A17 Pro) or iPad model with M1 or later set to a supported language. Available in English to start. Siri AI will not initially be available in the EU on iPadOS. Usage limits may apply.

An iPad showing Siri answering a request about how to improve a tennis backhand.

Family. New and expanded child safety features make it easier for parents and guardians to keep kids safe on iPad. Setup Assistant lets you choose which apps kids can use. Ask to Browse lets you approve new websites on Safari that your child requests. Communication Safety helps protect children from viewing or sharing images and videos containing detected nudity or gore. See Set up Family Sharing.

Image Playground. Create unique images in a range of new styles with Image Playground, then update them with a description or using touch. See Create original images with Image Playground.

The Image Playground app window showing a created image of a person dressed as a superhero.

Genmoji. Get suggested images based on photos in your library and phrases you commonly type. See Create your own emoji with Genmoji.

Safari. With Apple Intelligence*, your tabs can be automatically grouped into topics, so related pages are easier to find. Create your own extension with just a description to personalize your experience on any website you visit. Notify Me monitors pages for changes—for example, a price change or restock—and alerts you when it’s time to act. See Organize your tabs with Tab Groups, Create your own extension, and Get notified when a website changes.

In Safari, a Tab Group is selected, with previews of its three open tabs visible.

Photos. Apple Intelligence editing tools let you reframe a photo after it’s been taken, extend the borders of a photo, and remove distracting objects with more precision. iCloud Shared Albums support full-resolution sharing, new ways to filter and react to photos in a shared album. You can save any frame from a video as a photo. See Clean up, extend, and reframe photos, Create shared albums, and Save a video frame as a photo.

The Clean Up, Extend, and Reframe buttons next to a photo being edited in the Photos app.

Phone. With Apple Intelligence, Call Context can proactively surface relevant information when you place a call to a business or while you’re on a call—like a confirmation code you get in Mail when you call an airline. See View information when you make a call and View relevant information during a call.

Accessibility. With Apple Intelligence, use the captioning feature to automatically generate synced subtitles and translate existing captions into other languages. VoiceOver includes richer image descriptions and can be accessed using the Action button on supported models. See Display subtitles and captions and Hear what’s on your screen and around you with VoiceOver on iPad.

Home. Apple Intelligence in the Home app combines and streamlines related activity notifications, describes what happened in video footage before you watch, and can search for a video clip based on what happened. See Use Apple Intelligence with Home cameras and notifications.

Liquid Glass. A new slider lets you easily customize how Liquid Glass looks, from ultraclear to fully tinted. See Choose your preferred look for Liquid Glass.

The Liquid Glass screen in Settings. In the middle of the screen is a slider to increase or decrease the level of Liquid Glass transparency.

Health. Log menopause and perimenopause symptoms in Cycle Tracking. The Health app can notify you when your logged cycle patterns are suggestive of perimenopause and provide educational resources. See Track menopause stages in Health.

Maps. Flyover view uses aerial imagery and Visual Intelligence models to render maps in stunning detail. Local Lists provide relevant collections of locations trending in your area (available in U.S. only). See Explore maps with immersive views.

Learn tricks for iPadOS 27. The Tips app adds new suggestions regularly, so you can get the most from your iPad. See Get tips.

Note: New features and apps may vary depending on your iPad model, region, language, and carrier.

*Apple Intelligence is available with Siri and device language set to Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, or Vietnamese. Some features may not be available in all regions or languages. Some devices may not be available in all regions. Siri AI is available in beta in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, and visionOS 27 and requires an Apple Intelligence–enabled device set to a supported language. Available in English to start. Siri AI will not be initially available in the EU on iOS, iPadOS, and watchOS. Certain Apple Intelligence features that rely on server-side models are subject to daily usage limits, including but not limited to Siri AI, Intelligent Photo Editing Tools, Image Playground, and AFM 3 Cloud models in Shortcuts. Daily limits may vary by feature, request complexity, system demand, system policies, and other factors. Expanded access to such features will be available for a fee in the future. Use of these features is subject to the Apple Intelligence Terms and Conditions.

When you update to the latest version of iPadOS, your data and settings remain unchanged. You can also automatically install system file updates to improve the features of your iPad without updating iPadOS.

Before you update, you can set up iPad to back up automatically, or back up your iPad manually. Updates can install automatically overnight while iPad is charging and connected to Wi-Fi, and you’re notified before an update is installed. You can also update iPad manually, or with your computer.

Update iPad automatically

If you didn’t turn on automatic updates when you first set up your iPad, do the following:

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPad.
  2. Tap General and tap Software Update. Tap Automatic Updates.
  3. Turn on one of the following:
    • Automatically Install: When an update is available, iPad downloads and installs it overnight while charging and connected to Wi-Fi. You’re notified before an update is installed.
    • Automatically Download: Downloads an update automatically when your iPad is connected to Wi-Fi, charging, and locked so you can install the update later. To see this option, first turn off Automatically Install.

Update iPad manually

At any time, you can check for and install software updates.

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPad.
  2. Tap General, then tap Software Update.

    The currently installed version of iPadOS is shown, and whether an update is available.

  3. If an update is available, tap Download and Install, then follow the onscreen instructions.

Update using your computer

  1. Connect iPad and your computer with a cable.
  2. Do one of the following:
    • On a Mac (macOS 10.15 or later): In the Finder sidebar, select your iPad. Then click General at the top of the window.
    • On a Mac (macOS 10.14 or earlier) or a Windows device: Open the iTunes app, click the button resembling an iPad near the top left of the iTunes window, and then click Summary.
  3. Click Check for Update.
  4. To install an available update, click Update.

Automatically update system files only

Without updating iPadOS, iPad can automatically download and install system file updates that improve iPad features.

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPad.
  2. Tap General and tap Software Update. Tap Automatic Updates.
  3. Under iPadOS Updates, turn off Automatically Install.
  4. Under System Files, turn on Automatically Install.
Tag: iPadOS

Getting iPad ready for a new owner takes a backup, signing out of iCloud, and erasing all content and settings, which also removes Activation Lock if you turned on Find My. Before you sell, give away, or trade in your iPad, be sure to perform the following tasks:

  • Back up iPad. If you replace one iPad with another, you can use the setup assistant to restore the backup to your new iPad.

    If you’re replacing your iPad with another one you have on hand, you can use extra free storage in iCloud to move your apps and data from one iPad to another. Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPad > Get Started, then follow the onscreen instructions.

  • Sign out of iCloud, the iTunes Store, and the App Store. Go to Settings > [your name], scroll down, tap Sign Out, then follow the onscreen instructions.
  • Erase all content and settings that contain personal information. If you previously turned on Find My for your iPad, Activation Lock is removed when you erase iPad, making it ready for a new owner.
Tag: iPadOS

You can choose which options appear in an app’s Share menu, and change the order in which they appear. You can show or hide an option, add an option to Favorites or remove it, and reorder your Favorites. These changes apply only to the app you’re customizing, though.

Note: These changes affect only the app you’re customizing, so to set up the Share menu in each app, repeat the steps there.

  1. Open a document in the app and tap the Share button.
  2. Swipe left over the row of buttons and then tap More.

    The screen for sharing a photo, with the sharing options immediately below the open photo, including the More button for editing sharing options.

  3. Tap Edit and then do any of the following:

    • Show or hide an option: Tap the control next to the option to turn it on or off.
    • Add an option to Favorites: Tap the Add button.
    • Remove an option from Favorites: Tap the Remove button.
    • Reorder Favorites: Drag the Reorder button next to any option.
  4. Tap Done.

See also

Tag: iPadOS

With the appropriate cable or adapter, you can connect your iPad to a secondary display, like a computer display, TV, or projector, where you can view the iPad screen.

Your Apple display, like Studio Display, turns on automatically when you plug it into power and connect it to a supported iPad. On a model with a USB-C connector, you may even be able to connect to a USB or Thunderbolt 3 port on the display.

To extend the workspace of your Mac by connecting it to your iPad, see Use your iPad as a second display for your Mac.

Connect iPad to Studio Display, Studio Display XDR, or Pro Display XDR

Plug your Apple display into power and connect it to your iPad (supported models) with the Thunderbolt cable that came with the display, and it turns on automatically. Your iPad also charges while it’s connected.

Connect your iPad using the USB-C connector

On models with a USB-C connector, you may be able to connect iPad to a USB or Thunderbolt 3 port on the display.

If the charge cable that came with your iPad isn’t compatible with the port on your display, TV, or projector, do the following:

  1. Plug a USB-C Display AV Adapter or USB-C VGA Multi-port Adapter into the charging port on iPad.
  2. Connect an HDMI or VGA cable to the adapter.
  3. Connect the other end of the HDMI or VGA cable to the display, TV, or projector.
  4. If necessary, switch to the correct video source on the display, TV, or projector. If you need help, use the display’s manual.

    If the display doesn’t turn on when you connect it to iPad, unplug it from iPad, then plug it back in. If that doesn’t work, unplug the display from its power source, then plug it in again.

Connect your iPad if it has a Lightning connector

On a model with a Lightning connector, do the following:

  1. Plug a Lightning Digital AV Adapter or Lightning to VGA Adapter into the charging port on iPad.
  2. Connect an HDMI or VGA cable to the adapter.
  3. Connect the other end of the HDMI or VGA cable to the display, TV, or projector.
  4. If necessary, switch to the correct video source on the display, TV, or projector. If you need help, see the manual that came with your display.

To charge your iPad while it’s connected to the display, TV, or projector, insert one end of your charge cable into the extra port on the adapter, insert the other end of the charge cable into the power adapter, then plug the power adapter to a power outlet.

See also

Tag: iPadOS